University of Oregon alum Robin Cambier, who finished his tennis career at UO as the program’s all-time winningest player, made his mark at UO as a student-athlete. The Brussels, Belgium native posted a career record of 90-43 (.677) in singles and a career doubles record of 93-31 (.750) during his time at Oregon. After earning his degree in sports business and interning at the Pac-12 Network this past summer, Cambier has recently moved to Ojai, California to coach tennis. The Emerald caught up with him to see how his post-grad life is in sunny California.

So what have you been up to since you graduated?

I started three weeks ago as an assistant coach and assistant director of college placement at the Weil Tennis Academy. Basically what I am doing is working with the kids. They are ages 14-18. In the morning and afternoon, I coach and teach tennis. After my full day, I help the director of the academy, Mark Weil, to help the kids prepare for everything to go to college and play college tennis.

What has the transition been like for you going from being a student-athlete to coaching? 

It’s interesting. It’s tough because this is high school, so it’s a level below college, and I am used to college tennis, especially in the Pac-12 as far as college tennis – it’s definitely the best conference. I am used to playing against the best and seeing the best players. But, there are some good players here and right now the senior class has five good players that could play DI college tennis. The level varies a lot. That has been a big point for me – I have had to look at my frustration and not to be too tough on them and understand where they come from, but it’s nice.

Have you used or implemented any coaching strategies or approaches that you learned from your coaches at Oregon? 

I have learned everything from my coaches at Oregon and some from my coaches back home. The most important thing I have learned is hard work. In college tennis, there are so many good players that if you don’t work hard – there is no way you will make it. Here at high school, junior tennis is so different. Many talented kids only rely on their talent and not on the hard work. I am trying to teach them and tell them stories about what will happen later when they go to college. I am just out of college, so I feel like they should listen to me, I guess (laughing). I had a decently successful career at Oregon, and they know that. So the ones that want to listen, do, and they use my advice. I always tell them I am here to help them and to help them get better and to give them as much advice as possible as a player and person. I also tell them if they don’t want my help, I won’t waste my time.

That sounds like some tough love.

Yeah, I learned that from my coaches at Oregon, Coach Piibor, the associate head coach– he was like a big brother, so he would always be tough on us. When he was tough, he was fair. Our head coach Nils, he was more like a father. So I try to balance both, but it is kind of tough to be both at the same time. I think I am leaning towards the “big brother” approach to coaching.

You came to Eugene a few weeks ago. What are some things you really miss about Oregon? 

I miss my friends and my teammates. I wish I had one more year at least on the team. I miss being part of this amazing athletic department. When I go back I say ‘hi’ to the ADs, and I go to the Cas and spend at least an hour there, so I can talk to everybody and just say hi to them. I miss that sense of family feeling at Oregon. That’s the biggest thing. And I miss my coaches, obviously.

Was there anything fun you did?

I just like to go to some of my favorite spots to eat. I make sure I see as many of my friends as possible and make sure to have a decently good time with my team. Nothing special. I went to play golf and relaxed.

What places do you eat at?

I go to Off the Waffle because that is supposed to be Belgium waffles, and they are decently good. I went there with my teammate who is from Belgium as well.

You are probably the expert on waffles being from Belgium. So how would you rate the waffles?

Probably a 9 out of 10. They are very similar to back home. Last time, I was there and the owner was too, and I was with my teammate, so we told him we were from Belgium and we had to give him feedback. We told them they were really really good.

What are your thoughts on the men’s tennis team heading into this season? 

They will do great. The coaches will do a great job, they recruit really well. They just brought in the guy from Belgium, Simon Stevens, who is a really good player, and I know him from before, too. He is a great player. They are also bringing in Cormac Clissold, who is the brother of the guy who used to be my teammate Aaron Clissold. and I knew Aaron from previous years. We have been following him, and he was always good. So they are going to be fine. They are going to have a successful year like last year. Some guys will have to step up as leaders. Every player will have a year under their belt and have one more year experience.

What are your hopes for the future? Do you think you will stick to coaching or head into sports business? Also, where do you think you will stay? Do you like it in America?

