While senior Alyssa Tobita and junior Shweta Sangwan won consecutive sets on opening day of the ITA Fall National Championship, Oregon women’s singles made it far in the Jack Kramer Invitational, but the doubles pairs fell short of victories against Southern California.

In the matchup against Florida’s Ulyana Grib and Maryna Veksler, Tobita and Sangwan proceeded with a win in the round of 32, 7-5, 6-2. Their record came to an end when they faced Georgia Tech pair Paige Hourigan and Kenya Jones, losing 7-5, 6-2.

“I am proud of the way Alyssa and Shweta represented Oregon and our program,” head coach Alison Silverio said. “It was an honor to play in this event, and I am confident we will use these experiences to propel each other and our program forward.”

Oregon gained wins amongst all four singles qualifiers, advancing to the round of 32.

Senior Nia Rose faced Daphne de Chatellus, claiming a 6-3, 6-3 win while junior Daniela Nasser opened the singles bracket with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Madeline Almeida.

In her first appearance at the Jack Kramer Invitational, freshman Paiton Wagner swept UC Riverside’s Lauren Wolfe, 6-0, 6-1. Sophomore Julia Eshet carried through with a comeback victory against Loyola-Maramount’s Anna Romeka, dropping the first set then winning the match 1-6, 6-2, 10-4.

Nasser and Eshet advanced to Friday’s quarterfinals, with Nasser gaining back-to-back victories against Fresno State’s Emma Wilson (6-1, 6-4), and fifth-seed Alaina Miller (6-3, 6-1).

Eshet achieved a three-set win in the round of 32 against Washington’s Miki Kobayashi. In a tie-breaking rally, Eshet managed to come out on top, winning 5-7, 7-5, 6-3. Her victory run continued in the round of 16 against UC Santa Barbara’s Amit Lev-Ari 7-6, 6-3, guaranteeing a spot in Saturday’s semifinals.

Senior Nia Rose won her opening set against top-seed Pepperdine’s Laura Gulbe in the round of 32, but fell short of the victory in the second and third sets, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3. Wagner shared a similar result with a loss to No. 4 seed UC Santa Barbara’s Elizaveta Volodko, 6-3, 6-1.

Day three started off with Oregon filling two spots in the semifinals: Nasser facing No. 1 seed Gulbe and Eshet in a matchup against Washington’s Vanessa Wong. Nasser suffered a loss to the 66-ranked player of Pepperdine 7-6, 6-2, as well as Eshet losing the final match 6-7, 6-4, 7-6.

Although the fall season has officially ended for Oregon women’s tennis, their spring season will begin in January.

Follow Daphne Martin on Twitter @daaphnemaartin

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Oregon volleyball’s four-game winning streak came to an end after facing the Colorado Buffaloes on Friday night, suffering a loss in five sets, 25-17, 25-19, 17-25, 9-25, 15-10.

Sophomore Jolie Rasmussen and Colorado’s Frankie Shebby, a former Duck, recorded 14 kills each. Sophomore Ronika Stone followed behind with 13, while junior Lindsey Vander Weide and sophomore Willow Johnson each had 12.

The Ducks started off with simple errors scattered across the floor. After head coach Matt Ulmer called an early timeout behind at 5-3, Rasmussen picked up the pace with her kill, followed by senior Taylor Agost’s kill after Ulmer’s timeout at 13-7.

Leaving open areas with no coverage made it easier for Colorado’s hitters to surpass. Rasmussen led with four kills, while big blocks by Shebby and Naghede Abu helped the Buffaloes take a fast lead, ending the first set, 25-17.

Oregon was able to clean up its game in the second set and take an early 10-8 lead; however, the Ducks couldn’t maintain the consistency. Colorado eventually caught up with a 13-18 advantage and swiped the second set victory, 25-19.

Despite the Ducks’ slow start in sets one and two, they made no hesitation in taking the first lead with big kills by Rasmussen, Stone and Vander Weide. Ulmer commended Maggie Scott’s consecutive serves being a significant key to Oregon’s change in play.

