Ducks Return Home To Host Arizona And ASU

EUGENE, Ore. - The No. 22 Oregon women's tennis team looks to break out of its three-match slump hosting both Arizona and Arizona State this Friday and Sunday. The Ducks have only lost on their home courts once this year, falling to Washington State, 4-3, in their last outing.

MATCH 17: No. 22 OREGON (10-6, 1-3) vs. ARIZONA (8-7, 0-2)
Friday, March 23 | 1:30 p.m.
Eugene, Ore. | Student Tennis Center
Live Stats: GoDucks.com
Live Video: GoDucks.com

MATCH 18: No. 22 OREGON (10-6, 1-3) vs. ARIZONA STATE (10-3, 2-0)
Sunday, March 25 | 11 a.m.
Eugene, Ore. | Student Tennis Center
Live Stats: GoDucks.com
Live Video: GoDucks.com

WEEKLY NOTES
DUCKS STAR STRUCK IN HOLLYWOOD
Despite meeting tennis legend Novak Djokovic one morning during practice, the Ducks did not fair well during their two-match road trip in Los Angeles this past weekend. After dropping the doubles point to USC in their first match, UO attempted to rally from behind and win the match in singles play for the third time this season. Oregon managed to tie the match 2-2, thanks to wins from freshmen Julia Lilien and Paiton Wagner, but the Trojans pulled away with back-to-back wins at the No. 3 and No. 2 spots to clinch the victory.

The Ducks faced another big test in No. 15 UCLA to close out the weekend. UO played the Bruins very close in doubles play, but UCLA came away with the point following 6-3 and 6-4 wins at the No. 2 and No. 3 spots, respectively. With five of their six singles players ranked in the ITA top 125, UCLA was able to record the match sweep, 4-0, despite Julia Eshet and Lilien fighting to get the Ducks on the board in third sets.

IN THE RANKINGS
Even though they have lost the last three matches, the Ducks remained in the top 25 in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association's rankings, dropping two spots to No. 22.

Senior Alyssa Tobita and junior Shweta Sangwan have not paired together since UO faced William & Mary in February, but the duo remains one of the ITA's top pairings. The pair is still in the top 25 in the nation, currently ranked 24th with 13-6 record on the year with a 4-5 record in dual play. Oregon's No. 3 all-time winningest doubles pair, they need just one win to move into a tie for second place, and 15 to tie for first.

Sangwan and partner Julia Eshet, remained in the ITA top 100 as well dropping to No. 80. The duo is currently ranked 61st, just five spots below their previous ranking on Feb. 7. The two Ducks are currently 3-0 this spring season. The pair is 3-1 this spring season having just lost their first match against the 43rd ranked duo of Rianna Valdes and Angela Kulikov from USC.

Tobita also jumped back in to the ITA singles rankings list. The Mililani, Hawaii native, rocketed up to No. 102 after not being ranked in the previous top 125. So far this year, Tobita has a 9-6 record during the spring season, playing all but one match at the No. 1 position.

IRON SHARPENS IRON
Senior Alyssa Tobita has had an arduous stretch of singles matches as of late. The senior has squared off against ranked opponents in nine of her last 11 matches, including the past four straight, going 3-6 in that span. Six of those opponents were ranked in the ITA top 50, while three were ranked in the top 20.

Tobita recorded wins over then-ranked No. 82 Lee Or of Northwestern as well as William & Mary's No. 68 Rosie Chen. Three of her six losses in the past stretch have come in three sets, including a 6-2, 4-6, 6-0 loss to then No. 2 ranked Anastasia Rychagova of Kansas. The Mililani, Hawaii native, picked up her third ranked win of the year just recently, downing No. 49 Michaela Bayerlova of Washington State, 6-4, 2-6, 6-3. So far this year, Tobita is 3-9 against ranked opponents. With Arizona State having three players ranked in the ITA rankings, there is a good chance Tobita's ranked opponent stretch will continue this weekend.

DOUBLE DIPPING?
Midway through the season, head coach Alison Silverio decided to change things up in doubles play to some very successful results.

Having paired together a handful of times last season, junior Shweta Sangwan and sophomore Julia Eshet along with the pair of senior Alyssa Tobita and sophomore Rifanty Kahfiani have been lights out as of late for the Ducks. Playing at the No. 1 and No. 2 spots, respectively, both pairs were undefeated heading into Oregon's LA road trip. After picking up their first losses of the spring against USC and UCLA, Tobita and Kahfiani now sport a 5-1 record, while Sangwan and Eshet are 3-1.

Meanwhile at the No. 3 spot, three different pairs have taken the court, all with positive results. Daniela Nasser and Paiton Wagner nearly recorded their first win as a pair against Baylor's Dominika Sujova and Giorgia Testa, but the match was abandoned with the Ducks leading 6-5. Senior Nia Rose has been a consistent presence recently partnering with Julia Lilien for a 6-2 win against Idaho, before recording back-to-back victories with Wagner against Fresno State and Washington. Losses at USC and UCLA dropped Rose and Wagner to 2-3 as a pair this spring.

SCOUTING THE DUCKS' OPPONENTS
Arizona comes to Eugene searching for a win as well, currently on a two-match losing streak. The Wildcats are 8-7 on the year and 0-2 in Pac-12 play having just dropped matches at Colorado and Utah. Relying heavily on their underclassmen, UA is up and down in certain positions with a 7-4 record at the No. 2 spot thanks to freshman Mary Lewis who is 5-1 at that spot. The struggles for UA come at the top spot as the Wildcats are 2-11 from the No. 1 position with their last win coming in their third match of the season.

Arizona State will be a much tougher test for the Ducks as the Sun Devils head into town ranked 35th with three doubles pairs and three singles players ranked in the latest ITA polls. Led by freshman Lauryn John-Baptisite who is 9-3 on the year, 5-1 this spring, and currently ranked 56th in the country, UA is 10-3 on the year and 2-0 in conference play. Arizona's Savanna Slaysman and Kelley Anderson are also ranked No. 108 and No. 112, respectively. The Sun Devils also have the No. 35, No. 48 and No. 56 ranked doubles pairs.

MAKING HISTORY
This season's squad cemented its place in Oregon history by earning UO's first top 20 ranking in program history, ranking No. 17 in the Feb. 20 ITA rankings. The Ducks' previous highest ranking was No. 22 during the 2003 season. Five of Oregon's opponents this season are currently ranked in the top 25, with 13 of their 22 total season opponents currently ranked in the top 50. Four of UO's six losses this season have come against teams currently ranked in the top 20.

NEW FACE, OLD HISTORY
The 2017-18 season brought with it a new face to the Ducks' coaching staff in assistant coach Elizabeth Lumpkin Robinson. This is Robinson's first stint as a collegiate coach after spending over five years competing in the WTA and ITF pro tennis circuits. Before turning pro, Robinson was a member of the UCLA women's tennis team for four years (2004-08), captaining the Bruins to their first ever NCAA Championship in 2008 while posting a 24-1 record in singles play. Originally from Naperville, Ill., Robinson and head coach Alison Silverio are far from strangers as the two have been on-the-court rivals dating back to their juniors' careers. In fact, during the 2007 season, it was Silverio who clinched Georgia Tech's NCAA Championship victory 4-2 over UCLA, ending Robinson and the Bruins' championship bid in the NCAA Finals.

LOOKING AHEAD
Following this weekend's matches, the Ducks will have spring break off before heading right back to California to take on Cal and Stanford, Friday (Apr. 6) and Sunday (Apr. 8).