I love it in America. I definitely want to stay and live in America. I want to go to grad school and be a grad assistant coach. That will probably be next year or two years from now. I see myself coaching college tennis for a couple years or getting my MBA or Master’s in sports management or sports business. I think after five or 10 years, I kind of have to see. If I have a family or kids someday…well that is kind of far down that road, but I want them to grow up in Belgium and do what I did and come to the U.S. But I think I want to stay in the U.S. for the next five to 10 years.

In its last home series before winter break, Oregon club hockey fell twice this weekend to San Diego State.

“We knew they were pretty good…we knew they would get a lot of shots,” said goalie Danny Cockriel. “We played them pretty tough (on Friday) and I thought we could have won that game.”

Coming off three tough losses at the San Jose Showcase, the Ducks lost to the Aztecs on Friday 5-3 and 4-0 Saturday.

On Friday, San Diego State got off to a quick start, scoring in the first 40 seconds with a goal from Travis Sevilla.

The Aztecs came out aggressive and quick, creating a lot of pressure for the Ducks’ defense and Cockriel.

“They crashed the net really hard, especially on Friday. They were hacking me a lot, every time of covered it,” Cockriel said.

Cockriel believed that the team played pretty well on Friday, but struggled defensively the second game.

“We made a lot of turnovers that cost us. When we make mistakes they are bad mistakes and other teams capitalize on it,” Cockriel said.

Oregon struggled on offense during the first period, as San Diego State controlled most of the possession.

In the second period, Oregon got on the board with just under a minute and a half of play with a goal from Trevor Shott off the deflection of Terran Donnelly’s shot from just above the blue line.

With senior Connor McBride out, Shott is playing on a new line and has seen a lot of action.

“Sully and Trevor McCarty are good players so its fun playing with them,” Shott said. “It’s good to know that the coach has confidence in me to go play with the first line.”

After a penalty for charging on San Deigo State’s John Riley, Oregon was able to take advantage of the power play. A shot from Michael Luke was deflected off Aztecs goalie Filip Curkovic and Jake Yale was there for the rebound to give the Ducks a 2-1 lead.

San Diego State was able to respond quickly with a goal just less than a minute later from Hunter Johnson.

The second period was fairly choppy, as both teams racked up a combined 10 penalties for the period.

With five minutes left in the second period, the Ducks went on the power play again with a two-man advantage. Nick Sciabarra was able to skate through the the Aztec defense and score with a backhand shot, bringing Oregon’s lead to 3-2.

However, San Diego State was not going down without a fight and came back with a goal from Cody Nieuwenhuis with 3:03 left in the third period.

With 31 seconds left to play Nieuwenhuis passed the puck across the ice to Christian Gerritts, setting him up for a wide open shot against Cockriel. Gerritts took a hard shot, beating Cockriel stick-side to give San Diego State the 4-3 lead.

Oregon pulled the goalie for a final effort at the tie, but San Diego was able to score off the empty net, winning 5-3.

The Aztecs finished Friday’s game with 48 shots. The Ducks tallied 38.

On Saturday, the Ducks were once again outshot by San Diego State 53-31.

“We couldn’t get it out of our zone and we when could we were too tired so we had to dump it (the puck) and change and that allowed them to break out easily and we couldn’t get any offensive pressure and didn’t get a lot of chances,” Shott said.

San Diego was the first to score at 11:11 as Brandon Neveu scored.

In the second period, the Aztecs picked up two more goals and the Ducks trailed 3-0 heading into the final period.

Although Oregon picked up some offensive pressure as the game continued, it wasn’t enough to catch up as San Diego State took another win in Eugene.

“We need to pick it up for sure…we can’t be throwing the puck around like we were,” defenseman Joe Hoover said. “We need to get the tempo up and talk more…we come out slow in the first and then try to pick it up in the second or third, but sometimes it’s a little too late.”

With many players facing injuries, the Ducks will look forward to the time to get healthy over winter break.

“We are all kinda of low, but we don’t let it get to us,” Shott said. “We still have more games in the season and we are going to go out and play as hard as we can every game.”

The team will face UCLA at home on Jan. 9 and 10.

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– Today, Oregon men’s basketball’s Joseph Young was added to the preseason Top 50 list for the John R. Wooden Award. The senior had  had 32 points, eight assists and five rebounds in the Ducks’ first game.

– Oregon women’s tennis coach Alison Silverio announced the signing of another five-star recruit today. The team signed Rebekah Anderson, who according to Tennisrecruiting.net No. 62 nationally.

