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Laurent ties UO record, Oregon men’s tennis sweeps Drake

In a battle of two ranked teams, No. 23 Oregon flexed its muscles against No. 45 Drake on Sunday afternoon at the Student Tennis Center.

“I thought we played really, really well,” head coach Nils Schyllander said. “We came out very aggressive and didn’t leave anything out there.”

Oregon (10-2) earned some revenge after losing to Drake (6-5) last season in Iowa, 4-3. The Ducks appeared to have a heightened intensity throughout the match.

“We knew [Drake] was going to be good,” said Schyllander. “We had this match circled on our schedule for a while.”

For the ninth consecutive match, the Ducks got the early 1-0 lead by way of winning the doubles point. Simon Stevens and Akihiro Tanaka set the tone with a quick 6-2 victory over Ben Stride and Barny Thoroid,

Thomas Laurent and Cormac Clissold dug themselves out of a 4-2 deficit versus Vinny Gillaspie and Tom Hands to even the match at five sets apiece, but did not have to complete the comeback. The Ducks’ No. 1 pair of Jayson Amos and Armando Soemarno clinched the doubles point with a 6-4 win over Bayo Philips and Ben Wood.

“The loss against Drake last year was really tough,” said Laurent. “We took care of business.”

Singles treated the Ducks just as nicely, sweeping Drake to earn the resume-builder win.

However, all eyes were on Laurent, who was going for his 15th consecutive win, which would match the all-time Oregon record, set by Stevens (2015) and Robin Cambier (2012). It wasn’t be a cakewalk, either. His opponent, Drake’s Vinny Gillaspie, topped Laurent last season, 5-7, 6-1, 7-5.

As he did in their prior match, Laurent took the first set, 6-2. However, he wouldn’t flirt with danger this time around, winning the second set 6-3 to take the match for win No. 15 in a row.

“I lost to [Gillaspie] last year,” said Laurent. “I really wanted to beat this guy more than worrying about the streak.”

About a minute following Laurent’s win, Tanaka brought the Ducks to within one point of the win with his 6-1, 6-4 victory over Stride. Tanaka — now 9-2 on the season — continues to impress.

Freshman Ty Gentry clinched the match for the Ducks with his straight set victory over Philips, 6-2, 6-4. Stevens, who defeated Philips last season, took care of Calum Macgoech, 6-1, 7-5, to give Oregon its fifth point of the match. For good measure, Clissold topped Hands (7-5, 6-3) and Amos came back on court No. 3 to defeat Thoroid (5-7, 6-0, 1-0 (10-7)) to give Oregon the sweep.

Up next: Oregon has a week off before traveling to Santa Barbara to face the Gauchos on March 5. 

Oregon vs Drake, 2/26/17

Student Tennis Center

Doubles

  • Jayson Amos/Armando Soemarno def. Bayo Philips/Ben Wood, 6-4
  • Thomas Laurent/Cormac Clissold vs. Vinny Gillaspie/Tom Hands, unfinished (5-5)
  • Simon Stevens/Akihiro Tanaka def. Ben Stride/Barny Thoroid, 6-2

Oregon wins doubles point

Singles

  • Laurent def. Gillaspie, 6-2, 6-3
  • Stevens def. Calum Macgoech, 6-1, 7-5
  • Tanaka def. Stride, 6-1, 6-4
  • Amos def. Thoroid, 5-7, 6-0, 1-0 (10-7)
  • Clissold def. Hands, 7-5, 6-3
  • Gentry def. Philips, 6-2, 6-4

Oregon wins match, 7-0

 

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Ducks split doubleheader to wrap up Tony Gwynn Classic

The Ducks split their doubleheader on the final day of the Tony Gwynn Classic. They moved to 4-3 to start the 2017 season.

Game 1 — Oregon 1, Seton Hall 0

A bases-loaded walk of Kyle Kasser in the seventh inning brought home the only run of the game for the Ducks. In the end, that was all the offense the Ducks needed.

