Road Trip Marks Start of Pac-12 Play

EUGENE, Ore. – The Oregon men's tennis team hits the road for the first time this season with three matches scheduled in the state of Arizona. The Ducks begin their road trip Thursday with a neutral-site match against New Mexico in Tempe. First serve is scheduled for 2 p.m. (PT).

Oregon will then open conference play against No. 21 Arizona State (Feb. 26) and No. 22 Arizona (Feb. 28). The Ducks enter the week with a 7-0 mark, fresh off a thrilling 4-3 win over Washington.

How to Follow
Feb. 25 vs New Mexico – Live Results
Feb. 26 at No. 21 Arizona State – Live Results | Watch
Feb. 28 at No. 20 Arizona – Live Results | Watch

Last Time Out
With the match tied at 3-all, sophomore Luke Vandecasteele toughed out a three-set victory at No. 6 singles to send the Ducks to a 4-3 win over Washington (Feb. 21) at the UO Student Tennis Center. The visiting Huskies won the doubles point and led 3-2 before senior Emmanuel Coste evened the match at No. 2 singles, setting the stage for the dramatic finish.

It was the first of two meeting between the two teams this season with a Pac-12 meeting scheduled for April 10 in Seattle.

Strength in Numbers
Through its first seven matches of the season, Oregon has been able to use seven different lineups in singles play. Seven players have at least four wins with a team-leading high of six from sophomore Jesper Klov-Nilsson and freshman Quinn Vandecasteele. Klov-Nilsson has lost just 19 games in his six matches this year.

At the top of the lineup, No. 30 Josh Charlton carries a 5-2 mark while Coste is undefeated at 5-0 in singles play.

About New Mexico
The Lobos enter Thursday's match with a 2-1 record with wins over BYU and Grand Canyon. The team dropped a 4-1 decision to Utah in early February. Oregon and New Mexico met last season, a 4-1 home victory for the Ducks.

About Arizona State
The Sun Devils, the No. 21 team in the country, carries a 6-1 record into the weekend. ASU has a ranked win over a 22^nd-ranked Pepperdine with its lone loss coming at then-No. 4 Texas. In doubles play, Andrea Bolla and Tim Ruehl are the No. 14 duo in the country. Bolla, Nathan Ponwith and George Stoupe lead the team with six singles wins each.

About Arizona
The Wildcats, ranked No. 20 in the latest national poll, will take a 9-1 record into Pac-12 play. The team's lone loss is to No. 9 Florida during the ITA Kickoff Weekend in Austin, Texas. Arizona had three ranked players in singles play: No. 50 Jonas Ziverts, No. 54 Filip Malbasic and No. 105 Gustaf Strom. Strom was ranked as the No. 2 newcomer in the country by the ITA.

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