Weekend matches give Huskies chance to build on success

In its second road trip this season, the 27th-ranked Washington men’s tennis team is in Eugene, Ore., this weekend, looking for its first away wins against the University of Oregon and the University of Denver.

“We played well last weekend. … Our next step is to try and take it on the road and do well away from Seattle,” Washington coach Matt Anger said.

The Ducks will be Washington’s first opponent of the weekend, in a match scheduled for 5 p.m. today at Oregon’s Student Tennis Center.

The Huskies lead the all-time series with Oregon 113-6-1, and are headed into the first of their two meetings this season with the numbers on their side once again.

Oregon is barely holding onto its winning record of 6-5. The Ducks most recently lost 6-1 to UC Santa Barbara, a team Washington beat earlier this season 7-0.

Although Washington’s record is only slightly better at 6-4, it has had the challenge of taking on five top-25 teams during the past three weeks.

In the most recent match against Arkansas, freshman Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan took down 95th-ranked Blake Strode, a showing that earned him Pac-10 Player of the Week honors for the week of Feb. 18 to 24.

Saturday at 2 p.m., the Huskies will take on yet another ranked team, the No. 59 Denver Pioneers. They will again play at the Student Tennis Center— a neutral site for this matchup.

The Pioneers boast an impressive 9-1 record and have the seventh-best doubles team in the nation in seniors Adam Holmstrom and Niklas Persson.

Also Saturday, the No. 42 Washington women’s tennis team plays at the Nordstrom Tennis Center at noon against Northwest rival Oregon.

Although Oregon holds a 4-4 record, it is ranked only slightly below Washington (8-3) at No. 46.

“Oregon’s going to be a pretty tough match for us,” Washington coach Jill Hultquist added. “They line up pretty well against us.”

The Huskies are still winless in the conference at 0-2, so this weekend’s match will be critical for this team that has climbed more spots (28) in the ITA rankings than any other team this season.

Freshman Venise Chan leads the women’s side, playing at No. 1 singles and sporting a 10-1 record.

Also in possession of a 10-1 record is senior Tara Simpson, who plays at the No. 3 spot.

Both Chan and Simpson have earned Pac-10 Player of the Week honors this season.

“If my girls keep playing the way they’re playing, I think they’ll be really successful,” Hultquist said.

[Reach reporter Sheena Nguyen at sports@thedaily.washington.edu.]