Sophomore Matt Mercer and two freshmen relievers combined for the shutout in the Ducks’ 1-0 win over Seton Hall.

In a game where the Ducks’ bats were silent – only tallying three hits – every bit of Mercer’s dominance was needed.

The Lacey, Washington, native went through the first six innings facing the minimum. He ran into a bit of trouble in the seventh after allowing two one-out singles.

Mercer, who was named the tournament’s most outstanding pitcher, shut the door on Seton Hall with his seventh and final strikeout of his start to escape the jam. Mercer finished with seven innings, no runs, three hits, seven strikeouts and no walks allowed.

Ryne Nelson pitched a perfect eight inning, before Kenyon Young recorded his second save with a 1-2-3 ninth inning.

Game 2 – San Diego 7, Oregon 2

The offense that Oregon couldn’t find in the morning showed up right out of the gate in game two of the day’s doubleheader against the University of San Diego.

The Ducks roped together four hits in the first inning, scoring twice off of A.J. Balta’s RBI single to gain an early 2-0 lead. They chased San Diego’s Jonathan Teaney with just two outs in the opening frame.

However, that would be all the offense the Ducks got, and it wouldn’t be enough against the Toreros.

Cole Stringer – making his first start after his strong performance at Fresno State – battled his way through four hard-fought innings, allowing two runs, both of which came in the bottom half of the second inning.

San Diego, which won the tournament overall, took the lead with two runs from a Riley Adams home run in the seventh, and get some insurance with three runs in the eighth.

Left-handers Chris Murphy and Troy Conyers combined for 8.1 innings of shutout ball to silence the Ducks after their hot start in the first inning.

Up next: The Ducks return to Eugene for their first homestand of the season against Mississippi State.

 

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Ducks sweep BYU to improve to 9-2 on the season

Oregon got back in the win column with a convincing 7-0 sweep of BYU on Friday night at the Student Tennis Center.

“It was great to be back on the court,” said head coach Nils Schyllander. “It feels really good to get back out on Friday night and play and perform at a pretty good level.”

No. 23 Oregon (9-2) took care of business against BYU (7-6) in its first match after cracking the top 25 of the ITA Rankings for the first time this season.

“It was a great effort,” said Jayson Amos.

The Ducks’ five-match winning streak was snapped with a loss at Minnesota on Sunday. They won the doubles point to begin the match, as the pairs of Jayson Amos/Armando Soemarno and Simon Stevens/Akihiro Tanaka each won their respective matches 6-1.

Thomas Laurent and Cormac Clissold were involved in an entertaining battle against BYU to wrap up doubles play. The Ducks’ pair would ultimately prevail in a tiebreaker, 6-5 (9-7). Laurent and Clissold are now 29-3 when playing together in doubles, putting them in a tie for seventh in Oregon history.

“That’s pretty good,” joked Schyllander. “You feel like you’re up 1-0 when they go out there.”

Just as they did in doubles, the Ducks would not lose in singles play. Tanaka started things off with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Pearce to give their Ducks their second point. Tanaka is now 8-2 in duals singles matches, and his strong play landed him in the No. 3 spot for the first time this season.

“Aki has been playing some of our best tennis,” said Schyllander. “Aki deserved it. He’s been playing lights out.”

Amos made history on court No. 3 to give the Ducks their third point of the match, defeating Jeremy Bourgeois 6-4, 6-3. Amos is now in sole possession of second place in Oregon history with 85 career singles victories. He is five wins shy of tying the record — 90 wins by Robin Cambier.

“It’s a great honor,” said Amos. “It’s not really something I think about on the court. But at the end of the day, it’s a nice thing to have.”

Added Amos: “I’ve been extremely fortunate to stay healthy. I know how lucky I am.”

Ty Gentry clinched the match for the Ducks with a 6-4, 6-1 win on court No. 6. Clissold earned a 7-6, 3-2 win after John Pearce had to retire.

All eyes were on Laurent on court No. 1 to close out the match. The sophomore completed the sweep for the Ducks with a 6-0, 5-7, 6-2 win over Cullimore.