“I liked our response. I thought Maggie’s serving was what started to turn things around for us,” said Ulmer.

Colorado’s timeout forced the Ducks to keep their intensity high. Blocks by Rasmussen and Lauren Page immediately after and kill error by Colorado’s Abu, the Ducks continued their comeback 14-21. Oregon pushed until the end for their first set win, 17-25.

With a 7-1 lead, the Ducks picked up where they left off in the third set. While Colorado attempted to catch up, Vander Weide’s tip allowed her to continue serving with a 10-5 advantage. A Colorado timeout was followed by Scott’s back-to-back service aces, helping the Ducks lead 17-7. Oregon was able to shut out the Buffaloes with a fourth set victory 9-25, going into a tie-breaking fifth set.

“Colorado responded well in the fifth,” said Ulmer. “Who we are is the third and fourth set team. What we can be is the first and second set team.”

Back-and-forth rallies between Oregon and Colorado made for a close start of the fifth set. Despite the Ducks’ attempt to make a comeback, the Buffaloes finished the match the way they started with a 15-10 victory.

The Ducks will face off against the California Bears in Berkeley on Friday, Nov. 3 at 7 p.m.

Follow Daphne Martin on Twitter @daaphnemaartin

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When asked if there was one word to describe Oregon senior Maggie Scott’s attitude the moment she steps on the court, Zach Young, her high school volleyball coach, answered without hesitation.

“Passionate,” Young said.

The Oregon setter is in the midst of the final year of her career, and despite having to adjust to losing teammates to injuries and a new coaching staff, she has her mind set on continuously raising the bar for her teammates and herself.

Back on Oct. 13, in Oregon’s matchup with Washington State, Scott became the fourth Duck in program history to reach over 3,000 assists in her career. She recorded 26 assists and brought her career total to 3,109.

“I’m glad she’s getting recognition,” said Young, who still coaches at Lafayette High School in Wildwood, Missouri. “She’s the coach’s dream to coach. She’s the reason why I love doing this job.”

As a high school athlete, Scott played with the same drive she still has on the court of Matthew Knight Arena. Being able to read her hitters, paired with her competitive attitude, helped her become the dependable teammate and leader she is today.

Oregon Ducks setter Maggie Scott (3) passes over her head to a teammate. The Oregon Ducks play the California Golden Bears at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Ore. on Sept. 23, 2016. (Aaron Nelson/Emerald)

During her time at Lafayette, Scott’s Varsity team won three Missouri state championships with a 40-0 record under their belt. They never lost a set in the 2012 season. Currently, Lafayette is working to achieve their eighth consecutive state championship.

When Scott has free time during the offseason, she spends it by returning to the program that built her. Her willingness to work with the setters at Lafayette while she’s back home in Wildwood over the summer is one of the many examples of her passionate mindset.

“That’s one of the neat things about her, she gives back,” says Young.

Young recalled a moment in the 2012 Missouri State Championship game when his team began to fall behind, and Scott took the initiative to make a change.

“She took the bull by the horns and said, ‘We’re not losing this thing,’” Young said. “Her teammates followed her, and we came back and won that match. We won the state tournament that year.”

For Scott, the role of being a leader isn’t about how to play the game, but instead how to be a good teammate and maintain solid communication.

“It’s really important to talk to your teammates and know what they need from you,” Scott said. “Each hitter is different and that’s one thing I love about being a setter, is being able to work with all different kinds of hitters and do my best to make them successful.”

As a freshman, Scott played in all 33 of Oregon’s matches and averaged 6.63 assists per set. By the end of that season, she had five double-doubles, three of which were consecutive towards the end of Pac-12 play.

“Maggie is a true setter,” Oregon head coach Matt Ulmer said. “She’s been very consistent for us and sets really hittable balls to our hitters, it’s a nice connection.”

Through the ups and downs the last four years, she has been able to grow and learn from every experience she has encountered.

“One of the biggest takeaways is that you can lean on other people, you can ask for help and that’s okay – you don’t have to do it all yourself,” Scott said.

