After Houston defaulted a match in both the doubles and singles categories, the Oregon women’s tennis team sailed to its second win of the weekend at the UO Student Tennis Center on Sunday morning with a score of 4-0.

The default meant that Oregon had an advantage of one point before the match even started. The two wins from the pairs of Marlou Kluiving and Julia Eshet, and Alyssa Tobita and Shweta Sangwan in the doubles category brought the Ducks up to an early lead of 2-0.

Kluiving was the first Duck to dole out a singles victory again this past weekend, suppressing her opponent with scores of 6-2, 6-1. Eshet faced a harder challenge in her second set, but ultimately came away with a 6-1, 7-5 win. Her victory was the second and final one needed to end the match, bringing the Ducks record to 5-4 this season.

“Always a confidence boost to get two wins against two really great teams,” head coach Alison Silverio said.

“Yesterday we came out and had a pretty disciplined practice. It was a little bit shorter just because we were in between matches. We focused a lot on serve and return because that’s how you start the point.”

Consistency has been the key for Kluiving as she continues to assert her dominance on the court.

“We had a goal to have energy throughout the weeks that we were in practice and we wanna continue to do that in our matches,” she said. “I think we did a really good job. We were able to finish off strong.”

Kluiving had to pause for a while as she pondered over what she wanted to improve on.

“You’re perfect, Marlou,” a man wearing a collared Oregon shirt commented as he observed her contemplative expression.

“I’m definitely not,” she replied in a matter-of-fact tone as others laughed.

“I wanna work on keep moving forward to the net and being more aggressive in transition during long points. I want to make it tough on the opponent, make them work hard for the point.”

According to Silverio, Kluiving’s strongest weapon is her backhand, which enables her to hit a shot from just about anywhere on the court.

“She’s someone that the girls like to emulate on that backhand side because, technique-wise, she’s very fundamentally sound,” Silverio said. “It’s always a fun shot for her to hit.”

The biggest takeaways from this past weekend, according to Silverio, include Oregon’s consistency in following the game plan and honing their aggressive mindset, particularly in the adverse moments where both teams are tied and are going for the match point.

“It’s really exciting how well we did this weekend, with the energy and everything we did on the court,” Kluiving said. “I hope to keep this momentum going into next weekend.”

The team will face Denver and Boise State in Boise, Idaho next weekend.

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After taking an unusually long two-week break from its competition schedule, the Oregon women’s tennis team rode a wave of positive energy to disrupt UC Santa Barbara’s winning streak on Friday afternoon at the Student Tennis Center. The Ducks won 5-2.

The Ducks swept the doubles section with two of their pairs taking wins, forcing the third match to go unfinished.

“Certainly proud of our performance in the doubles,” head coach Alison Silverio said. “I thought we did that well with our first serve and our first volleys. It was great to see (Nia Rose and Daniela Nasser) and (Alyssa Tobita and Shweta Sangwan) get it done, and (Marlo Kluiving and Julia Eshet) to be in a position to win that match.”

Kluiving and Tobita were the first two to secure wins in the singles category. Kluiving mowed down UCSB’s Amanda Atanasson with scores of 6-1 and 6-0, and Tobita took down Stefani Stojic 6-1, 6-3.

Tobita attributed her strong forehand stroke to her solid performance on Friday.

“My forehand is my best shot and I think that I wasn’t over hitting it today, so it helped me to get an advantage,” Tobita said. “We played especially well in the doubles. There was really good energy. We were hitting our spots. We were putting the ball in the right place.

“We were just seeing the court really well today.”

Nia Rose was the last player standing as she dueled Palina Dubavets over a full three sets before heading into a tie breaker. Though Dubavets ultimately emerged victorious, Silverio was proud of Rose’s perseverance.

“(The match can drag on) when you have two great players,” Silverio said. “Santa Barbara’s a great team, and their girl at No. 1 that Nia played is a phenomenal player. It was just a very high-quality match. There’s going be a winner and there’s gonna be a loser.”

Before Friday, Oregon last played on the road against Baylor and TCU. Silverio said the Ducks weren’t as tough in the adverse moments as they were Friday against the Gauchos.