The win is Laurent’s fourteenth straight singles win, moving to within one of tying the Oregon record of 15, set by Cambier in 2012 and his teammate, Stevens, in 2015.

“We joke about it,” said Stevens. “I’ll be happy if he wins more matches because it will help the team.”

The Ducks return to action when they host No. 42 Drake on Sunday.

Oregon vs BYU, 2/24/17

Student Tennis Center

Doubles

  • Jayson Amos/Armando Soemarno def. Jacob Sullivan/Jeremy Bourgeois, 6-1
  • Thomas Laurent/Cormac Clissold def. Keaton Cullimore/John Pearce, 6-5 (9-7)
  • Simon Stevens/Akihiro Tanaka def. Aidan Carrazedo/Sam Tullis, 6-1

Oregon wins doubles point

Singles

  • Laurent def. Cullimore, 6-0, 5-7, 6-2
  • Stevens def. Sullivan, 6-2, 6-4
  • Tanaka def. M. Pearce, 6-3, 6-1
  • Amos def. Bourgeois, 6-4, 6-3
  • Clissold def. Pearce, 7-6, 3-2 (Pearce retired)
  • Gentry def. Carrazedo, 6-4, 6-1

Oregon wins match, 7-0

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Oregon men’s tennis defeats Middle Tennessee State for fifth straight victory

Oregon men’s tennis is on a roll.

After winning three matches in as many days last week, the Ducks hit the road and defeated Middle Tennessee State 4-0 to improve to 8-1 on the season.

Playing at the Baseline Tennis Center at the University of Minnesota, the Ducks took the doubles point to begin the match. The No. 33-ranked duo of Cormac Clissold and Thomas Laurent took down Nicolas Buitrago Machado and Max Rauch, 6-3. The win gives the pair 27 career wins playing together, good for ninth all-time in Oregon history. Akihiro Tanaka and Simon Stevens defeated Miguel Negre Fernandez and Gian Issa, 6-3.

In singles, the No. 38-ranked Thomas Laurent defeated Gonzalo Morell Raschiatore, 6-0, 6-3. Laurent has yet to lose when playing in the top spot for the Ducks.

Tanaka improved to 7-1 in dual singles matches in his Oregon career with a 6-1, 6-4 win over Luis Morillo Diaz. Freshmen Ty Gentry, playing in the No. 6 spot, beat Rauch in straight sets, 6-0, 6-4. Stevens, Jayson Amos and Clissold’s matches were unfinished after Oregon clinched the win.

The Ducks have won five consecutive matches since their only loss of the season at No. 9 Texas on Jan. 29. In those five matches, Oregon has outscored their opponents by a combined score of 27-2.

Oregon at Middle Tennessee State

Baseline Tennis Center, University of Minnesota

Doubles

1. No. 51 Jayson Amos/Armando Soemarno (Oregon) vs. Gonzalo Morell Raschiatore/Tom Moonen (Minnesota), unfinished

2. No. 33 Cormac Clissold/Thomas Laurent (Oregon) def. Nicolas Buitrago Machado/Max Rauch (Minnesota), 6-3

3. Akihiro Tanaka/Simon Stevens (Oregon) def. Miguel Negre Fernandez/Gian Issa (Minnesota), 6-3
Doubles Point: Oregon

Singles

1. No. 38 Thomas Laurent (Oregon) def. Gonzalo Morell Raschiatore (Minnesota), 6-0, 6-3

2. No. 124 Simon Stevens (Oregon) vs. Tom Moonen (Minnesota), 6-3, 5-2, unfinished

3. Jayson Amos (Oregon) vs. Fernandez (Minnesota), 6-3, 4-2, unfinished

4. Akihiro Tanaka (Oregon) def. Luis Morillo Diaz (Minnesota), 6-1, 6-4

5. Cormac Clissold (Oregon) vs. Gian Issa (Minnesota), 6-3, 4-5, unfinished

6. Ty Gentry (Oregon) def. Max Rauch (Minnesota), 6-0, 6-4

Oregon wins match, 4-0

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Ducks’ balanced attack leads to 73-61 win over Utah

For the first time this season, the Ducks have a winning record in conference play.