– The Oregon acrobatics and tumbling team announced the signing of eight athletes to their 2015-16 team. You can check out the list here.

– The Emerald’s Josh Schlichter catches up with Oregon men’s golf team, who is currently ranked No.1 in the nation.

– The Oregon men’s and women’s cross country teams were victorious at the NCAA West Regional in Northern California on Friday. Friday marked the first time in 26 years that both teams have finished first at the Regional competition. With Friday’s results, both teams automatically advance to the NCAA Championships in Terre Haute, Indiana on Nov. 22.

Follow Beth Maiman on Twitter @bethamaiman

When you ask Oregon club hockey player Jesse Leonard what his most vivid memory growing up with new teammates Trevor Shott and Sam Rosenberg is, the answer might surprise you.

“Maybe Sammy’s Bar Mitzvah?” he said. “It was huge and I had never really been to one.”

Of course, Rosenberg remembers the special day, too. He notes that Leonard, Shott and their teammates from their pee-wee hockey team showed up earlier than everyone else and that the after-party included a hockey game at midnight that took place at the local rink.

The trio spent a lot of their time growing up by playing hockey together in their hometown of Portland. While traveling to games and logging many hours of practice at the rink, the three certainly have memories to share and are on the track to make more.

This season, Rosenberg and Shott join Leonard on UO’s club hockey team. Shott, who transferred from Lake Forest College in Illinois and Rosenberg who was the final cut on last year’s roster, are enjoying the fact that they are all sporting the same uniform again.

With their families originating from Canada, they went with what Shott calls “the Canadian stereotype” and began skating at a young age.

However, in Portland, the hockey scene was not as popular compared to other sports and required traveling in order to compete.

“There is not a lot of hockey here. We were the only team from Oregon that I knew of, at the time,” Shott said. “Any of the games we played, we had to go up to Washington, over to Idaho or down to California.”

The grueling travel brought the three boys, and their families, closer.

“When you spend nine hours in a car from San Jose to Portland, you get to know people,” Rosenberg said.

The commitment and passion for the sport also sparked a friendship.

“We were all pretty good friends,” Shott said. “Being the only ones in our area to play hockey, we had that instant one thing that connected us and that we could talk about and bond over.”

That bond has continued into their college years and has made the transition to playing with the Ducks easier for both Shott and Rosenberg.

“Definitely knowing somebody going into it helped me out,” Shott said. “I asked Jesse a bunch of questions over summer just to try to get a feel and what the season was going to be like and how the team was going to be and get an understanding of what this level was like compared to when we were younger. It was very helpful.”

For Rosenberg, he says that already being friends with Shott is helpful when it comes to doing rookie duties and getting rides to practice.

According to Leonard, none of the guys have changed since they were kids.

Rosenberg is still goofy and easy going. Shott is quiet, but funny, once you get to know him. Rosenberg said Leonard is willing to do anything for anyone and is a great guy on and off the ice.

They also have respect for each other’s hockey skills adding that each player brings something different and valuable to the team.

“I never really expected to play with them in college,” Leonard said. “But it’s pretty cool that we are.”

In the first regular season game, Oregon women’s basketball came out on top, beating Utah State 100-77 today at Matthew Knight Arena.

Fans first got a look at Graves’ new squad on Sunday, when the team beat Westmont 81-44 in an exhibition match.

“When we executed tonight and doing things we really wanted to do, I thought we looked really good and played good basketball.” said head coach Kelly Graves. “I thought we could of defended a lot better, that was the part that kind of frustrated me.”

Standing out for the Ducks was Katelyn Loper, who scored a career-high in points with 33, beating her previous record of 29 when she played in last season’s home-opener against Cal State Bakersfield.

“I think the coaches expect a lot from me and I like that,” Loper said. “There is not a play I don’t hear from coach Graves and so I like it, sometimes I get a little frustrated sometimes. I feel different because I am accountable.”

The Ducks got off to a hot start, going on an 11-0 run at the beginning of the game. Oregon was 6-for-6 at the three-point line about half way through the first half. The team finished the game shooting 54.8 percent from field goal range and went 15-21 from the foul line.

Graves said he was pleased with the team’s performance tonight and that he thought Utah’s trap defense made it pretty easy for the Ducks to put points up due to their shooting and Allyene’s inside presence.

