Oregon women’s tennis lost to No. 2 North Carolina 4-0 on Saturday but bounced back with a 4-2 consolation win over Columbia on Sunday for a weekend split in the ITA Kick-Off Weekend Tournament.

The Ducks are now 3-2 after the opening month of the 2017 season.

“This weekend was all about battling,” head coach Alison Silverio said in a news release. “We competed against two very high-level teams. We had a hard fought match with UNC and certainly learned a lesson that carried over to today’s match with Columbia. I was impressed with our courage in adverse moments and was pleased to see the execution with our feet.”

The loss on Saturday meant the Ducks missed a chance to compete in the ITA National Team Indoor Championships.

Against North Carolina, the Ducks earned a doubles victory when Alyssa Tobita and freshman Rifanty Kahfiani beat their opponents 6-3. The pairs of Shweta Sangwan/Nia Rose and Kluiving/Eshet each lost their matches, 3-6 and 2-6 respectively.

In singles play, Kahfiani was the only Duck to win her match, 0-6, 6-4, 3-0 against freshman opponent Makenna Jones. Sangwan came close with a 3-6, 6-4, 0-2 match against Hayley Carter. Kluiving, Rose, Tobita, and Eshet each lost their matches in two sets.

Against Columbia, the Ducks lost the doubles point. Oregon got one doubles win from Marlou Kluiving and freshman Julia Eshet, 6-2, over Ali Pollack and Renee Ren.

In singles play against the Lions, Nia Rose lost to Alexandra Solovyez, 6-3, 6-1, for an early 2-0 lead. The Ducks countered with wins from Alyssa Tobita and Kluiving. The momentum continued to roll in Oregon’s direction as the Ducks secured another point via Rifanty Kahfiani, 7-5, 6-3. Sangwan won in two sets, 6-2, 6-3, to ice the win for the Ducks.

The Ducks are next in action on Feb. 4 when they head to Waco, Texas, to face Baylor and TCU.

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Whether potential new members have flown down snowy mountain terrain or have yet to try on a pair of snow pants, the UO Snow club skiing and snowboarding team welcomes students of all abilities.

The team — currently in season — has more than 100 members in comparison to last season’s 15.

“I wish I could just share the mountain experience with everyone,” team coordinator Dylan Heim said. “That’s what I’m really trying to do.”

Heim and two fellow UO Snow members, Alivia Nelson and Laura Groshans, explained that the team is not competitive, although individuals can push themselves and sign up for competitions as they please. 10 UO Snow members — including Heim — will compete this weekend in a regional competition at Mt. Bachelor.

Heim grew up on the East Coast and had to learn how to ski on bigger mountains and deeper snow when he moved to Oregon.

“My friends were always down to wait up for me, and I met friends who weren’t as good at first, and we all progressed together,” Heim said. “Now we’re all in the terrain park having fun on the jumps.”

Nelson, who grew up in Hawaii, said even though she doesn’t have quite as much experience as others on the team, she joined UO Snow for a community through club sports.

“I joined the team mostly because I wanted to get better and be with a bunch of other people who would help me get there,” Nelson said.

Groshans is beginning her first season with UO Snow after being involved in a similar program at Oregon State. She said the team is an “inclusive [and] safe environment.”

“The cool thing about UO Snow is there are kids who feel comfortable trying it,” Groshans said. “It allows people to have their own goals with it.”

The team doesn’t require formal tryouts. All interested members fill out an application in the newly opened club sports office. Members are then required to pay a $100 fee that covers transportation and special activities such as overnight cabin trips.

Heim was able to go up to the mountain 30 times last season, making the fee seem negligible.

The team expects to be active through June this year due to a surplus of snowfall that hit the mountains. The Ducks will head to Mt. Bachelor, Mt. Hood and smaller mountains such as Willamette Pass.

There are several different levels of slopes and progressions on all of the mountains, so beginners should not feel intimidated. Heim also said that people of similar levels tend to naturally pair up together, and he likes to float around and make sure that everyone is enjoying the experience.