Against Utah, the Ducks led 34-19 with 2:33 remaining in the first half but couldn’t put the game out of reach. The Ducks had to grind it out before pulling away in the fourth quarter for a 73-61 win over the Utes at the Jon M. Huntsman Center.

Although Oregon never trailed, a slip in play in the final minutes of the game’s first half saw the 15-point lead shrink to points in a 37-30 halftime lead. The Ducks’ lead was further cut to 39-37 after a Tanaeya Boclair layup with 7:41 left in the third quarter.

However, Utah (15-11, 4-11 Pac-12) would not get any closer. A balanced attack led Oregon (18-9, 8-7) to its third-straight victory in conference play. Following Boclair’s layup — part of her career-high 19 points — the Ducks ripped off a 16-5 run to gain some separation and put them ahead 55-42.

Following the third quarter run, the Ducks didn’t look back, winning by 12 and for a winning record in conference play.

While much of the spotlight has deservingly been casted on Sabrina Ionescu and Ruthy Hebard — the duo has combined for six Pac-12 freshmen of the week honors — fellow first-year player Mallory McGwire has come into her own as of late. McGwire provided the early spark in the opening quarter for the Ducks, connecting on her first five field goal attempts of the game en route to 14 total points.

Hebard led the way for the Ducks in the second half with 15 of her team-high 16 points on the night. She outplayed Utah’s Emily Potter, who was held to just 10 points. The redshirt junior averaged 22 points in the teams’ three meetings last year, but has been held to a combined 22 points in two games this season.

Ionescu put together another stellar performance with 11 points, nine assists and six rebounds.

A 3-pointer by Justine Hall put the Ducks up 66-49 with six minutes remaining and put the game out of reach for good.

Oregon had the edge over Utah in most statistical categories, including assists (22-12), rebounds (41-30) and field goal percentage (48.4-37.0).

Friday was Oregon’s fifth consecutive over Utah.

The Ducks go for their fourth straight win on Sunday at Colorado.

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Quick Hits: women’s basketball sweeps weekend series, lacrosse falls to Canisius

— Oregon guard Sabrina Ionescu was named the Pac-12 player of the week on Monday. The freshman averaged 16.5 points a game and 10.5 rebounds in the Ducks’ weekend sweep of No. 15 UCLA and USC. She made Oregon history with her fourth triple-double on Friday night’s win over the Bruins.

— The No. 5 Oregon men’s basketball team defeated USC 81-70 to salvage a weekend split after losing to No. 10 UCLA on Thursday.

— The Oregon women’s golf team had a strong start to its spring season, finishing second out of 12 teams in the Peg Barnard Invitational held at Stanford, California.

— Oregon men’s tennis defeated Nebraska and Iowa on Friday and Saturday to give the Ducks three wins in as many days.

—The Oregon softball team completed a sweep of the Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Arizona. The ninth-ranked Ducks are now 6-0 to start the season.

— Oregon lacrosse defeated San Diego State on Saturday before losing the first match of the season to Canisius on Monday.

— In his first indoor 5,000 meter race this year, Edward Cheserek set the top collegiate time for the season and world-leading time, crossing the line in a time of 13 minutes, 32.59 seconds.

— Senior Wyndham Clark was listed at No. 1 in the first Arnold Palmer Cup rankings, along with freshman Norman Xiong at No. 6.

— Oregon baseball relief pitcher Brac Warren was one of the sixty players named to the 2017 Stopper of the Year Preseason Watch List by the NCBWA.

— Last week, Oregon soccer announced its 2017 spring schedule, which will pit the Ducks against the Portland Thorns of the NWSL, Gonzaga University, Oregon State University and Seattle Pacific.