Oregon was able to keep the momentum throughout the first and lead the Aggies at half 59-41.

Coach Graves expressed the importance of focus on defense at halftime. After the game, the first-year coach noted that was something he is still looking for his team to improve on. He noted that when the team is hot shooting it is  easy for defense to become an after thought, which is something that Graves said can’t happen.

Forward Jillian Allyene said defensively the learning curve has increased with coach Graves’ new focus on defense fundamentals.

“Our defense is what will win us games,” Allyene said. “I think today we should what type of team we can be.”

Specifically, Allyene added that one key to improving is knowing where to be on defense a second sooner.

The second leading scorer for Oregon was Alleyne, who tallied her 42nd career double-double as she finished with 20 points and 12 rebounds.

Oregon struggled on offense at the start of the second half. After a three-point basket from Loper with just under a minute into the half, the Ducks went scoreless till 14:23.

“We started off really well in the first half and then in the second the first five minutes were not going so well and I think that is something we have to learn as a team,” said Alleyne.

The junior added that the team needs to be able to bounce back better.

The offensive momentum picked up again later in the half and Oregon finished the day breaking 100 points, with a team total of 33 rebounds and 25 assists. Also scoring for the Ducks was Lexi Peterson and Lexi Bando, who both finished with 13. The leading scorer for Utah State was Makenlee Williams who finished with 22 points.

Oregon faces North Carolina on Nov. 23 at home. North Carolina is No. 13 on AP’s Top-25 poll and will play No. 23 UCLA on Sunday.

For Kelsey Foo and Lilly Archer life is often eat, sleep and breathe soccer.

From practice to weightlifting and games, both Foo and Archer sometimes find time to sneak away from the turf to pursue another passion: art.

“I have always been artsy. Being able to be creative in my major is a lot of fun,” Foo said. “A lot of people are jealous of my homework because I am always making prototypes or drawings.”

Foo has also participated in Art of the Athlete and her work has appeared on the walls of the Jordan Schnitzer Museum.

“It just gives me a mental break from everything,” Foo said. “During pre-season with double days, we are always here and always around the team so it gives me an opportunity to do my own thing.”

The redshirt junior from San Jose, California is a product design major and hopes to one day design something sports related like footwear, apparel or equipment.

She described herself as a big “shoehead” and added that she has always enjoyed collecting sneakers, which in turn sparked her interest in footwear.

Foo is currently designing a soccer cleat for class, a product she is very familiar with.

“Being an athlete helps because I can take what the problems of an athlete,” Foo said “It’s cool because I can get feedback from my teammates and adjust things that way instead of just having my personal feedback.”

In the future, Foo said it would be awesome to design footwear and work for Nike.

For Archer, she finds her passion for art and soccer don’t often intermix.

“I make a conscious effort to try to find inspiration outside of soccer,” Archer said.

However, she added that it can often be hard to find something that isn’t soccer related when given prompts for projects that require a personal aspect.

Similar to Foo, class is often an escape from the every day stress of being a student athlete.

“I definitely think it (art) helps me release stress. It’s not like a science major where I have to study for tests every other week, it’s usually four big  projects and you get time to work on them and develop ideas. If I really get into a project, I will spend 20 hours on a project…It’s something I really enjoy. I kind of get consumed in it and afterwards, you can be proud of what you made and you have something tangible rather than just a letter grade.”

Archer is a digital arts major and hopes to find a job in graphic design and potentially become an art director one day. She simply said she wants to “make our society prettier.” The graduating senior did an internship this past summer and upon graduating, hopes to move back to her hometown of Portland, where she says there is a creative market.

“Especially now that we are coming to graduate I am trying to find how my artistic side and fill that void that soccer did with all that time,” Archer said. “I am trying to find an artistic identity instead of an athletic identity.”

Follow Beth Maiman on Twitter @bethamaiman

Carrying flowers with all smiles and some tears, the nine seniors on the roster for Oregon soccer were honored yesterday at Papé Field as the Ducks beat Oregon State 2-1.

“They are a good group,” said head coach Kat Mertz about the senior crew. “From the first minute meeting Bri Pugh and Abby Steele and knowing that they got some talent and some personalities and for them to really lower their guard a bit and trust what we were doing for the program and to buy in – it meant a lot for our team.”