Correction: an earlier version of this story said that Scott had over 30,000 assists in her career. The actual number is 3,000. 

Follow Daphne Martin on Twitter @daaphnemaartin

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Powerhouse duo senior Alyssa Tobita and junior Shweta Sangwan led Oregon women’s tennis into the ITA Northwest Regional Championships in Stanford as the top seeds and proved their ranking by the end of the weekend.

With a bye in the first round after earning the No. 2 seed overall in the singles bracket, Tobita advanced to the next round with a 6-1, 6-1 win over UC Davis’ Nikita Pradeep.

Sangwan entered the tournament as the No. 9 seed, starting off with a sweep over Sacramento State’s Caroline Chwernyestsky 6-0, 6-1, followed by another victory in the round of 32 with a 6-1, 6-3 record over Cal Poly’s Susanne Boyden.

Sophomore Julia Eshet came to California with a 6-0 streak at the Husky Invitational, hoping to exceed her run in last year’s regionals. She started off with a 6-4, 6-3 win in the opening match, followed by another 6-2, 6-2 win against Gonzaga’s Abigail Bourguignon.

Both Oregon double teams advance to Friday’s round of 32. Joining them were three of the six Oregon singles players who achieved first round victories.

Rifanti Kahfiani and Julia Eshet  were victorious 8-3 over Cal Poly’s Grace Olyphamy and Milly Reed, while Nia Rose and Daniela Nasser followed with an 8-2 win against Kali McCollister and Audrey Scott of Seattle.

Freshman Paiton Wagner ended Friday with a 6-0, 6-0 sweep over Seattle’s Audrey Scott; however, she fell short to St. Mary’s Kareena Maji in a 4-6, 7-6(6), 6-2 match.

In the round of 64, Kahfiani gained a 6-3, 6-1 decision to Seattle’s Hannah Gianan, but lossed to Rylee Braeden of Eastern Washington 6-4, 6-1. Nasser had a similar performance, with a victory over USF’s Sanna Dos Santos in open singles play, 6-2, 6-2 though fell short to Portland’s Radina Dimitrova 6-4, 7-5.

All three of Oregon’s doubles pairs advanced to Friday’s sweet sixteen round, while the singles suffered three-set shortages.

Third-seed duo Tobita and Sangwan kicked things off with a sweep over St. Mary’s Emma Crister and Karen Maji 8-2. Rose and Nasser pulled through with a close win against UC Davis’ Lani Rae Green and Isabella von Ebbe 8-6. Eshet and Kahfiani surpassed Pacific’s Karina Vyrlan and Mayan Sela 8-3.

Singles players faced losses to Stanford and UC Berkeley. Tobita fell short to sweet 16 Stanford’s Janice Shin 6-3, 0-6, 6-4, followed by Sangwan’s loss to No. 1 seed Melissa Lord 3-6, 6-3, 6-3. Eshet shared a similar result against No. 9 seed UC Berkeley’s Anna Bright 2-6, 6-3, 7-5.

Rose and Nasser started their opening match Saturday with victory 8-7(6) against No. 5 seed Madison Clarke and Maddie Pothodd; however, they fell short to the following match against No. 4 seed Lampl and Lord 8-2.

Eshet and Kahfiani suffered a loss to top-seed duo Olivia Hauger and Karla Popovic in the round of 16 8-4.

Sangwan and Tobita certainly made their mark going into day three, following their sweet sixteen success, the pair went into Saturday’s competition becoming Oregon’s first-ever doubles team to advance to the tournament’s semifinals. With back-to-back sweeps, Sangwan and Tobita defeated USF’s Alexa Meyer and Anna Sokiran 8-1 followed by an 8-0 triumph over Alexandra Bourgiognon and Haruna Tsuruta of Gonzaga.

“Alyssa and Shweta played a very clean match today and accomplished another first for our program.” head coach Alison Silverio said. “Their styles compliment each other and their chemistry is superb. It will be business as usual tomorrow.”