Follow Cole Kundich on Twitter @ckundich

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Q&A: Oregon soccer’s Kat Mertz reflects on 2016 season and looks to future success

For the Oregon women’s soccer team, the 2016 season didn’t go as well as the team would have hoped. After starting the season 6-2-1 in nonconference action, the Ducks went 2-8-1 in Pac-12 play, finishing 10th in the conference.

With core players such as Kyra Fawcett, Abby Morrow and Marissa Everett returning, however, the team looks to make a move in the Pac-12 standings in 2017. Head coach Kat Mertz spoke with the Emerald about the past season, offseason training and the upcoming 2017 season.

Emerald: Are you excited to be getting to work with your players again?

Kat Mertz: Absolutely. I really enjoy the winter because it’s a time where you can work a little bit more individually with the players. When you come in during August, the focus is the team. When we talk about the winter training, it’s really about the individual needs.

E: Did you expect a better record in Pac-12 play? Perhaps things didn’t bounce your way?

KM: Soccer is a funny sport. You can outplay a team and unfortunately the ball doesn’t go your way. We had some injuries. We had some people step up. It was a good season, and if you would ask any of the players, they’d say they enjoyed it. I think that’s important when you’re going through this process. It was a gauntlet to play three of the top RPI teams [Stanford, USC, UCLA] right away.

E: A lot of this core group is staying together. Do you think that having this experience grow will help your team in some of these closer games that you’re often involved in?

KM: You don’t need the accolades behind your name. You don’t need the five-star recruits. You need the players who are going to come together and play for each other and really believe in what we’re doing. This next senior class has been through some ups and downs coming in, and we’re excited to have some youth come in.

E: What was the team’s biggest struggle last season and why will that be different this year?

KM: This past fall, we gave up the most set-piece goals that I have, probably in my whole coaching career, ever given up. That’s something that we’re definitely going to be working on. I think we can do a better job defensively in transition, and we also need to recognize when we can transition a little bit quicker. We want to keep the ball and possess and play pretty soccer, but at times you have to see if you can catch them off guard.

E: How does your coaching staff balance staying on the path that you’re on while building and trying something new?

KM: You have to tip your hat to USC [the national champions]. They were able to change within the flow of the game. As a coaching staff, we’ve talked about that. If one thing is not working, we need to be able to adjust and shake it up a little bit. Now we have to show them moments when it’s alright to play a little more direct.

E: Depending on the sport, some teams might have a goal – we want to do this well in the season or qualify for this tournament – do you have that philosophy or take it more day by day?

KM: We have one goal right now and that’s to make the NCAA Tournament. That is always there, but I don’t think we focus on that every day. We have smaller goals to help us achieve that bigger goal.

Follow Cole Kundich on Twitter @ckundich.

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Oregon club rowing reaches 2 million meters in annual ‘Erg-A-Thon’

Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, the Oregon club rowing team is one of the most storied programs on campus. However, raising the necessary funds to maintain equipment and send athletes to different races across the country can present challenges.

This past Saturday, the team hosted its annual “Erg-A-Thon” to raise awareness of the program while engaging with students and members of the community.

“Having the support of the community is so special to us,” team president Hali Meyer said. “Being able to show people what we’re passionate about and share that experience with them is very rewarding.”

Last year, the Erg-A-Thon successfully hit its goal of rowing 4.2 million meters — the distance it takes to get to Georgia, where the national championships are located. However, the high target goal required the event running late. Additionally, some members of the team rowed over 50,000 meters, which sidelined them from practice that next week.

On Saturday, the team successfully reached 2 million meters, this year’s goal. Overall, the team rowed 2,126,324 meters.

“It’s great to have others helping us out, including some alumni,” junior Sherman Tran said.

Those alumni contributed 550,190 meters to help the team reach its goal.

“You’re all pushing yourselves to your physical limits,” said sophomore Leslie Smith. “It’s really awesome to see so many people that come and support us.”

Each member of the team averaged around 30,000 meters in the event and, according to Meyer, the team raised about $1,600 on Saturday. The Erg-A-Thon also gives the team a publicity boost.

