The Oregon women’s tennis team (3-2) remains unbeaten at home following a 5-2 victory over Saint Mary’s College (1-2) at the Student Tennis Center. 

The Ducks were tested early in doubles to start off Sunday’s contest. 

Despite Uxia Martinez Moral and Jo-Yee Chan’s decisive 6-2 victory over Olivia Rook and Madison Weekley, the Gaels dominated play on Court 3. Sofia Daryaie and Stefanie Silva overcame Karin Young and Candela Aparisi 6-3. 

The doubles point came down to the top court. The Swiss pairing of Sophie Luescher and Nina Geissler fought back from a 2-4 deficit at No. 1 to clinch the point for the Ducks. This duo, which debuted on Friday versus Eastern Washington University, now holds a 2-0 record. 

“It was great for us to get that [doubles] point, especially being down and then coming back and rallying behind Nina and Sophie,”  head coach Courtney Nagle said. “Uxia and Jo-Yee did a great job taking care of business on Court 2.”

Although Luescher and Martinez Moral had a successful campaign together last season and entered the fall ranked as the nation’s 56th-best doubles tandem in the ITA rankings, their separation is proving to be a smart switch up by the Oregon coaching staff, both in regards to playing and communication styles. 

“It is always fun to speak Swiss-German with Nina. But seriously, she sets me up well and plays aggressively,” Luescher said. “It’s a change, but I am excited to see where it’s going.”

Oregon’s No. 1 pair communicates in a mix of their native tongue and English, while Chan and Martinez Moral speak in triumphant shouts with lots of soulful spirit. It is clear that Chan and Martinez Moral feed off the fire that each of them brings to the court; the tandem intimidates teams with their thunderous cheers and “come-ons.” 

Following doubles, Oregon raced out with an early 3-0 lead. Luescher accounted for Oregon’s second point of the afternoon, turning in a methodical 6-1, 6-2 win over Iman Khan at No. 1. On the other side of the STC, Geissler won her match with great efficiency, 6-2, 6-1. The graduate  appeared to be coping with a slight strain on the left side of her abdomen. She had some KT tape on the area to ease the pain, which seemed especially irritated during her service games. 

On Court 5, Young pulled out a dominant 6-3, 6-3 win against the Gael’s junior Rook. 

The fourth and fifth singles matches finished within seconds of each other, but had different outcomes for Oregon. 

On Court 3, Chan had an opportunity to serve out the match at 5-3 in the second set, but her opponent made a controversial call on the deuce point forcing another game. The sophomore switched sides with her opponent at 5-4 and stayed steady — securing a win over Silva, 6-4, 6-4. 

At the same time, Chan’s rookie teammate, Aparisi struggled to maintain momentum in the third set. The Spaniard, who showed her ability to come back after being down on Friday against EWU, gave up a 5-2 lead in the tiebreak to lose the match 4-6, 6-3 (8-10). 

Martinez Moral was the last woman standing for Oregon on Court 4. The senior could not contend with her opponent’s consistency; committing more unforced errors than Daries. Despite typically leading her teammates with positivity and words of encouragement, Martinez Moral’s own frustration cost her a code violation in the second set. The Gael ultimately defeated the Duck 2-6, 7-5 (4-10). 

Despite Saint Mary’s late push, the Ducks have won three straight in the series against Saint Mary’s and now lead 7-2 in their history against the Gaels. 

Oregon will continue its four-match homestand on Saturday, hosting the University of California Santa Barbara at 11 a.m. at the STC.