“We had opportunities in both those matches to win, but we didn’t quite push through the finish line,” Silverio said. “I think it was great for us to have those lessons early on like we had a couple weeks ago. We were able to conquer a tough team today and battle through the pressure moments.”

This year, the team’s goal is to make it to the NCAA Championships, where Silverio said they hope to make a splash.

“The wonderful thing is that this team’s hungry,” she said. “They’re excited to bring it every single day. I think this is gonna be a motivating momentum shift for them into tomorrow’s practice and also into Sunday’s match.”

The Ducks return to action when they host Houston on Sunday at 9 a.m.

View full results of the match here.

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It was more than just a novel rivalry between schools on opposite ends of the nation as Oregon faced off against Canisius College for the first time in history at Papé Field on Monday afternoon.

It was akin to a friendly match organized by Oregon’s head coach, Katrina Dowd, and Canisius’ head coach, Scott Teeter, who joined forces coaching together on the Canada women’s national team this year. Teeter leads a coaching staff of five while Dowd is one of three assistant coaches.

Though Teeter said that Canisius does not travel to the west coast that much due to time zone differences and administrative issues, he and Dowd managed to schedule a match to let both teams gain experience. This is Canisius’ first and only match scheduled on the west coast this season.

Even though Canisius trailed Oregon early on, Teeter’s team emerged victorious with a win of 15-11 after drawing even with the Ducks at halftime before surging toward the win in the second half.

“It was a great back-and-forth battle,” Teeter said.

The Ducks initially held a 3-point lead, but the Griffins soon caught up to them and left the Ducks trailing for the first time at the end of the first period with a score of 8-7. Canisius then steadily extended their lead as they gained strength in the second half, putting in seven more shots.

Oregon was only able to muster three more goals in the final five minutes of the game, scoring three goals within two minutes, but the deficit proved too big for them to overcome before the countdown ended.

“I’ll give credit to my players for leaving it all out there,” Dowd said. “We had kind of a mental lapse when we turned the ball over a little too much in that time and they capitalized on all our mistakes. That was a tough stretch for us.”

Oregon lost one of its starting midfielders, Natalie Modly, two minutes after the second period started. She had to be carted off the field with her left knee in a brace. It fell to midfielder Jojo Hesketh to take the draws, and toward the end, attacker Mariah Gatti got in some draw practice as well.

While Canisius proved dominant in the draws in the first period 16-12, Oregon turned the tables after they switched to Gatti, coming out on top 8-4.

“Mariah took full advantage of her height and her skillset, which allowed us to make a little run at the end,” Dowd said. Gatti, who stands at 5 feet, 11 inches, is the tallest player on the team.

Gatti was Oregon’s highlight of the day as she contributed four goals, just one short of her career-high of five. Considering that she is just eight months removed from an ACL surgery, she has no complaints.

“I worked really hard to come back, and it feels awesome to be back out on the field with my teammates,” the junior said.

Canisius’ best offensive threat came in the form of All-American Erica Evans, who Dowd said was a speedy player with great vision. Evans, the 2016 MVP of her conference, was limited to one goal in the game with midfielder Julia Taylor breathing down her neck throughout the game.

“She’s a very respectful player,” Taylor said. “She’s speedy, but I kept my eyes on her hips and tried to shut off her left hand so she got nothing in.”

Oregon will next host California at 3 p.m. on Jan 19 before they hit the road for the next two months.

“We’re gonna come back next week and shut them down,” Taylor said.

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After contributing to the NCAA record-setting distance medley team in New York two weeks ago, Oregon freshman Katie Rainsberger catapulted to the top of the NCAA conference with her win in the 3,000 meters at the Husky Classic in Seattle, Washington, on Saturday evening.

Her PR of 9 minutes, 1.21 seconds also ranks second on the school’s all-time list, only behind Nike Oregon Project’s Jordan Hasay.

Samantha Nadel and Alli Cash also set PRs in the 3,000 meters to take their spots in the NCAA season list as well. Nadel crossed the line in a career-best time of 9:05.52, sixth-best in the NCAA and fourth in Oregon history, while Cash smashed her PR with a 9:06.91 that ranks 11th in the NCAA and fifth in school history.