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The Oregon women’s tennis team beat the Eastern Washington Eagles 7-0, with half of the participating Ducks being freshman, on Saturday at the Student Tennis Center.

Saturday was New Zealand native Janvhi Clark’s first match as a Duck. She contributed to the win by besting the Eagles in her doubles match with partner Daniela Nasser, 6-1, and beating senior Katrina Domingo in her singles match, 4-6, 6-3, 10-8.

Freshman Rifanty Kahfiani, in her third collegiate match, won in her doubles match with partner Nia Rose, 6-4. Kahfiani also beat Eagles senior Carolina Lopez in her singles match, 6-1, 6-0.

Oregon freshman Julia Eshet also shined, beating Eastern Washington 6-0 in her doubles match alongside partner Marlou Kluiving. She downed Eagles junior Rachel Swindell 6-1, 7-6(5).

Eshet has previously talked about the mutual respect that exists between her and Kluiving, and between the upperclassmen and underclassman on the team in general.

“[Kluiving] could very easily just be like ‘Okay, listen to me because I’m a senior,’ ” Eshet said. “But she listens to me, she listens to my ideas, and if I have a play that I want to run on the court, she hears me out. I appreciate that.”

Senior Kluiving, junior Rose, and sophomore Nasser all won their singles matches as well, each in two sets.

The Ducks are now 2-1 on the season and will hit the road to play North Carolina in Chapel Hill on Saturday.

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When Janvhi Clark was 6 years old, she was eager to follow in her older sister Sita’s footsteps by beginning to take tennis lessons.

Now the third-highest ranked junior in New Zealand, Clark has signed with the Ducks, fulfilling her dream to be a Division I athlete in the United States.

Clark had set this goal for herself knowing that the United States would give her the opportunity to pursue athletics and academics simultaneously. She has been an honor roll student at St. Peter’s School and received a scholar’s tie and a Silver Owl Award for academic excellence. The tennis talent plans to major in business.

Angela Swinkels, Clark’s former coach, was able to help Clark navigate through her offers, and describes the University of Oregon as “easily her first choice.”

“On my recruiting trip I just felt that it was the perfect place for me to knuckle down, grow and get better,” Clark said. “It was the coaches who played a big part in my decision. Both of them are very committed and passionate about the culture they are creating here and are focused on development in all aspects. The same can be said about the entire team.”

Clark has won the Auckland ITF indoor championship in doubles, been a finalist in the 2016 18u Rod Laver Queensland State nationals in Australia, and been a doubles finalist and singles semi-finalist at the New Zealand 18u national championship. She has been ranked as high as No. 2 in the national age group rankings.

Still, the biggest trait that both her former and current coaches have been quick to complement is Clark’s impeccable work ethic.

“[Clark] has a desire to develop and is willing to listen and to be coached,” Oregon head coach Alison Silverio said. “[She] also possesses a high level of professionalism that will permeate throughout team.”

Swinkels agrees.

“Janvhi’s work ethic is unquestionably one of the best in [New Zealand],” she said. “She will work as hard as she can and then find a little bit more.”

Swinkels complemented Clark’s “sheer physicality” in terms of athleticism.

Although Clark is aware of the challenges that may come with being so far from her home, she has made it clear that Eugene is exactly where she wants to be.

“I am very excited and honored to be part of this team,” Clark said. “The energy in everything they do is infectious, whether it’s in the weight room, during fitness, or on the court. It makes you want to be out there.”

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Oregon women’s tennis fell to No. 11 Georgia Tech, Duck head coach Alison Silverio’s former school, on Sunday afternoon, 6-1, at the Student Tennis Center.

Silverio spent eight years in total with the Yellow Jackets: four as a student-athlete followed by four as an assistant coach. She helped land a No. 6-ranked recruiting class for Georgia Tech in 2013 before she joined the Ducks. Some of her former players returned to Eugene to go against their former coach on Sunday.

“It was a great feeling to have them here, and very humbling that they came out to play us,” Silverio said. “They’re doing great. All of their players are developing every year and they’re a very, very talented team.”