It was senior Lily Archer that set up Oregon’s win, as she set up Ashlee Schulz for a goal after a free kick just outside the box.

“I just wanted to do it for all my teammates, I didn’t care if everyone but me scored,” said Archer. “I just wanted to end on a positive note for my fellow seniors and the team.”

At the end of the match, the team gathered together for the last time this season. Head coach Kat Mertz said it was a way to thank the seniors and look forward to next season.

“I know we are not playing next week in November and that was the goal but these seniors have really pushed us and it is a matter of the tipping point for us and to really talk to the young ones that now is our time and let’s enjoy this and let’s build off this success,” Mertz said. “We are going to see a lot of spots that are open, we started eight of those nine seniors”

For Pugh, after the game it was very emotional.

“When that final whistle blew, that’s kind of when it just hit,” Pugh said.

Pugh would tally the first goal for the Ducks in yesterday’s match, which gave her 27 points overall in her career, which puts her at ninth overall in school history for points.

“I wasn’t going to put pressure on myself to do it (score a goal) because it would never happen, but it was awesome to see the ball hit the back of the net,” Pugh said. “I don’t really pay attention to that stuff, but I guess looking back it will be nice to see that I was on the board.”

Follow Beth Maiman on Twitter @bethmaiman 

Last season, women’s rugby ended with a tough loss in playoffs. But for the women of the squad known as the “Dirty Ducks,” it is simply in the past.

“It’s a new year, we don’t care about last season,” said forward’s captain Paris Heart.

Although the squad is focused on what is ahead for this year, the team acknowledges they will face tough competition in the upcoming months. Central Washington University was officially added to the league this year and appears to be a strong team this year, already dominating league champions last year, Washington State.

“It will be a challenge but I think we are definitely up for it,” back’s captain and senior Gretchen Shaw said. “We are a strong team and a lot of people can play different positions, so we can adapt to different teams.”

Along with the ability to adapt to different opponents, the team understands the importance of working together and having balanced skills. Heart added that the team is constantly harping on the idea of “15 as 1” and how it takes the entire team to score.

“Rugby is one of those sports that requires multiple skills. Everyone on the team has to pass, know how to catch, kick and tackle – everything,” Heart said. “When one side is on offense everyone is on offense and vice versa.”

That sense of unity also translates off the field for the team. They have a big and little program, similar to ones in greek life, where a rookie or first year member of the team is linked to a returning player.

Shaw, who is injured this year and not competing due to a torn ACL injury, said she has been working a lot with the rookies so far this season and has seen a big improvement.

“It’s been really nice to see over the past month and a half everyone become a unit,” said Shaw. “The first couple practices I would see dropped balls all over the place and we weren’t passing well and now we are so much more together. It was really cool to watch that happen.”

The team makes sure to have various team bonding events and a team brunch before games to prepare and review plays for the upcoming game.

“Going to practice makes my day a lot better and makes me happy. They are all my friends,” said sophomore Audrey Howell.

That teamwork spirit is simply just an aspect of the sport said Heart.

“Rugby is more than just a sport — it’s a culture and an atmosphere and no matter where you are, if you meet anyone that plays rugby you are instantly friends,” said Heart.

According to Shaw, without a doubt, that same spirit translates on to the field for the Dirty Ducks.

“A really big part of rugby is the camaraderie between your teammates and the teams you play. Rugby in general is a big cohesive family,” Shaw said. “It’s a very passionate sport…you just really bond because playing on the field in that high-intensity environment really brings you together.”

The team’s first game is scheduled for Oct. 25 at 10 a.m. against Oregon State on the Riverfront Fields.

The Washington Oregon rivalry is not just on the football field this weekend, but also on the ice.

The Oregon club hockey team picked up a win Friday night in their home opener at Lane County Ice Rink against rival Washington, defeating the Huskies 9-3.

“It is usually uglier,” forward Conner McBride said about the rivalry. “It was pretty tame, actually.”

The game time was pushed back an hour due to traffic the opposing Washington team dealt with traveling south to Eugene. The Ducks took advantage of the fact that they had extra time to warm up and started the first period with energy and challenging Washington’s goalie Jacob Gilmore with shots early.

“They sat in a car for four to five hours and then jumped out and tried to play hockey,” McBride said. ‘It was defiantly an advantage.”