Jackson Mestler, the sole male representative for the Ducks in the 3,000-meter event also set a PR of 8:13.01.

All of the Ducks entered in the mile achieved PRs. Both Matthew Maton (3:58.34) and Tim Gorman (3:58.78) broke the four-minute barrier, putting themselves within qualifying range for the NCAAs. Maton is 12th in the nation while Gorman is 16th, but only the top-16 performers will be selected to compete at next month’s NCAA Indoor Championships.

Freshmen Austin Tamagno (4:01.02) and Mick Stanovsek (4:02.69) got a good start to their collegiate career with fresh mile PRs.

Lilli Burdon etched herself into the Oregon record books with her PR of 4:36.98, which puts her at seventh on the all-time list. Emma Abrahamson smashed her PR by more than 14 seconds with a time of 4:39.18.

Throwers Ronna Stone and Madeline Middlebrooks also established PRs, with Stone improving in both the shot put (14.33m/47-0.25) and the weight throw (17.21m/56-5.75). Middlebrooks, who was only entered in the weight throw, threw a distance of 61-8.25, the fourth top mark in Oregon history.

Going into the weekend, head coach Robert Johnson established that the team’s main goal was to get as many qualifiers as they could, and they did precisely that.

“Overall a productive weekend for the Ducks at both meets; I think we are headed in the right direction,” Johnson said in a press release. “Our objective was to get as many NCAA qualifiers as possible, and I think we did pretty well. Outstanding performances by Hannah, Edward and Katie and their new NCAA-leading marks, and many of their teammates did a fantastic job putting themselves in contention for an NCAA-berth. Awesome job by all!”

The sprinters and jumpers competed separately at the Don Kirby Elite Invitational in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where Hannah Cunliffe continued to dazzle the competition by establishing a school record, NCAA record and world leading time in the 60 meters.

The Ducks will have a two-week break before heading to the MPSF Championships in Seattle on February 24-25. This will be their final opportunity to secure qualifying marks for the NCAA Indoor Championships.

Husky Classic full results

Don Kirby Elite Invitational full results

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The Oregon lacrosse team upped its offense in the second half to take down San Diego State in its MPSF opener match on Saturday afternoon at Papé Field.

While Oregon scored four goals in the first period, the Ducks rallied after halftime to bring the score to 11-9 to improve to 2-0 overall.

In Oregon’s last two matches against San Diego State, the latter took the match with one point. Under the new leadership of head coach Katrina Dowd, Oregon finally exacted revenge with two points to spare.

“Last year, it came down to the last second against them, so definitely feel a little bit of redemption,” Oregon attacker Shannon Williams said.

The first period was relatively sleepy, with a total of six goals finding their way into the back of the net. In the second period, both teams fired the ball into the goal 14 times.

“We were just careless with the ball a little bit,” Dowd said. “[We] gotta put our shots away overall. San Diego State [is] a well-coached team. They played hard the whole game and they kept fighting back. I’m proud that we could handle their run in the second half.”

Coming off their win against Michigan last weekend, Dowd said that the Ducks wanted to focus on the draw. Oregon had a 14-8 advantage over the Aztecs in the draw on Saturday.

Ten minutes into the second period, Oregon attacker Cambi Cukar capitalized on a transition opportunity to land a goal, kick-starting her birthday on a good note. She also contributed to two assists.

Williams was the top scorer for the Ducks against San Diego State, clocking in at four goals.

“I thought she had the hot hand and was just really confident behind the net,” Dowd said.

Though the sunny weather provided better playing conditions than last weekend’s rain, only 66 people filled the stands. Lacrosse will only be included in the Pac-12 conference in 2018 when Arizona State fields a team, bringing the minimum number of teams to six to qualify for a conference championship and NCAA automatic-qualifying bid.

The only other varsity sport in Oregon that is not included in the Pac-12 Conference is acrobatics and tumbling.

Oregon will next play face off against Canisius at Papé Field on Monday at 1 p.m.