The Ducks won one of their three doubles matches, with Nia Rose and Rifanty Dwi Kahfiani beating Nami Otsuka and Nadia Gizdova 7-5. The teams of Tobita/Shweta Sangwan and Kluiving/Eshet both lost their matches 6-2.

In singles play, junior Alyssa Tobita earned the Ducks’ lone point in the competition by beating Johnnise Renaud in three sets. Sophomore Sangwan came close in an animated match against Paige Hourigan, but ultimately lost 6-0, 6-7, 10-6.

“[Playing Georgia Tech] was definitely a good challenge,” Sangwan said. “This definitely prepares us for future [matches] because now we know what’s coming.”

Freshman Julia Eshet agreed that the Yellow Jackets proved to be the Ducks’ toughest competitors to date.

“Sometimes it’s good to lose because when you lose you see what you’re missing,” Eshet said. “You see parts of your game that you need to work on, areas you need to focus on. Obviously I want to win, but I do think that it was good that we lost today.”

Eshet, who wore a flexible knee brace due to shin splints, lost her match 6-1, 6-0 to Otsuka. Rose and Dwi Kahfiani also lost their singles matches in two sets. Senior Marlou Kluiving lost in three.

“There were great battles up and down the line, but certainly hats off to Georgia Tech because they executed better today,” Silverio said. “But again, it was great for our team to see this and be able to learn from it.”

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— Jim Leavitt has been hired to replace Brady Hoke as the Ducks’ defensive coordinator. Leavitt held the same job at Colorado where he improved the Buffaloes from 11th in the Pac-12 in defense to third in the conference.

— Jimmie Dougherty will be joining the Ducks from Michigan to be Taggart’s wide receivers coach. He is currently an offensive analyst for the Wolverines under head coach Jim Harbaugh.

— Dillon Brooks returned to the men’s basketball starting lineup on Saturday after missing play due to a foot injury. He finished with a team-high of 20 points as Oregon topped UNLV 83-63.

— Women’s tennis has had its best regional showing in 13 years this fall after going 47-7 in two team tournaments. Janvhi Clark, the third-highest ranked junior in New Zealand, will join the team in January.

— Torrodney Prevot announced on Twitter that he will transfer to play football elsewhere after graduating from UO in December. Prevot was suspended indefinitely by former head coach Mark Helfrich in August. His case remains open with the UO Police Department, though he has not been charged with a crime.

— Ruthy Hebard was named Pac-12 freshman of the week on Monday. She has an averaged 21.7 points and 11.3 rebounds in three games last week as the Ducks went 2-1.

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When Lauren Burke was just 7 years old, she joined her first softball team under coach Mike White. Earlier this month, she signed her Letter of Intent to play in the outfield for the same head coach and the Oregon Ducks.

Burke, a Eugene native, is currently about to begin her senior season at Marist Catholic High School after having a stellar junior year on the field. She hit .712 with 21 home runs and 58 RBIs while playing shortstop under head coach Jon Burke — her father.

Softball is a family affair in the Burke household.

Lauren and her older sister Shawna — who is now a pitcher for Oregon State — were both coached by their father throughout their childhood.

“[Softball] is definitely the talk at home, which I have no issue with. I love it,” Lauren Burke said. She joked that the two sisters try to limit such talk around their oldest sister, who is a cheerleader.

Burke credits Shawna for being the reason that she plays softball. She said that when she was on a team, the coach would “take the little sister too.”

Now, Burke has made a name for herself. She’s become one of the most prominent players on a high school team that is bursting with talent. Four other Marist players will play at the collegiate level — two have verbally committed to Oregon.

One of the most notable Marist softball alumni is Kayla Braud, who was an All-American at Alabama from 2010-13. Braud came back to coach at Marist before she began working for the SEC Network.

“We definitely have influences to look up to,” Burke said.

Although other schools showed an interest in Burke through the recruiting process, she was set on being a Duck.

“It’s always been my dream school,” she said. “Eugene is home for me. It’s an amazing opportunity to be able to represent [Oregon].”