The duo was able to carry their success over to Monday’s championship round as they faced No. 1 overall seed Olivia Hauger and Karla Popovic in the final matchup. Although the duo from California started out with a 6-4  first-set win, Tobita and Sangwan were able to surpass them and win the match 4-6, 6-4, 1-0(6). With this win under their belt, Tobita and Sangwan earned the regional doubles title for the first time in Oregon women’s tennis history.

While the winning pair has an automatic bid to the ITA Fall Nationals on Nov. 1, the rest of the team will look forward to the Jack Kramer Invitational Nov. 2 in Rolling Hills, California.

Follow Daphne Martin on Twitter @daaphnemaartin

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— Since returning to its home court of Matthew Knight Arena following a victory on the road against Washington State, Oregon volleyball continued a three-game winning streak against Arizona (3-2) on Friday, and Arizona State (3-0) on Saturday.

— The U.S. Olympic Committee announced its selections of the Collegiate Advisory Council last Thursday, including Oregon’s athletic director Rob Mullens. The council’s intent is to “guide and strengthen Olympic sport programming at the collegiate level.”

— Royce Freeman grabbed Oregon’s career rushing record by passing former Duck LaMichael James. He got to 5,103 career yards despite the 41-13 loss against UCLA.

— Women’s soccer suffered a 2-0 loss against No. 16 California Berkeley on Sunday, following a shutout loss against No. 1 Stanford last Thursday.

— Senior Alyssa Tobita and junior Shweta Sangwan became the first-ever Oregon doubles team to advance to the ITA Northwest Regional semifinals on Saturday. The powerhouse duo managed to defeat Stanford’s Emily Arbuthnott and Michaela Gordon 4-6, 6-1, 10-4, sending them to Monday’s championship round.

Follow Daphne Martin on Twitter @daphnemaartin

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Oregon women’s tennis dominated the second tournament of the season at the Husky Invitational this last weekend, heading home with a nearly spotless record, finishing the weekend with a 22-7 record.

Day one ended with a bang as seniors Nia Rose, Alyssa Tobita, and sophomore Julia Eshet won all three of their matches.

The doubles team faced matchups against Portland and Washington, with Rose and Eshet sweeping Portland 6-0 in the first match. Following their first win was a matchup against Washington, in which the pair won 7-6.

Junior Shweta Sangwan and partner Tobita gained back-to-back wins with a 17-6 record in doubles.

The Ducks faced Arkansas in the singles matchups. Rose held a victory over Arkansas’ Jackie Carr making a comeback in the end, 1-6, 6-3, 6-2.

While Tobita won in three sets against Natsuho Arakawa 6-7, 7-5, 6-1, Sangwan ended the day with Oregon’s fourth three-set match, although lost in her following match 3-6, 7-5, 6-1. Freshman Paiton Wagner took home her first collegiate match with an 8-3 victory against Peyton Jennings.

Capable of carrying their success into the second day of the tournament, the Ducks conquered a 6-1 record. The only loss came from doubles pair junior Daniela Nasser and sophomore Rifanty Kahfiani in a 6-3 shortage to Arkansas’ Tatum Rice and Carr.

Tobita and Sangwan resulted in a 3-0 record following their 7-5 win over Arkansas. Rose and Eshet also took a 7-5 win against Washington’s Agne Cepelyte and Natsuho Arakawa.

Oregon’s singles players swept wins in all seven of their matches. Although three of them went into tie-breaking third sets, Nasser (6-0, 6-1), Rose (6-0, 6-2), and Paiton (3-6, 6-3, 6-4) shared similar ending results against Portland.

On the last day of the Huskie Invitational, Oregon faced the hosts and ended the tournament with four out of seven match victories.

Rose and Tobita both lost in the third set of their final matchups against Washington. Tobita fell to her opponent finishing 6-0, 4-6, 6-3. Rose, the only Oregon player who faced Arkansas on day three, fell short of a loss to Agne Cepelyte 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.

Eshet played her third straight singles win scoring 6-0, 6-2 against Kenadi Hance. Wagner also gained a third victory with a 6-4, 6-1 result facing Agela Li.

