Ducks Close Out Road Trip In Georgia

EUGENE, Ore. - The Oregon women's tennis team closes out its early-season road trip against Georgia State and Georgia Tech this weekend. The Ducks will play both matches at the Yellow Jackets' facilities in a homecoming for head coach Alison Silverio, who graduated from Tech in 2007. Sunday's match against Georgia Tech will also mark the second top-10 team UO has faced in three matches, with Georgia Tech currently ranked seventh in the nation.

MATCH #5 - Oregon (3-1) vs. Georgia State (1-2)
Saturday, Feb. 3 | 9 a.m.
Atlanta, Ga. | Ken Byers Tennis Complex
Live Stats: N/A

MATCH #6 - Oregon (3-1) vs. #7 Georgia Tech (2-0)
Sunday, Feb. 4 | 9 a.m.
Atlanta, Ga. | Ken Byers Tennis Complex
Live Stats: ramblinwreck.com

UO CLIPPED IN ITA CHAMPIONSHIPS
After a remarkable match against Rice in their ITA Kick-Off Weekend opener, the Ducks ran into bumpy seas against the Pepperdine Waves in the championship match. Oregon rallied to reach its first ITA Kick-Off championship match after rattling off four singles wins against Rice to clinch the match after dropping the doubles point. Freshman Julia Lilien secured the win for the Ducks, winning her first career three-set match, 6-7(8-10), 6-3, 6-2, against Rice's Priya Niezgoda.

In the championship match, the Ducks squared off against No. 6 Pepperdine. With four ranked players on their squad, the Waves were able to make quick work of UO, winning the match 4-0.

CLIMBING THE LADDER
Senior Alyssa Tobita picked up only one singles win this past weekend, but it was enough to solidify her hold as the No. 6 winningest player in UO history. Tobita is 3-0 in singles play so far this spring season, the only Duck without a loss. The Mililani, Hawaii, native is one win behind Marlou Kluiving for fifth on the career singles wins list with a 66-41 career record. Tobita also currently holds the No. 2 and No. 3 spots on the UO all-time doubles wins list. When partnered with Shweta Sangwan, Tobita has a 34-12 career record, good enough to tie for third, while placing second when playing with fellow senior Nia Rose. The two seniors have a career mark of 37-16.

PROVING THEIR WORTH
Oregon's two freshmen have taken on major roles early this season. The two five-star recruits have already become mainstays in the Ducks' lineup. After dropping her first career singles match at UO, Julia Lilien has recorded back-to-back wins including a three-set decision to clinch the match victory over Rice.

Freshman Paiton Wagner is also 2-1 in singles play so far this spring, including a match-clinching win at the No. 6 spot in UO's season opener against Portland. Originally from Cashmere, Wash., Wagner joined the team this past fall to give her a 6-5 overall record this year. A fighter until the end, three of Wagner's five losses have come from third set tiebreakers.

THE NEW "IT" COUPLE?
Pairing for the first time in their careers, sophomores Rifanty Kahfiani and Julia Eshet look to be a dominant pairing for years to come. Since Eshet's return to the lineup against San Diego, the duo has gone 2-0 in doubles play, with their only other match left unfinished at 5-5 against Pepperdine. Together, they are 4-1 on the year. Their only loss on the year came in the ITA Northwest Regional round of 16 this past fall, where they fell to then-ranked No. 11 Karla Popovic and Olivia Hauger of California.

IN THE RANKINGS
Shweta Sangwan is currently one of six players in the country to be ranked in two different doubles pairs. Sangwan, who is ranked No. 17 with Alyssa Tobita, is ranked 52nd in the country when paired with sophomore Julia Eshet as well. Despite having only a career record of 3-3 together, four of Sangwan and Eshet's six matches have come against ranked pairs. The duo's only ranked win was against the No. 41 pairing of Maegan Manasse and Maya Jansen of California. Eshet and Sangwan opened the fall season at the ITA All-American Championships, advancing to the round of 32 before falling to the 42nd-ranked pair from Florida Atlantic.

JUST THE TWO OF US
The doubles pair of Alyssa Tobita and Shweta Sangwan will be a pair to watch this season. In their final year together, the two have already made history by winning the ITA Northwest Doubles Championship and qualifying for the ITA Fall Nationals. Due to their terrific play dating back to last year's 17-6 finish, the Duck duo is primed to make a run for the top spot on UO's all-time doubles wins list. Tobita and Sangwan are 2-2 currently in the spring with a 34-12 career record when paired together, tying them for third all-time. Their .739 winning percentage is second only to the duo of Kumi Nagamoto and Cindy Grall, who finished their two-year pairing from 1988-89 with a 30-4 record (.882). Currently, the pair is ranked 17th in the nation at the start of the year; they finished last season ranked 78th.

DUCKS START 2-0 FOR FIRST TIME SINCE 2014
Oregon recorded back-to-back wins last weekend to open the year 2-0 for the first time under head coach Alison Silverio. In their season opener against Portland, the Ducks got off on the right foot securing a 5-2 victory over the Pilots. During the match ,senior Alyssa Tobita recorded her first career win at the No. 1 spot, downing UP's Jelena Lukic, 6-1, 6-0. Playing in her first dual meet as a Duck, freshman Paiton Wagner also shined, clinching both the doubles point and the match for UO. In doubles, Wagner and partner Rifanty Kahfiani picked up a 6-1 decision at the No. 3 spot. Wagner followed that up with a 6-3, 6-1 win at the No. 6 position to clinch the win for UO 4-0.

In the Ducks' second match of the weekend, UO opened a five-match road trip with a 6-1 win at San Diego. Sophomore Julia Eshet made her return to the Ducks' lineup winning her first career match at the No. 1 spot with a three-set thriller, 7-5, 2-6, 6-2, over Nicole Anderson. Junior Daniela Nasser also survived a crazy three-set match of her own, her second of the year already, rallying to defeat Gemma Garcia, 2-6, 7-5, 6-0. UO's young talent was on display once again as freshman Julia Lilien recorded her first win at Oregon, holding off Carolin Nonnenmacher, 7-5, 7-6(3), at the No. 6 spot.

NEW FACE, OLD HISTORY
The 2017-18 season brought with it a new face to the Ducks' coaching staff in assistant coach Elizabeth Lumpkin Robinson. This is Robinson's first stint as a collegiate coach after spending over five years competing in the WTA and ITF pro tennis circuits. Before turning pro, Robinson was a member of the UCLA women's tennis team for four years (2004-08), captaining the Bruins to their first ever NCAA Championship in 2008 while posting a 24-1 record in singles play. Originally from Naperville, Ill., Robinson and head coach Alison Silverio are far from strangers as the two have been on-the-court rivals dating back to their juniors' careers. In fact, during the 2007 season, it was Silverio who clinched Georgia Tech's NCAA Championship victory 4-2 over UCLA, ending Robinson and the Bruins' championship bid in the NCAA Finals.

SPRING SCHEDULE
The 2018 dual-match schedule is loaded with high-quality competition as 12 of the Ducks' opponents this year qualified for the 2017 NCAA Tournament. Among UO's opponents is Stanford, who reached the NCAA Championship last season and is currently ranked No. 1 in the nation. Oregon will face seven teams who are currently ranked in the top 25 heading into the dual season, and three that are in the top 10. The first month of competition will be a grind for the Ducks with seven of their first nine matches on the road. On the flipside, the back end of the season favors the Ducks with nine of the final 13 matches taking place in Eugene.

UP Next
Oregon will have a brief respite for its nearly month-long road trip, returning to Eugene to host Northwestern Saturday, Feb. 10, at 3 p.m. PT.