Ducks Move Fall Season to Washington Invitational
10/07/15 | Women's Tennis
EUGENE – The Oregon women's tennis team will travel to Seattle, Wash., this weekend to compete at the Washington Invitational. The tournament will feature three days of competition, beginning this Friday.
Eyeing the Field: The Washington Invitational field features competitors from Oregon, Washington, Pepperdine and Kentucky. The four teams combine to include six ranked singles players and four ranked doubles teams, according to the preseason rankings released by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association last month.
Friday Format: The tournament will open on Friday at 9 a.m. with doubles where Oregon will be matched up with Kentucky. The second round of doubles for the day will feature doubles pairings of Washington/Oregon and Kentucky/Pepperdine at 10 a.m. Singles play will start at 12 p.m., pitting the Ducks against the Waves to conclude the first day of competition.
Last Time Out: In the Ducks' fall opener at the WSU Invitational last weekend, Oregon placed three players in championship matches for their respective flights while also turning in strong performances in doubles.
After singles wins on both Friday and Saturday, freshman Sangwan cruised through Sunday's Gray flight championship match. The Duck freshman handled Idaho's Maria Tavares in straight-sets, 6-0, 6-4, to claim her first collegiate singles title.
Alyssa Tobita and Micheline Aubuchon could not find victories in their championship appearances. Tobita fell in a second-set 9-7 tiebreaker that decided the match in Washington State's Donika Bashota's favor. Aubuchon won the first set of her championship match, but would fall in three sets, 4-6, 7-5, 6-1. Kennan Johnson, Daniela Nasser and Christi Woodson were each victorious in their consolation finals.
Oregon looked strong in doubles play the first two days of competition, going a combined 14-4 on Friday and Saturday before a tough 0-4 day on Sunday. Sangwan and Tobita were the top-performing doubles squad for the Ducks, teaming up to go 5-1 on the weekend.
Ducks in the Rankings: Tobita, Rose, Johnson and Kluiving each appeared in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association preseason rankings when they were released on Sept. 15.
In singles, Rose will enter the 2015-16 season slotted at No. 60 after notching a 17-17 overall record and competing predominately in the No. 1 spot for Oregon last spring. Tobita is ranked No. 99 after a successful 20-14 freshman campaign last season.
Rose and Tobita also appear in the preseason doubles rankings at No. 26. The Oregon tandem teamed up to go 13-5 in the No. 1 spot in dual action last season on the way to an impressive 25-10 overall record. Kluiving and Johnson are slotted at No. 56 in the doubles rankings.
Looking Forward: After this weekend's Washington Invitational, the Ducks will head to Stanford to compete at the USTA/ITA Northwest Regional Championships from Oct. 23-27.
Players Mentioned