Nasser and Kahfiani also contrib uted to the Ducks’ success winning a doubles matchup against the Huskies, 6-3, 6-1, and 6-3.

Oregon will head to Stanford this Thursday for the four day-long ITA Northwest Regional Championships from Oct. 19-22.

Follow Daphne Martin on Twitter @daaphnemaartin

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Leaders of the Oregon women’s tennis team have begun to emerge early in the fall season and make their mark in the ITA All-American pre-season rankings.

On Sept. 12, Alyssa Tobita, Shweta Sangwan, Rifanty Kahfiani and Julia Eshet qualified for pre-season rankings in both singles and doubles going into the ITA All-American Championships. Following the three-day tournament in Pacific Palisades, California, the Ducks’ run came to an end when both doubles teams, Tobita paired with Kahfiani and Eshet with Sangwan, lost in the second round of qualifying.

The ITA ranked senior Tobita at No. 48 in singles, following her 10-10 record last season, during which she was awarded second team all-Pac-12 honors. The Mililani, Hawai’i, native began this season in the No. 3 seed which helped her prepare for a competitive mindset.

“The seeding was a good way for me to have the mentality that I am a higher seed,” Tobita said. “But I still shoot to really attack when I play the first and second seed.”

Tobita also appeared on the qualifying doubles alternate list with Kahfiani, ranked No. 48 by ITA in the preseason; however, it was in the second round of qualifying when they lost to Kansas’ Nina Khmelnitckaia and Anastasia Rychagova 8-3.

Last spring, junior Sangwan was featured in ESPN.com’s article that profiled her transition from India to the United States to continue playing competitive tennis, along with Florida State’s Nandini Das and Penn’s OJ Singh. As a driven athlete for the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, since she was 11 years old, Sangwan paved a path for herself and doesn’t expect to slow down anytime soon. Sangwan finished last season with a 13-12 record in the two final matches against UCLA and North Carolina State. Ranked No. 36 in ITA’s preseason rankings, she and sophomore Julia Eshet faced Florida Atlantic’s Aliona Bolsova and Natalia Boltinskaya when they fell short with a 8-4 loss.

Eshet is looking to pick up where she left off from her previous season. The sophomore from Hollywood, Florida, finished out her 2016-17 record at 12-9, leading the team with a 6-4 singles conference record. Ranked at No. 38 with Sangwan in doubles alongside Pac-12 opponents like UCLA’s Jada Hart and Ena Shibahara, California’s Karla Popovic and Olivia Hauger and Stanford’s Emily Arbuthnott and Janice Shinn.

Former ITF Junior Champion Kahfiani tied in doubles rankings with Eshet alongside Wyoming pair Elisa Koonik and Tessa van der Ploeg at No. 48. When Kahfiani paired with Tobita last season, they finished with a 5-3 overall record playing at the No. 2 position in each match. The sophomore from Indonesia opened the All-American tournament in singles pre-qualifying.

Although the 8-3 loss against Kansas wasn’t what Kahfiani and Tobita had hoped for, they, along with Sangwan and Eshet, are focused on looking forward to the rest of the fall season tournaments prior to the tougher competition they will face in the spring.

“There were a lot of positive lessons this week at the ITA All-American event,” head coach Alison Silverio said. “Moving forward, our tactical preparation and discipline must increase. I’m excited for the improvements we will gain throughout the fall.”

Oregon women’s tennis will compete in the first full team tournament of the season this weekend starting Friday, Oct. 13 at the Washington Invitational in Seattle.

Follow Daphne Martin on Twitter @daaphnemaartin

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No. 12 Oregon volleyball has overcome many obstacles in the last year, highlighted by the coaching change that took place back in May. But despite the offseason difficulties, the Ducks have stayed focused on this season and have jumped out to a 9-3 record to begin the year.

In the last month, the Ducks went on a seven-match winning streak against University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Loyola Marymount, Northern Illinois, Cal Poly, No. 23 Wichita State, Duquesne, and Oregon State. Their streak ended in a loss to No. 11 UCLA back on Sept. 22 which put the Ducks record at 8-2 and 1-1 in the Pac-12.