Burke was also influenced by the chance to play for White again. Her father, Jon Burke, credits White for teaching Burke the fundamentals, while calling to him as “the best coach in the country.”

GO DUCKS 💚💛 pic.twitter.com/sutbtXGoQE

— Lauren Burke (@lauren_burke5) November 9, 2016

Coincidentally, White has referred to Burke as “one of the best players in the country.” FloSoftball ranked her the No. 18 recruit nationally and she was named 2016 Gatorade Oregon Player of the Year.

“It has been amazing to see her develop over the years,” White said in a news release.

She will join three other freshmen on the roster next year: Mary Iakopo (Los Alamitos, California), Shaye Bowden (Phoenix, Arizona) and Olivia Kinsey (Riverside, Missouri). The group of four was ranked the No. 8 class nationally.

Burke is ready to take her development to the next level in playing Division I softball.

“I’m excited for the workouts because everyone says that you get stronger,” she said. “I’ve always been smaller.”

Regardless of her size, Burke has always set high standards for herself, and chased her goals relentlessly.

“Coach White always told me to control the controllables, which is attitude and effort,” she said. “If you set a goal, do it.”

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Current Oregon tennis freshman standout Julia Eshet was in the middle of contemplating turning professional versus attending college when her decision was rocked by an ACL tear that sidelined her for a minimum of six months.

(Courtesy: Oregon Athletics)

Though Eshet had temporarily lost the game of tennis, and admittedly was in a “mentally bad place,” she was able to use the hiatus to rediscover one of her other passions.

“I just got heavy into writing music,” Eshet said. “I got addicted to it.”

At the time of her ACL tear, Eshet was in the process of building a relationship with Oregon assistant coach Tony Giannoni after he saw her play at an international tournament.

“He told me all of the resources that Oregon had. It kind of got me excited,” Eshet said. “And [after the injury] they still wanted me. So, I was like ‘OK, let’s do this.’”

In addition to the impressive tennis resources, a respectable music program awaited Eshet at Oregon. The School of Music and Dance offers a major in music performance where students can study just about any kind of instrument in addition to composition, conducting and music technology.

Now fully healed, Eshet is a music major at Oregon who has had an exceptional start to her collegiate tennis career. At the Ducks’ latest tournament, the Gonzaga Invitational, she claimed first place in singles play, as well as in doubles play alongside partner Marlou Kluiving.

Eshet and Kluiving, a freshman and a senior, both agree that there was an instant connection when Oregon coaches placed them together as doubles partners.

“Julia learns quickly,” Kluiving said. “She’s doing great.”

Despite being the newest face on the team, Eshet said that she feels comfortable speaking up when the two are on the court together.

“She [Kluiving] listens to me, she listens to my ideas,” Eshet said. “Theres a mutual respect between each other, and I appreciate that.”

The Florida native also raved about the level of support that her coaching staff has provided. She took note right away at how “genuine” Giannoni and head coach Alison Silverio have been.

“I told them about my music and they wanted to support me in music,” Eshet said. “[They] want you to develop on the court and off the court. [They] want you to be a well-rounded person.”

Eshet is now able to balance her passions for tennis and music while she trains for the upcoming season, which begins in January.

“I can text my advisor at 10 o’ clock at night. Trainers text us at 6 o’ clock in the morning to tell us where to go,” Eshet said admiringly. “It’s a very good feeling. I’m away from home, but I feel like I have a family here.”

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Oregon baseball announced on Thursday the signing of 10 recruits during this year’s signing period while only two current players, both pitchers, will be graduating. In signing seven pitchers, the team will have a total of 15 players who will throw from the mound during the 2018 season.

Here’s a look at the the nine high school players and one junior college player who Oregon signed.

Hunter Breault: RHP

Breault is a three-year letterman from Kapolei, Hawai’i, who had a 2.76 ERA and 16 strikeouts in 29.2 innings his junior year. Oregon head coach George Horton said that he might develop into a dominant closer if he does not become a weekend starter.