Oregon got on the board first with a goal from McBride with just about five minutes into play, with help from Trevor McCarty and Alex Sulitzer on the assists. McBride tacked on two more goals, earning the senior a hat trick for the night. Sulitzer finished the night with three assists.

“I love getting hat tricks,” McBride.

McBride and Sulitzer also both pointed out how comfortable they feel playing together this year, due to their experience last year.

“It’s always fun to play with (McBride),” Sulitzer said. “He is a natural goal scorer and I like to consider myself a play maker, so as a pairing it works together.”

Four minutes later, Washington’s Austin Hutchinson was called for hooking, giving Oregon a one man advantage. Trevor Shott tallied an unassisted power play goal to give the Ducks a 2-0 lead. This year marks Shott’s first year on the team and his first time competing in a rivalry game.

“A lot of people said, ‘We really don’t like this team, the game out there will be intense’ and it was,” said Shott.

However, a cross checking penalty later by McCarty gave the Huskies a power play opportunity and Ryan Minkoff of Washington was able to find the back of the net, giving the Huskies their first goal of the game.

Defenseman Will Daniels scored in at 1:16 left in the second period to give the Ducks an 8-2 lead heading into the final 20 minutes of play.

In the second period after McBride’s back-to-back goals, Oregon found an offensive spark from another member of their team. With a nice pass from Shott, Nick Sciabarra was able to use his speed and skills to beat Gilmore and give the Ducks a 6-1 lead with six minutes left in the second. Sciabarra also tallied another late goal in the third.

Coming out of the face off after Sciabarra’s goal, the defensive wasn’t prepared for the Huskies’ quick attack, as Alex Black scored, bringing the score to 6-2. Black also picked up a hat trick, scoring off a penalty shot in the third and in the final minute of the game to give Washington their fourth goal.

Oregon will face Washington again tonight. That game is set for 8:30 p.m. at the Lane County Ice Rink.

If you were to head over to Papé Field for an Oregon soccer match, it would be hard not to notice that the team has skills.

Not just the skills that come with being Division I soccer players, but in their dance moves.

As today’s rap hits and some oldies blare out of the sound system, the Oregon soccer team enjoys a pre-game dancing ritual.

While it may not be what you would see at a ballet or a dance competition, senior Shanelle Simien is quick to point out that the team danced its way to a win in the student-athlete talent show last year, known as the Golden Duck.

“In sports, everyone has different ways to get pumped up for games. We like to dance,” Simien said. “That’s just how we get our energy and that’s how we get excited for the game.

The pre-game dancing ritual is something that started fairly recently. Senior Ryann Davie believes it started with her best friend and former teammate Achijah Berry.

“We would listen to music and once one person started dancing, everyone would start dancing,” Davie said.

Senior Lilly Archer finds that the team’s pre-game fun really helps when it comes time to play.

“It kinda just takes the pressure off,” Archer said. “These Pac-12 games and every single game is so important and so crucial, there is a lot riding on every game and because there is a lot of pressure – nerves come into it a lot. I definitely get nervous before a game, so I think it helps all of us to come together be goofy, be loose and just have fun.”

The tradition is not just something that the team does at home games. According to Davie, the team tries to implement the same routine on the road.

“Every time before the game we have certain songs that pumped us up and bring the energy,” Davie said. “That happened on the Arizona State trip which was really cool… Our energy transcended immediately on the field during the first half.”

The Ducks were able to hold the No. 18 Sun Devils to a 1-1 draw and produced one of their best offensive performances so far this season.

Although all three seniors point out that the dancing may cause their opponents to question their seriousness, the team and coaches know that it is the key to bringing the group together. The goofiness and laid-back pre-game environment allows for the team to be comfortable with each other.

“The fact that we all feel comfortable enough to have people laugh at us and laugh at ourselves shows us we are all comfortable with each other,” Archer said. “It brings that extra set of confidence — like I am going to have this girl’s back when she goes into a tackle just like we are going to dance together and go crazy. It’s a trust thing. We all trust each other enough to have fun.”

Although it is up for debate on who the best dancer on the team is, one thing for certain is that the Ducks’ soccer team plans on continuing to bust a move.

“If we are not dancing, not laughing and not having a good time — then something is wrong,” Simien said.

Follow Beth Maiman on Twitter @bethamaiman