Oregon men’s tennis head coach Kevin Kowalik arrived in Eugene just three weeks ago to take
the helm of the program and has
enjoyed every bit of it.
“I think it’s been great so far,” said Kowalik, who was named head coach in November. “I’ve really
enjoyed being with the team.”
Kowalik will guide the Ducks (1-1 overall) to their first home dual matches of the season Saturday against Gonzaga at 9 a.m. and Linfield at 5 p.m. The matches will be held at the Student Tennis Center.
Kowalik said the goal for this year’s squad is to continue its ascent toward the top of a tough Pacific-10 Conference that includes three teams in the nation’s top 10, according to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.
“We want to beat the teams we can beat and beat the teams we haven’t beaten before,” Kowalik said. “We’re here to prove that we’re not the doormat of the Pac-10 anymore.”
The Oregon men are coming off a
7-0 victory against Hawaii on Friday and a 5-2 loss to Florida State on Saturday. But in the team loss, senior Sven Swinnen defeated Florida State’s Mat Cloer in three sets, 7-5, 6-7 and
6-4, and inched ever closer to becoming Oregon’s all-time career leader in singles victories. The 23-year-old Swinnen is four wins shy of that mark.
Meanwhile, teammate Manuel Kost recorded his 50th career victory over the weekend to sneak into the top 10 on Oregon’s all-time career-victories leaderboard.
The Ducks begin the home season against a young Gonzaga squad that contains two freshmen and only one senior in the lineup.
“I know Oregon has players with an enormous amount of experience — both at the national and international level,” Gonzaga head coach John Gant said. “We will have our hands full, but my team will raise up to the level of tennis that will be played this weekend.”
Women to host
three matches
The Oregon women’s tennis team is set to open its dual season at home this weekend with three dual matches against non-conference opponents.
The Ducks will compete against Portland at 10 a.m. and Utah at
6:30 p.m. on Friday, and against No. 64 UC Irvine at 10 a.m. on Sunday at the Student Tennis Center.
Senior Davina Mendiburu is coming off a strong performance at the Pac-10 Indoor Championships last week, in which she captured the Flight II singles title. The Ducks also had an opportunity to win three other titles at the tournament, but lost each time.
However, women’s head coach Nils Schyllander said that overall he was happy with the results.
“As a group, we played great
for the beginning of the season,”
he said.
Schyllander added that his team will be tested against three quality opponents this weekend.
“UC Irvine is a strong team, Utah is a scrappy team and Portland is a tough team,” he said. “We just need to be ready and be healthy.”
The Oregon women start the
season ranked No. 27 in the nation and hold a strong home record after winning all eight dual matches last season at the Student Tennis Center.

Alex Tam is a freelance reporter for the Daily Emerald