Peyton Fuller: RHP

Fuller, who is from Ashland, Oregon, has been named a second-team Oregon 5A all-state. He had a 2.02 ERA and 71 strikeouts in 52 innings his junior year. Fuller also played basketball and football in high school.

“It always brings us great pride to keep excellent players from Oregon in Oregon,” said Horton.

Cullen Kafka: RHP

Kafka has received honorable mention all-state and all-league after his junior year 2-1 record and 1.50 ERA. He is from Walnut Creek, California, where he will help defend De La Salle High School’s CIF title.

Markus Ramos: RHP

Ramos lettered all four years of high school in baseball and football in Ewa Beach, Hawai’i. He has been named a Perfect Game Preseason Underclassman All-America High Honorable Mention selection and a Hawai’i High School Athletic Association Division I All-Tournament Team member in 2016.

“He will bring a competitive, team-first attitude that fits right into our core values,” said Horton.

Jimmy Ramsey: RHP

Ramsey finished 2016 with a 4-0 record and a 0.91 ERA, while hitting .417 with six home runs and 12 doubles. He also received first-team all-state and first-team All-Minnesota State High School League honors in Minnetonka, Minnesota.

Kolby Somers: LHP

Hailing from Hillsboro, Oregon, Somers was named to the Oregon 6A All-State Baseball Team and was an All-Metro League selection in 2016. He finished the 2016 season with a 1.70 ERA and 78 strikeouts in 50 innings, while hitting .490. Horton said that he believes that Somers is one of the top 2017 prospects in Oregon.

Brett Walker: RHP

Walker is a three-year letterman from Fresno, California, who earned first-team all-state and all-league honors as a junior. He finished the 2016 season with a 10-1 record with a 1.56 ERA and 66 strikeouts in 85 innings pitched.

Taylor Adams: OF

Adams will transfer to Oregon from Tacoma Community College where he hit .302 with six doubles and 16 RBI. He was named the NWAC Player of the Week after hitting .667. Prior to his collegiate career, Adams was a four-year letterman at Timberline High School in Lacey, Washington.

Jonny DeLuca: OF

DeLuca is a three-year letterman from Agoura Hills, California. He was named first-team All-Marmonte League as a junior while hitting .386 with a school record of 26 stolen bases.

“Jon was the first commit for us in this class,” Horton said. “He is another exciting player that will help make our pitchers better.”

Evan Williams: OF

Williams is a three-year letterman from Horizon High School in Scottsdale, Arizona, who batted .279 and received honorable mention all-district honors as a junior.

“Offensively [Williams] as the ability to be a disruptive right handed force at the top of our lineup,” said Horton.

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By remaining undefeated in doubles play after day two of the Gonzaga Invitational, the women’s tennis team has gone 12-0 in doubles in the last two tournaments.

Before their streak of perfect play, pair Marlou Kluiving and Julia Eshet advanced to the quarterfinals in the ITA Northwest Regional Championships. They fell just short of the pair from Cal, Manasse/Starr in their attempt for the semifinals.

On Saturday in Spokane, m Washington, the Ducks went 3-0 in doubles against Portland. Senior Kluiving and freshman Eshet beat the team of Grigoryan/Soares 6-3, while junior Alyssa Tobita and sophomore Shweta Sangwan defeated Dimitrova/Oberg 6-2. The team of junior Nia Rose and sophomore Daniela Nasser bested Lazarevic/Okasati 7-6(3).

The Ducks are also making a name for themselves in singles play, having dropped only one match in their last tournament, and then going 5-1 on Saturday. They are now 22-2 in singles in their last two tournaments.

Rose and Kluiving both won in three sets over Idaho’s Lucia Badillos and Maria Tavares. Sangwan, Eshet and Nasser all won in two sets, beating Ana Batiri, Claire Yang and Katie Day. Only Tobita lost her match, 7-5, 6-2 to Marianna Petrei.

The Ducks have one more day of the Gonzaga Invitational, and will begin singles play a 9:00 a.m. and doubles play at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday.

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