Ducks Stop Lobos, Battle No. 10 Huskies Next
05/15/04 | Women's Tennis
SEATTLE, Wash. ? The University of Oregon women's tennis team advanced to the second round of the NCAA Team Championships, by defeating No. 31 New Mexico, 4-3, Saturday. The Ducks will face host No. 10 Washington, Sunday, at noon, with the winner heading to the Sweet Sixteen in Athens, Ga.
Things couldn't have been more evenly matched as the No. 32 Ducks (17-8) edged out No. 31 New Mexico (20-5) by the slimmest of margins, 4-3. Oregon started things off by grabbing the doubles point from the Lobos, who boasted a 23-1 doubles record entering the match.
"It was a great match," Oregon head coach Nils Schyllander said. "I felt like we needed to get the doubles point going in and we did. They were 23-1 in doubles points on the year, so that was huge for us. Other than that, it was a great match, came down to a couple of points and fortunately we came through."
Daria Panova and Courtney Nagle got the ball rolling, taking down UNM's Maria Ruiz-Fabrega and Iva Gersic, 8-5, at the No. 1 position. At the No. 2 spot, the Lobos' Michelle Heidbrink and Tiffany Robertson defeated UO's Anna Leksinska and Dominika Dieskova, 8-3. The doubles point came down to the No. 3 position, with Oregon's Davina Mendiburu and Ester Bak upending Maja Kovacek and Nora Quintal, 8-5, giving Oregon a 1-0 lead heading into singles.
In singles play, Nagle stepped up her game with a quick, 6-3, 6-0, victory over Robertson, in the first singles match. Oregon then took a 3-0 lead after Mendiburu defeated Heidbrink in straight sets, 6-1, 6-4.
At the No. 6 position, it was New Mexico's Ruiz-Fabrega defeating Bak, 6-2, 7-5, while position No. 5 also belonged to the Lobos, as Tjasa Suvak took care of Leksinska, 6-2, 6-2.
New Mexico evened the score, 3-3, after No. 111 Gersic defeated No. 71 Dieskova, 6-3, 7-5, at the No. 3 spot.
The match came down to the No. 1 position, with Oregon's No. 12 Panova defeating No. 74 Kovacek, 5-7, 7-6, 6-2. The win moves Panova (32-12) into a tie for the career wins (72) mark and also ties her single-season mark of 32 wins, set last season.
"She (Panova) showed why she's No. 12 in the country," Schyllander said. "She was just 'nails' when we needed her. In that tie-breaker, she stepped up and I knew when she got that second set I felt like there was no way she was going to lose that match."
In the second match of the afternoon, the No. 10 Huskies made easy work of Fairfield, winning, 4-0. Oregon will face Washington, Sunday, at noon, for a chance to go to the Sweet Sixteen in Athens, Ga. The match can be followed via live scoring on www.gohuskies.com.
NCAA Women's Tennis Championships - First Round
May 15, 2004 - Bill Quillian Stadium - Seattle, WA
No. 32 Oregon 4, No. 31 New Mexico 3
Doubles
1. (44) Panova/Nagle (UO) def. Gersic/Ruiz-Fabrega (NM), 8-5
2. Heidbrink/Robertson (NM) def. Leksinska/Dieskova (UO), 8-3
3. Mendiburu/Bak (UO) def. Kovacek/Quintal (NM), 8-5*
*Clinched Point
Singles
1. (12) Daria Panova (UO) def. (74) Maja Kovacek (NM), 5-7, 7-6, 6-2*
2. (111) Iva Gersic (NM) def. (71) Dominika Dieskova (UO), 6-3, 7-5
3. Courtney Nagle (UO) def. Tiffany Robertson (NM), 6-3, 6-0
4. Davina Mendiburu (UO) def. Michelle Heidbrink (NM), 6-1, 6-4
5. Tjasa Suvak (NM) def. Anna Leksinska (UO), 6-2, 6-2
6. Maria Ruiz-Fabrega (NM) def. Ester Bak (UO), 6-2, 7-5
*Clinched Match
Players Mentioned
