Sometimes a change of scenery is a good way to end a losing streak.
The Oregon men’s and women’s tennis teams hope that is the case this weekend as they head south for important matches against ranked opponents.
The men, ranked 58th in the nation and coming off two straight Pacific-10 Conference losses, are in Tucson, Ariz., on Friday to take on No. 40 Arizona and visit Tempe on Saturday to battle No. 49 Arizona State.
The Ducks have struggled on the road this year, going 2-4, but three of the four losses were against teams in the top-35 and the fourth was to Purdue, currently ranked 50th.
Oregon sends the 92nd-ranked singles player in the nation, Manuel Kost, and the No. 42 doubles team of Sven Swinnen and Oded Teig to face an Arizona squad without a single player in the national rankings. The Wildcats have kept their high ranking in the polls with strong doubles and solid singles play from the bottom spots.
The Sun Devils welcome the Ducks with No. 125 Pim Van Mele in singles and the 21st ranked duo of Oliver Charroin and Chris Stewart in doubles.
After losing at home last weekend to No. 7 California and No. 6 Stanford, the Ducks are looking to get back to the form that previously earned them a 6-3 record at home and 8-7 overall.
The No. 33 women head to Malibu, Calif., on Saturday in a match against No. 67 Pepperdine.
The Ducks hope to end their three-match losing streak against a Pepperdine team with strong singles players at the top. No. 46 Natalie Braverman and No. 51 Charlotte Vernaz lead the Waves and will most likely battle the Ducks’ Daria Panova, ranked 15th, and No. 40 Courtney Nagle. The Ducks have been riddled with injuries in their last three matches, but have remained focused.
“It’s crunch time,” head coach Nils Schyllander said. “We want to make a run at the NCAAs. That has been the goal all year.”
Optimism remains high as the Ducks push to make the NCAA Tournament.
“We are starting to get healthier,” Schyllander said. “It’s tough. We really need those that are healthy to step up.”
Sunday, the Ducks visit No. 75 Loyola Marymount in the second road match of the weekend.
The Ducks will try to improve on their record of 10-11 as they are below the .500 mark for just the second time all season.
“We just need to get healthy,” Schyllander said. “And we need to have a good week of preparation.”
Plus, a change of venue and a little sun don’t hurt either.