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In his first indoor 5,000 meter race this year, Oregon senior Edward Cheserek achieved a hat trick of running a personal record, setting the top collegiate time for the season and the world-leading time in the process.

He crossed the line in a time of 13 minutes, 32.59 seconds at the Husky Classic in Seattle, Washington on Friday night. His time also moves him up to 4th on the Oregon all-time list.

Along with his leading time in the 3,000 meters, Cheserek now owns two leading times across the NCAA leaderboard for the 2017 season.

Sophomore Tanner Anderson was 10th in his first collegiate indoor 5,000-meter race, finishing in a time of 13:51.69.

Alli Cash and Maggie Schmaedick clocked in at 16:00.27 and 16:10.71 respectively in the 5,000 meters. Cash now ranks ninth on the all-time list while Schmaedick scored a PR.

Cullen Prena and Max Lydum represented the throwers on Day one with two PRs in the weight throw. Prena was fifth with a toss of 61 feet, 2 inches while Lydum was eighth with a distance of 57-3.75.

What makes Cheserek’s feat all the more remarkable – he confessed that he was feeling tired before the race.

“I talked to my coach and he said, “Don’t worry about it. Just run 13:45 to qualify for Nationals,” Cheserek said in an interview with Flotrack.

He did way more than that.

While Cheserek is also penciled in for the mile tomorrow, his participation is now uncertain.

“I got to talk to coach about it,” Cheserek said. “We focus one thing at a time. Right now, I’m just gonna get ready for tomorrow.”

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After the Ducks’ impressive rust-buster at the UW Preview in Seattle and their dominant performance at the Columbia East-West Challenge in New York last month, two more Ducks joined a prestigious watch list for the biggest national collegiate award in track and field.

Oregon hurdler Sasha Wallace and sprinter Hannah Cunliffe join compatriots Ariana Washington, Deajah Stevens and Raevyn Rogers on the February edition of the Bowerman Award watch list. The Bowerman Award is akin to the Heisman trophy in football language and the Naismith college player of the year in basketball speak.

Wallace scored an individual win in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 7.91 seconds, which is the current NCAA-leading record and second in the world behind Kendra Harrison, the world record holder in the 100-meter hurdles.

Cunliffe continued to assert her strong return this season as she sped home in a time of 7.13 seconds to win the 60-meter dash, which is the world leading time this year and 0.01 seconds off her own school record. The 60-meter 2016 IAAF World Indoor champion, Barbara Pierre, has clocked in at 7.17 seconds this season.

Previous Oregon women who have won the award include middle distance runner Laura Roesler (2014) and sprinter Jenna Prandini (2015), who now run professionally for Nike and Puma, respectively.

Though Edward Cheserek is the lone male Duck representative on the Bowerman watch list for February, this marks his 23rd career appearance on the list, which ranks second in NCAA history. Lawi Lalang, a former Arizona distance star who defeated Cheserek to win the 5,000-meter crown at the 2014 NCAA Outdoor Championships, leads the count with 24 appearances.

While Lalang was a Bowerman finalist twice, he never won the Bowerman Award. Cheserek has been a finalist for the past three years, and has yet to clinch the Bowerman Award.

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The Oregon women’s tennis team fell to both Baylor and Texas Christian University in Texas over the weekend during its second week of the ITA Kick-Off Weekend.

While Oregon was more evenly matched with Baylor on Saturday, going down 4-3, Texas Christian bested the Ducks on Sunday, sweeping the competition 4-1.

The Ducks are now 3-4 in their 2017 campaign.

“Two tough battles for the Ducks this weekend,” head coach Alison Silverio said in a press release. “Credit to Baylor and TCU for finishing better in critical moments. I’m excited for our team to be in these positions again.”

The Ducks first took the lead against Baylor on Saturday afternoon when they scored two wins in the doubles category, led by the pair of Marlou Kluiving and Julia Eshet with their win of 6-2. Nia Rose and Daniela Nasser continued the streak with their 6-4 win.

While Kluiving and Nasser scored wins in the singles category, Shweta Sangwan, Eshet and Alyssa Tobita fell to their rivals in the singles. Baylor eventually edged out Oregon for the win.

