University of Oregon
Portland
Ducks Grounded by Pilots, 4-3
02/28/15 | Women's Tennis
EUGENE – The Oregon women's tennis team saw its four-match win streak snapped on Friday afternoon at the Student Tennis Center when they fell to in-state rival Portland, 4-3. The Ducks (5-3) battled back early on in singles play to tie things up at 2-2, but the Pilots (5-2) were able to grind out the win in the three-plus hour match.
How It Happened: Like clockwork, the Oregon No. 1 doubles team of Nia Rose and Alyssa Tobita won their match at No. 1 singles over Portland's pair of Lucia Butkovsa and Jelena Lazrevic, 6-3, and snapped the couples' five-match win streak. The Pilots knotted things up at 1-1 after Sophie van den Aarssen and Maja Mladenovic bested Nicole Long and Marlou Kluiving at the No. 2 spot, 6-4.
Trailing 5-4, Lina Akesson and her new partner Paloma Gomez came back to bring the game to 40-40, but wasn't able to mount their comeback as Portland's No. 3 team of Amanda Zuidema and Emily Gould won out, 6-4, to take the doubles point.
UP took a 2-0 lead over the Ducks after Gomez, who played her first match as a Duck just two days after walking on, dropped her match 6-0, 6-0 to Saroop Dhatt at singles No. 6.
Kluiving cut the Portland lead to 2-1 after dismantling her opponent 6-0, 6-2 at the No. 4 singles slot to improve to 16-2 on the year and stay undefeated in dual action, 8-0.
Long then made it 2-2 with her 6-1, 6-4 victory over Lazarevic, but it was short-lived as Butkovska – UP's leader in singles wins – downed Rose in straight sets 6-1, 6-1 to give the Pilots a 3-2 lead.
Portland would clinch the match almost an hour later after Åkesson and van den Aarssen's concluded their match that went into a third set. The sophomore held off the senior from UP for as long as she could, but eventually fell 5-7, 6-3, 6-3.
Tobita won her first set easily, 6-3, over Mladenovic but was challenged in the second set and fell in the tiebreaker 7-6 (5). Trailing 5-3 in the third set, Tobita clawed her way back to take the 6-5 lead and win 7-5.
Notes: Kluiving extended her win streak nine after today's win and moves to 16-2 on the year, while keeping her dual record unblemished at 8-0…Rose and Tobita continued their run in doubles play, winning 6-3 today and improves to 18-5 on the year and 6-1 in dual play…The Ducks lost to Portland for the first time in over 13 years.
Quotable: “I'm really proud of the way our team fought today. We played a very competitive and talented Portland team and just fell short of our goal. It was great to see Alyssa and Lina fight back in the third set, and a point here or there and we could've been on the other side of the winning score. They've responded better in these adverse situations and hopefully down the stretch, we'll be able to win these close matches.” – UO head coach Alison Silverio.
Up Next: The Ducks will host Washington State at noon on Sunday, March 8, for their Pac-12 Conference opener at the Student Tennis Center.
Portland 4, Oregon 3Eugene, Ore.
Student Tennis Center
February 27, 2015
Singles
1. Lucia Butkovsa (UP) def. Nia Rose (ORE) 6-1, 6-1
2. Alyssa Tobita (ORE) def. Maja Mladenovic (UP) 6-3, 7-6 (5), 7-5
3. Nicole Long (ORE) def. Jelena Lazarevic (UP) 6-1, 6-4
4. Marlou Kluiving (ORE) def. Sarah Hellstern (UP) 6-0, 6-2
5. Sopie van den Aarssen (UP) def. Lina Åkesson (ORE) 5-7, 6-3, 6-3
6. Saroop Dhatt (UP) def. Paloma Gomez (ORE) 6-0, 6-0
Order of Finish: 6, 4, 3, 1, 5, 2
Doubles
1. Rose/Tobita (ORE) def. Butkovska/Lazrevic (UP) 6-3
2. Van den Aarssen/Mladenovic (UP) def. Long/Kluiving (ORE) 6-4
3. Zuidema/Gould (UP) def. Akesson/Gomez (ORE) 6-4
Order of Finish: 1, 2, 3
Players Mentioned
