University of Oregon
Washington State
Silverio Collects First Pac-12 Win, 4-3 Over WSU
03/09/15 | Women's Tennis
EUGENE, Ore. – The Oregon women's tennis team grinded their way to a 4-3 win over Washington State Sunday afternoon at the Student Tennis Center outdoor courts, giving first-year head coach Alison Silverio her first Pac-12 victory. Freshman Nia Rose clinched the match on court one with a three-set 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 come-from-behind win.
How It Happened: WSU struck first in doubles with an 8-0 win on court three when Lina Åkesson and Paloma Gomez fell to Nastia Vasyukhina and Donika Bashota. Oregon made it 1-1 when the No. 1 team of Rose and Alyssa Tobita took down the Cougars' Elizaveta Luzina and Lize Leenknecht 8-4.
Nicole Long and Marlou Kluiving clinched the doubles point and the 1-0 lead in the match with a 8-4 win over Maria Biryukova and Victoria Matejevic.
The visitors quickly drew even and made it 1-1 after the first singles match when WSU's Matejevic took down Åkesson 6-0, 6-0 on court five.
The Ducks pulled back ahead 2-1 after a convincing 6-0, 6-1 win courtesy of Long at the No. 3 position over Lize Leenknecht. The Cougars tied it up again when Gomez was tripped up on court six by Nastia Vasyukhina 6-4, 6-1.
Oregon made it 3-2 when Kluiving bested Bashota 6-4, 6-4 on court four, giving the sophomore a perfect 9-0 record in singles play this spring and an overall record of 17-2.
With a 3-2 lead in hand, the Ducks left it up to the two freshmen to bring home the victory. Rose dropped her first set 4-6, but the New York City native stormed back and won the last two sets 6-3, 6-4 to secure the overall win for Oregon.
Tobita battled throughout her match that lasted well over three hours, but the Mililani, Hawaii, native ultimately came up short 6-3, 6-7 (3), 7-5 to Washington State's Maria Biryukova.
When the dust settled, the Ducks came away with the 4-3 victory in what turned out to be the nicest day of the calendar year so far here in Eugene.
What It Means: The win marks the first time that the Ducks have defeated Washington State since 2010. The Ducks are now 6-3 on the year, just one win away from tying their win total from all of last season (7-15).
Day of Firsts: Along with Silverio coming away with her first Pac-12 win, the two freshmen also found the win column in their first conference match. Rose and Tobita won on court one in doubles, and Rose clinched the match with her singles victory at the No. 1 position.
Quotes: Head Coach Alison Silverio
“For myself and Tony it was our first Pac-12 conference match, and for our freshmen their first-ever conference match. So it was fun leading up to this week, talking to the upperclassmen and the girls who have obviously been in these situations. To have them share their experiences and for us to be prepared mentally was huge.”
“The fans were unbelievable, they created a great environment. I think that's part of what is so special about being an Oregon student-athlete; to be a part of something much bigger than yourself. It was an honor to represent the way we were able to today.”
Freshman Nia Rose
“It's definitely nice to clinch. I've been working hard this week trying to put in a lot of work. I knew she (Elizaveta Luzina) was going to be a tough player, so I'm glad all the hard work translated today.”
Up Next: Oregon will travel to Utah next weekend and take on Utah State in Ogden, Utah, on Saturday, March 14 at 10 a.m. (PT) and then BYU on Sunday, March 15 in Provo, Utah, at 11 a.m. (PT).
Oregon (6-3, 1-0 Pac-12) 4, Washington State (10-4, 0-2 Pac-12) 3
Eugene, Ore.
March 8, 2015
Student Tennis Center – Outdoor Courts
Singles
1. Nia Rose (ORE) def. Elizaveta Luzina (WSU) 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
2. Maria Biryukova (WSU) def. Alyssa Tobita (ORE) 6-3, 6-7 (3), 7-5
3. Nicole Long (ORE) def. Lize Leenknecht (WSU) 6-0, 6-1
4. Marlou Kluiving (ORE) def. Donika Bashota (WSU) 6-4, 6-4
5. Victoria Matejevic (WSU) def. Lina Åkesson (ORE) 6-0, 6-0
6. Nastia Vasyukhina (WSU) def. Paloma Gomez (ORE) 6-4, 6-1
Order of Finish: 5, 3, 6, 4, 1, 2
Doubles
1. Rose/Tobita (ORE) def. Luzina/Leenknecht (WSU) 8-4
2. Long/Kluiving (ORE) def. Biryukova/Matejevic (WSU) 8-4
3. Vasyukhina/Bashota (WSU) def. Åkesson/Gomez (ORE) 8-0
Players Mentioned