Texas Christian asserted their authority on Sunday, nabbing the competition early by putting away both doubles teams of Sangwan and Tobita, as well as Nia Rose and Nasser. With the two wins locked in, Kluiving and Eshet’s match was unfinished. Kluiving was the lone winner for the Ducks in the singles.

Despite the two losses, Kluiving and Eshet emerged as the Ducks’ most triumphant pair in doubles this year and now own a record of 14-3 overall. Kluiving is also the top singles player at 12-2 overall.

“I am confident we will break through,” Silverio said. “Discipline with our mindset and consistency with practice day in and out will be imperative moving forward.”

The Oregon women will next play against Fresno State in Fresno, California, on Saturday before they take a break from their traveling schedule.

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– The Oregon men’s basketball team suffered its first Pac-12 loss to Colorado on Saturday night 74-65, and the Emerald‘s Gus Morris explains why the team’s loss shouldn’t come as a surprise.

– Oregon State’s women’s basketball team extended its Civil War winning streak to 13 after the Beavers defeated Oregon 67-60 on Sunday, but the Ducks are closing the gap between their long-time rival. Freshman Sabrina Ionescu earned her third Pac-12 Freshman of the Week award from her strong display over the two Civil War games last weekend.

– The Oregon track and field team sent its largest contingent of athletes to the Columbia East-West Challenge in New York, where both the men’s and women’s teams were crowned champions. The Ducks produced 19 individual champions, rewrote three venue records and a collegiate record in the distance medley relay. Three athletes also represented the Ducks at the UW Invitational in Seattle.

– Three football players who had previously committed to play for Willie Taggart at USF have flipped to Oregon, bringing the count of Florida natives on the team to six. Oregon’s recruiting class is now ranked 24th by 247Sports.

– The Oregon women’s basketball team had three freshmen playing prominent roles when they faced the Beavers last week, but the Emerald‘s Cole Kundich examines how they play like veterans.

– Oregon women’s tennis team fell to North Carolina last Saturday but came back with a vengeance the next day to defeat Columbia in the ITA Kick-Off Weekend Tournament.

— Oregon softball debuted at No. 9 in the USA Today/NFCA Division I coaches poll on Tuesday morning. The Ducks open their 2017 season in Tempe, Arizona, on Feb. 9.

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The Oregon indoor track program sprung onto the scene in 2009 when Vin Lananna, then head coach, guided the men’s team to its first indoor NCAA title. From then on, Oregon has never been too far from the podium – the women’s team won six titles in the past seven years while the men have captured four since its first title.

As the defending double champions kick off their indoor season at the UW Indoor Preview this Saturday at Seattle, Washington, here are some Ducks to watch for.

Women

Ariana Washington (Redshirt Sophomore) – 60m, 200m

Washington earned her first All-American award at her first championship race, the 2014 NCAA Indoor Championships, when she placed sixth in the 200 meters. She then had a breakout season last year by winning two titles at the NCAA Outdoor Championships and was then selected as an alternate on the U.S. 4×100 meter Olympic team. All eyes are on her now as she comes off an excellent outdoor season.

Hannah Cunliffe (Junior) – 60m, 200m

Cunliffe had a stellar indoor campaign last year. She earned a silver and a bronze from NCAA Indoors in the 60m and the 200m respectively, was named the Pac-12 Women’s Track & Field Athlete of the Year and is part of the 4x100m relay team that currently holds the school record. Her season was cut short after she sustained a hamstring injury while competing at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Cunliffe tops the Oregon record books in the indoor 60m and is ranked second in the indoor 200m.

Deajah Stevens (Junior) – 200m

Though Stevens played second fiddle to Washington in the NCAA Outdoors, she qualified for the U.S. Olympic team in the 200m by besting Washington, as well as 2012 Olympic champion Allyson Felix. At her first appearance in an Oregon singlet at NCAA indoors, Stevens fell just one position short of an individual medal, though she did return with a bronze from the 4x400m relay. With her newfound international experience, she can continue to build her individual resume.