“We didn’t respond defensively,” head coach Matt Ulmer said. “The very first match of the year we got out against Nebraska by two, we haven’t been out-dug in a match since. UCLA out-dug us by 15, so that’s really where we broke down. We have to create more pressure with our floor defense, and that is something we have been really strong at this year.”

That loss provided a valuable lesson for Oregon as they enter ever-competitive Pac-12 play.

“Getting frustrated on those little plays is what killed us in the end,” Ronika Stone said. “We know how good we can be and we can’t let teams take control of the game like [UCLA].”

Following their loss to UCLA, the Ducks traveled to Salt Lake City to play No. 15 Utah. Oregon brought a solid fight for the Utes throughout the five-match series. With the teams tied at 2-2 going into the final set, Oregon maintained a close game battling seven match-point rallies. Sophomore Willow Johnson’s two swings earned the Ducks a 21-19 set win, sending them home with a 9-2 record.

“We know we can do better as long as we play our game,” junior Lindsey Vander Weide said. “We just have to come back with all the energy and all the fight.”

The following day Oregon traveled to Colorado looking to repeat its intensity from the night before. Although they maintained a close game on the scoreboard, Colorado was quick to take the lead and end up defeating Oregon 3-1.

Next up on the Ducks’ schedule is a home game against No. 1 Stanford, who is also defending national champions. With tough competition this upcoming Friday, Oregon knows what it must do to prepare.

“When you play great teams you learn a lot more about yourself,” Ulmer said. “I like the aggression I’m seeing, and I know they’re hungry to get back on the court.”

While two of Oregon’s three losses this season have come over the last week, the play of several players has been a silver lining. Senior libero Alex Hojnar reached a career-high of 19 digs against Utah, and Vander Weide ended the match against Utah with her team-best sixth double-double of the season with 19 kills and 10 digs. As far as Oregon’s focus on Stanford, the Ducks will need to step up their defense and be ready for the quick attacks on Stanford’s side on the net.

“For us, it’s about consistency, we have a lot of moving parts,” Ulmer said. “It’s just more opportunities for us to get better and deal with pressure. Every opportunity we get is an opportunity to grow.”

Follow Daphne Martin on Twitter @daaphnemaartin

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No. 12-ranked Oregon volleyball (9-3) fell to Colorado (12-3) in a 3-1 loss at the Coors Events Center in Colorado on Saturday night.

Following a narrow win over No. 5 Utah on Friday, the Ducks failed to rally against unranked Colorado, finishing the road trip to the mountain schools with an even 1-1 record.

Colorado quickly took the lead in the first set, up 9-2 against the Ducks. Although Oregon was capable of getting within three points at 11-8, the Buffaloes carried through to the end with an opening set win of 25-18. Oregon finished the first set with a .000 hitting percentage.

Colorado began to lead the second set 13-9 until Oregon scored seven points in a row, taking a 22-17 lead. As the Buffaloes pushed for a 7-2 run, the set was tied up 24-24. Ronika Stone’s kill helped the Ducks gain a set point and an error on Colorado’s end finished the set with a 1-1 tie going into the third match.

In the third set Oregon was up 14-12 until former Duck Frankie Shebby came in for Colorado. Shebby landed back-to-back kills, bringing the Buffaloes up on an 11-3 run, ending the set with two kills in a row and a 2-1 lead.

Oregon went into the fourth set ready on their feet with a 12-6 lead which advanced to 20-13. Although they maintained their comeback with four straight points to keep a close game, Colorado was able to score five of the six final points to end the match and take home the victory.

Senior libero Alex Hojnar ended the match landing a career-high 19 digs, while junior Lindsay Vander Weide led the tea with 13 kills, and setting duo senior Maggie Scott and junior August Raskie had 44 combined assists.

The Ducks return to Eugene next weekend at Matt Knight Arena for two consecutive home matches. Friday, Oct. 9 is when the first will take place against defending national champion Stanford at 8 p.m. PT.

Follow Daphne Martin on Twitter @daaphnemaartin 

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