“We are hoping to spend the money on members who do not have the funds to pay for travel to regattas in the spring, as well as some repairs for our boats,” said Meyer.

When it comes to finances, the team faces unique challenges. The Ducks compete against Division I schools in the Pac-12 Championships but don’t receive funding comparable to their opponents. Costs like airfare, hotels and gasoline add up quickly, creating a major obstacle.

“It’s a hard sport, because dues get to be pretty high,” said Smith. “We don’t want to limit students who can’t join because they can’t afford it.”

For the second straight year, the event was held on the midtown courts at the Student Recreation Center. Dozens of rowing machines lined the court, and anyone who wanted to row was allowed to help meet the goal of 2 million meters.

“We’re really grateful for all the support we get,” said Smith. “The Erg-A-Thon in general — we get the attention and it attracts people to us.”

The program continues to focus on building a successful program accessible for students.

“Being a team that is student-run allows us to realize our potential and take pride in our accomplishments,” said Meyer.

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Oregon women’s basketball rolls past USC, climbs to .500 in conference play

Oregon and USC both came into Sunday afternoon’s matchup looking to pull off the unlikely weekend sweep.

But it was the Ducks who had the first punch.

“I loved our energy, especially defensively, and we had a lot of different contributors,” said head coach Kelly Graves. “Our kids played well.”

It was all Oregon from start to finish, as stifling defense combined with timely bursts on the offensive end resulted in a 73-50 win for the Ducks over USC. The win moves the Ducks to an even 7-7 in Pac-12 play.

“Being a new team, we’re finally learning to play with each other,” said Lexi Bando, who had 12 points in the win.

It was Bando who carried the Ducks to an upset of No. 15 UCLA on Friday night, scoring a season-high 25 points. On Sunday, Oregon’s starting five contributed heavily to an impressive start-to-finish performance.

“It’s hard when you have Bando on the wing, Mallory [McGwire] who can shoot it, and Ruthy [Hebard] is a beast inside,” said Sabrina Ionescu. “If we continue to grow defensively, we’re going to be unstoppable.”

It’s also hard for any team to have to deal with Ionescu, who led the way for the Ducks again on Sunday. The freshman point guard poured in a game-high 22 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists in 38 minutes on the floor.

“Sabrina is pretty good,” joked Graves after the game. “I think the most important thing she brings is her intensity.”

Ionescu, along with the entire Ducks team, brought the intensity on the defensive end. The energy was palpable from the opening tip, as Oregon held USC to a mere six points in the first quarter of action. Sadie Edwards, who scored 23 points against the Ducks last month, was held to just two points on Sunday.

“Team defense takes the longest to build,” said Graves. “If they see the rewards, it fuels them even more.”

Sunday’s game was punctuated by two Oregon runs in the opening quarter of each half. The Ducks went on a 12-0 run in the first quarter, holding USC without a bucket for over 6 minutes of play. A 13-0 run in the third quarter, finished off by 3-pointers from Maite Cazorla, Bando and Ionescu, essentially put the game away in favor of the Ducks.

“We just have to keep building,” said Ionescu. “We can’t take any game for granted.”

USC – which pulled off the unlikely upset in Corvallis on Friday with a 70-50 win over No. 9 Oregon State – couldn’t handle the post presence of Hebard and McGwire, who both flirted with double-doubles. McGwire finished with 12 points along with eight rebounds.

“I think over the last few weeks, she’s really shown what she’s capable of doing,” said Graves.

With the win, Oregon completed the season sweep of USC for the first time since the 2002-03 season. While there are still four regular season games left, March is right around the corner. A spot in the NCAA Tournament looks increasingly for the Ducks.

“We’ve kept our eye on a prize in the future, knowing that each game that we play, play well and win, leads to that end,” Graves said. “I think our kids are focused. … I really like where they’re at, physically and mentally.”

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Oregon men’s tennis tops Iowa, moves to 7-1 on the season

Three days. Three matches. Three wins.

