Ducks Return Home To Host No. 23 Northwestern

EUGENE, Ore. - The Oregon women's tennis team returns to Eugene to play its first home match in nearly a month this Saturday. The Ducks will take on No. 23 Northwestern in their second straight ranked match, and second of three matches against power five conference schools.

MATCH #7 - Oregon (4-2) vs. #23 Northwestern (3-2)
Saturday, Feb. 10 | 3 p.m.
Eugene, Ore. | Student Tennis Center
Live Stats: GoDucks.com
Live Stream: GoDucks.com

DUCKS SPLIT GEORGIA ROAD TRIP
The Ducks opened their road trip through the Peach State with a decisive 6-1 win over Georgia State. UO made quick work of the Panthers in doubles play, with the team of Julia Eshet and Julia Lilien securing a 6-0 sweep at the No. 2 spot. In singles play, three matches were pushed into third sets, including UO's only loss on the day.

In their second match of the weekend, the Ducks took on head coach Alison Silverio's alma mater, and seventh-ranked team in nation, Georgia Tech. Oregon hung with the Yellow Jackets, picking up singles wins from Daniela Nasser and Shweta Sangwan, but could not get the upset, falling 5-2.

NO SHWETA OFF HER BROW
Junior Shweta Sangwan has come alive in singles play during the spring season for UO. After a less than ideal 4-5 singles record in the fall, Sangwan leads the team going 5-1 over the first six matches of the season. Her only loss in dual play was against then-ranked No. 31 Mayar Sherif of Pepperdine. Sangwan has faced three straight ranked opponents, recording back-to-back wins in her last two matches against ranked opponents from Georgia State and Georgia Tech.

IN THE RANKINGS
UO has a new top ten doubles pair according to the latest rankings from the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. Senior Alyssa Tobita and junior Shweta Sangwan jumped up seven spot to rank 10th in the country. As a pair, Tobita and Sangwan are 12-4 on the year and 3-3 in dual play. Oregon's No. 3 winningest doubles pair, the two are coming off a very competitive loss to the now-ranked No. 3 doubles pair in the country Paige Hourigan and Kenya Jones of Georgia Tech.

Sangwan remains one of eight players in the country to be ranked in two different doubles pairs. Apart from her ranked pairing with Tobita, Sangwan is ranked 56th 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.

CLIMBING THE LADDER
Senior Alyssa Tobita split her two singles matches this past weekend in Georgia, but one win was all she needed to tie Marlou Kluiving for fifth all-time on UO's career singles wins list. Tobita is one of the team leaders with a 4-1 record in singles play so far this spring season, giving her a career record of 67-42. The Mililani, Hawaii, native needs one win to pass Marlou Kluiving, and five more wins to tie Krissy Barger for fourth. 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 35-13 career record, good enough for third, while placing second when playing with fellow senior Nia Rose. The two seniors have a career mark of 37-16.

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 2-1 in doubles play, with their only loss coming against No. 7 Georgia Tech. Together, they are 4-2 on the year. The duo advanced all the way to 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.

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 recorded three straight wins including a three-set decision to clinch the match victory over Rice. The Scottsdale, Ariz., native, fell in her most recent match at No. 7 Georgia Tech to give her a 3-2 record so far this season.

Freshman Paiton Wagner is 2-2 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 going 4-4 in tournament play to give her a 6-6 overall record this year. A fighter until the end, three of Wagner's six losses have come from third set tiebreakers.

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 3-3 currently in the spring with a 35-13 career record when paired together, placing them third all-time. Their .729 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).

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.

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
Following Saturday's match, the Ducks head right back out on the road for two matches in Lawrence, Kan., next weekend. UO opens the weekend against Kansas Friday, Feb. 16, at 1 p.m., before taking on William and Mary Saturday on the Jayhawks home courts.