University of Oregon
Washington
Ducks Defeat UW 4-1, Secure Best Pac-12 Finish in 15 Years
04/19/15 | Men's Tennis
EUGENE, Ore. - The No. 52 Oregon men's tennis team sent off their two seniors – Daniel Sardu and Joey Swaysland – in winning fashion Saturday afternoon at the outdoor courts at the Student Tennis Center when they took down No. 56 Washington 4-1 in front of their largest crowd of the year.
The win brings the Ducks to 14-8 on the season and more importantly 3-4 in the Pac-12, locking up fifth place in the conference. The fifth-place finish is the best result for UO since the 1999-2000 season when they tied for fifth.
How It Happened: Bleachers full of Duck fans gave Oregon the extra boost they needed to win what was an absolute battle for the doubles point. Sardu and Swaysland paired together on court two and turned the emotion of the day into a positive result on the court with a 6-2 win over the Huskies' Viktor Farkas and Joao Barra.
UW evened the count at 1-1 in doubles when Wendell Watanabe and Jake Douglas snuck by Jayson Amos and Cormac Clissold at the No. 3 spot 7-6 (7-5). With the fate of the match (Oregon 12-1 when winning the doubles point, 1-7 when losing) likely in the balance, the Ducks' No. 1 team of Daan Maasland and Simon Stevens stepped up to the plate.
In a massive back and forth affair, the two UO players were able to get by the 48th-ranked doubles team, Washington's Emmett Egger and Jeff Hawke by a score of 7-6 (10-8). The doubles point only gave Oregon a small 1-0 lead, but it dictated the course of the rest of the match.
Stevens added on to his singles winning streak and picked up his 14th-straight victory after cruising past Egger on court three 6-2, 6-3 to make it 2-0 in favor of Oregon.
Amos grabbed his 22nd win of the season in similar convincing fashion with a 6-3, 6-4 win against the Huskies' Gal Hakak, drawing the Ducks to within a point of winning.
UW earned their lone point of the day after Sardu fell to Jake Douglas 6-4, 7-5 on court two, making it a 3-1 lead for the Green and Yellow.
With two of the three remaining singles matches into their third sets, it was up to Clissold to shut the door on the day. The freshman stepped up and seized the opportunity, earning the 7-5, 6-4 win on court five over Hawke, giving the Ducks the 4-1 win.
125th-ranked Maasland was in a dog fight with UW's 101st-ranked Mitch Stewart 7-5, 1-6, 2-0 on court one, and Swaysland was deep into his match with Farkas (6-4, 2-6, 3-2) when the match was stopped.
Getting the Best of UW
With today's win, Oregon is now 3-1 in their last four matches against Washington. After recording two wins last season – one in the regular season, one in the Pac-12 Championships that ended the Huskies' season – the Ducks were able to tack on another one today.
Both Oregon and UW had almost identical records coming into the match, and the victory gives the Ducks an edge in not only the conference tournament, but in regards to the possibility of grabbing an NCAA Tournament bid. The winner of today's match kept themselves in that conversation, and fortunately it was the Ducks.
Quotable: Head Coach Nils Schyllander
On the pivotal doubles point…
“I think that they (the team) are relaxed, and they play more aggressive. It's not in their heads, they're just playing and going after it. Whatever happens, happens. We played the big points really, really well today in doubles.”
On getting the win on senior day…
“It's special because these guys have been here for years, and for them; a beautiful day in Eugene, big crowd against our rivals, to be able to close it out is something they will carry with them for the rest of their lives. I feel great for them.”
Next Up: The Ducks will travel to Ojai, Calif., for the Pac-12 Championship and play the No. 8 seed, Arizona, in the opening round on Wednesday at noon (PT).
No. 52 Oregon (14-8, 3-4) 4, No. 56 Washington (12-10, 2-5) 1
Eugene, Ore.
Student Tennis Center – Outdoor Courts
April 18
Doubles
1. Maasland/Stevens (ORE) def. #48 Egger/Hawke (WASH) 7-6 (10-8)
2. Sardu/Swaysland (ORE) def. Farkas/Barra (WASH) 6-2
3. Watanabe/Douglas (WASH) def. Amos/Clissold (ORE) 7-6 (7-5)
Order of Finish: 2, 3, 1
Singles
1. #125 Daan Maasland (ORE) vs. #101 Mitch Stewart (WASH) 7-5, 1-6, 2-0 unfinished
2. Jake Douglas (WASH) def. Daniel Sardu (ORE) 6-4, 7-5
3. Simon Stevens (ORE) def. Emmett Egger (WASH) 6-2, 6-3
4. Jayson Amos (ORE) def. Gal Hakak (WASH) 6-3, 6-4
5. Cormac Clissold (ORE) def. Jeff Hawke (WASH) 7-5, 6-4
6. Joey Swaysland (ORE) vs. Viktor Farkas (WASH) 6-4, 2-6, 3-2 unfinished
Order of Finish: 3, 4, 2, 5
Players Mentioned