Playing in their third match in as many days, the Oregon men’s tennis team defeated Iowa 5-2, improving to an impressive 7-1 on the 2017 season.

“I think it was a good performance this weekend,” said Simon Stevens. “It’s never easy to play three matches in a row.”

The Student Tennis Center was full of energy from the start, as the fans got to see the Ducks win the doubles point for the fifth straight match.

“We showed up with really good energy in the doubles,” said head coach Nils Schyllander. “It’s a huge mental advantage [to win the doubles point].”

Saturday’s win started with the No. 3 pair of Simon Stevens and Akihiro Tanaka coming away with a 6-2 win over Robin Haden and Jake Jacoby. Stevens was joined by Tanaka after playing with Ty Gentry on Friday versus Nebraska.

With the top two doubles pairs of Armando Soemarno/Jayson Amos and Cormac Clissold/Thomas Laurent seemingly locked in at the moment, Stevens has had to shuffle playing with Tanaka and Gentry.

“Aki and Ty are two very different players,” said Stevens. “I don’t think it’s an issue. It’s a luxury that we can change a couple of guys and still have a good team.”

The No. 51-ranked duo of Amos and Soemarno clinched the doubles point for Oregon with a 6-2 victory.

Singles action was highlighted by multiple close matches, but the Ducks ultimately prevailed, taking 4-of-6 matches. Stevens gave Oregon a 2-0 lead, defeating Iowa in straight sets, 6-2, 6-3.

“Iowa was probably the toughest of the three matches,” said Stevens. “They were very fresh.”

Tanaka put the Ducks on the brink of victory with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Iowa to put Oregon up 3-0. Tanaka is now 6-1 in dual singles matches.

The Hawkeyes stayed alive when Jonas Larden topped the Ducks’ Cormac Clissold 6-1, 0-6, 7-5 in a back and forth contest. Clissold’s loss wouldn’t hurt, though. His doubles partner, the 38th-ranked Laurent, clinched the victory for the Ducks. After dropping the first set, he pulled away from Theodorou, winning the match 3-6, 6-4, 6-1.

Laurent improved to 11-0 in his career while playing in the No. 1 spot.

“He’s so mature and so methodical. He just grinds his opponents down,” said Schyllander of Laurent. “The longer the match goes, the better I feel.”

With the match clinched, Amos and Young-Smith finished out their matches. Amos staged a strong comeback in the second set after being down 4-2, but ultimately dropped the match in three sets to Allaf, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3. Amos remains tied for second in Oregon history with 84 wins. His next win will put him in sole possession of second place and just five wins behind Robin Cambier.

Ethan Young-Smith closed out the match with a 6-2, 6-7, 1-0 (10-4) win over Jacoby. Young-Smith is now 4-0 in dual matches this season.

The Ducks will hit the road to Minneapolis to face Middle Tennessee and Minnesota next weekend.

“It’s going to be a lot of recovery [next week],” said Schyllander. “We will be ready.”

Doubles:

  1. (UO) Armando Soemarno/Jayson Amos def (IA) Lefteris Theodorou/Josh Silverstein, 6-2
  2. (UO) Thomas Laurent/Cormac Clissold vs (IA) Jonas Larsen/Kareem Allaf, unfinished
  3. (UO) Simon Stevens/Akihiro Tanaka def. (IA) Robin Haden/Jake Jacoby, 6-2

Oregon wins doubles point

Singles:

  1. (UO) Laurent def. (IA) Theodorou, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1
  2. (UO) Stevens def. (IA) Silverstein, 6-2, 6-3
  3. (IA) Allaf def. (UO) Amos, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4
  4. (UO) Tanaka def. (IA) Haden, 6-3, 6-3
  5. (IA) Larsen def. (UO) Clissold, 6-1, 0-6, 7-5
  6. (UO) Young-Smith def. (IA) Jacoby, 6-2, 6-7, 1-0 (10-4)

Oregon wins, 5-2

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