Sasha Wallace (Senior) – 60m hurdles

Wallace holds school records for both the indoor 60m hurdles and the outdoor 100m hurdles. For the past two years, she has been a reliable point contributor. Last year, she earned her highest accolade, a silver at the NCAA Indoors in the 60m hurdles. Though Wallace is primarily a hurdler, she has been tabbed to contribute in the triple jump when necessary, an event the Ducks are not typically strong in.

Raevyn Rogers (Junior) – 800m

Rogers has never lost any NCAA championship race she has taken part in. To date, she owns two outdoor titles and one indoor title. At the U.S. Olympic trials, she was two places away from making the Rio-bound team. Rogers’ speed grants her versatility in the 400m as well. Last year, she anchored the 4x400m relay team to a bronze in a nail-biting dash to the finish at the NCAA Indoors. A red bullseye target will be on her back all season as her rivals attempt to snap her dominant streak.

Katie Rainsberger (Freshman) – Mile

Rainsberger may have just begun her collegiate career last term, but she is already off to a roaring start. During her cross country season, she picked up the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year award and was almost always the fastest woman on the team at competitions. On top of possessing the endurance to last 6,000 meters of uneven terrain, she also has the speed to bring her through the mile in 4 minutes, 36.61 seconds. Her personal record, set during her senior year of high school, would have put her in medal range at last year’s NCAAs. Her strong mile performance indicates that she could be drafted to contribute to Oregon’s distance medley.

Men

Marcus Chambers (Senior) – 400m

Chambers has two medals to his name — both from the distance medley — but an individual medal has eluded him thus far. Historically, he has seen more success in his outdoor campaign – he competed in the U.S. Olympic trials and has earned two individual All-American titles over the past two years. Chambers ranks fifth in the indoor 200m and 400m on the Oregon all-time list and is the fastest active Duck sprinter in those two events. This is his last chance to make his mark during the indoor season.

Blake Haney (Junior) – Mile

Haney had a solid track season last year – he went sub-4 in the mile twice, and his PR of 3:56.36 broke the school record in the event. He proceeded to place second at NCAA Indoors a month later and was part of the champion distance medley relay team. If Haney continues to improve, he may come within reach of an individual title.

Sam Prakel (Redshirt Junior) – Mile

Prakel is one of many strong milers in Oregon’s stable this season. Though Prakel missed the podium at NCAA Indoors by just one place, he topped the competition by having the highest GPA of 3.97 among all competitors at NCAA Indoors. He then proceeded to spearhead a strong outdoor showing by placing fifth in the 1,500m at NCAA Outdoors, set a new PR at the distance and competing at the U.S. Olympic trials. Prakel also dabbles in the 800m, which almost guarantees his spot on the distance medley relay team.

Edward Cheserek (Senior) – Anything from the mile onwards

Throughout his years as a collegiate athlete, Cheserek has demonstrated his versatility in anything above the mile. In his indoor history, he has won titles in the mile, the 3,000m and the 5,000m. Last year, he swept the 3,000m, 5,000m and the distance medley, becoming only the second person to achieve such a feat, joining former Duck Galen Rupp. Though his coach Andy Powell said that he doubts Cheserek will have to undertake the triple again, he is certainly a reliable backup should the distance medley need support.

Matthew Maton (Sophomore) – Mile, 5,000m

Though Maton joined the Ducks as one of the highest ranked recruits in his class, he struggled in his first season with the Ducks. That all changed during the fall cross country season when he rocketed to 29^th at the NCAAs and was the second Duck behind Cheserek, earning his second All-American title. After proving himself in the longer distances, Maton can shift his focus to the shorter events where his strength lies. Last year, he competed in the 1,500m at the U.S. Olympic trials and was part of the champion distance medley team at NCAA Indoors.

Mitch Modin (Senior) – Heptathlon

Modin has been on an upward trajectory throughout his collegiate career, reaching his peak last year at the U.S. Olympic trials when he made a stunning improvement of over 200 points from his previous PR to place seventh. During his last indoor season, he finished 11^th with 5,509 points, 200 points shy of his indoor PR. Judging from the massive improvement demonstrated last year, Modin could potentially threaten for a national title as he begins his swansong.

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