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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 7, 1997)
Oregon tennis to face tough Arizona teams ■ MfcN: Oregon s leading player returns to court after being sidelined with an injury By Joel Hood Freelance Sports Reporter When you’re one of the second tier men’s tennis teams in the Pa cific-10 Conference, the confer ence schedule is less about competition and more about sur vival. With four schools currently ranked among the nation’s top 20 and four more in the top 50, Ore gon’s pathway to a conference ti tle could hit a few snags. The Ducks (2-1 overall, 0-1 Pac 10) can pull themselves back into the race with road wins over 17th ranked Arizona on Friday and Arizona State on Sunday. “Arizona is one of the best teams in the country, and they al ways play tough at home," head coach Chris Russell said. “We’re going to try to take that [their home court advantage] away this weekend.” Despite a loss to Washington in the conference opener on Jan. 17, Oregon coaches remain confi dent, in part because Oregon will be at full strength this weekend for the first time all season. “We played Washington real tough and were in almost every match," Russell said. “It’s going to help us having our No. 1 guy (Dougal Williams) back.” Williams, a senior, is back after an injury sidelined him for the team s hrst three matches of the season. Williams will play in the No. 1 spot in singles and pair with junior Carlos Navarro on the No. 1 doubles team. “Williams is an important guy for us to have out there,” Russell said. “We’re a lot better team, we’re a lot deeper. He raises the level of performance for this team — he also raises the level of ex (£ Arizona is one of the best teams in the country, and they always play tough at home. We’re going to try to take that [their home court advantage] away this weekend. — Chris Russell head coach -39 pectations.” Oregon will return home next weekend for matches against Port land on Feb. 14 and UC Santa Bar bara on Feb. 16. Rugby team to battle for respect in Northwest ■ TOURNAMENT: The Oregon club rugby team will face the top teams in the Northwest this weekend By Alex Pond Freelance Sports Reporter Looking to establish itself as one of the elite teams in the Northwest, the Oregon club rug by team will compete in the Pacific North west Rugby Tournament on Saturday in Port land. “This tournament is critical because the outcome determines our standing in the Northwest,” said student coordinator Alex Sroka. The round robin tournament features Ore gon State, Washington, Washington State, Vic toria, Reed, Lewis and Clark, Evergreen and Oregon. With Oregon State being at the top of Pacif ic Northwest rugby the past six seasons, Sro ka said the Beavers are the favorite to win the tournament. “They are a team we real ly want to beat,” he said. Sroka said Victoria and Washington will also be teams to watch this week end. victoria plays top-notch rugby, he said. “They are as good or better than [Oregon State], “Those three teams are the elite teams in the Northwest right now, and we want to shoot to the elite.” After struggling in recent years, Sroka thinks Oregon is now in a position to compete with the better teams. “We’ve come a long way,” he said. “Our ffi We’ve come a long way,” he said. “Our forwards are big and strong and match up with pretty much any of the scrums in the Northwest. Our back line also has come a long way. We have experienced players at every position. — Alex Sroka student coordinator -93 forwards are big and strong and match up with pretty much any of the scrums in the Northwest. Our back line also has come a long way. We have experienced players at every position.” Hockey will celebrate playoff berth against Idaho ■ CLUB SPORTS: Oregon hosts a two-game series against Idaho as a final tune up for the Pac-8 Tournament later this month By Alex Pond Freelance Sports Reporter The Oregon Club hockey team heads into a two-game series against Idaho this weekend, on an emotional high after learning this week that it has qualified for the Pacific-8 hockey conference tour nament. "I am so happy,” assistant cap tain Robert Wasson said. “Last year, we were 7-17-2. We’ve really turned it around and have a chance to go 17-6-1 if we win both games against Idaho, which would be a total flip-flop from last year.” Right now, though, the Ducks are 15-6-1 with reason to be con fident against the Vandals. Ore gon beat Idaho 7-3 on Nov. 2 in Spokane. “They’re kind of a rag-tag team,” Wasson said. “They play kind of brutal, with lots of sticks and elbows.” Oregon will be using these games, which are at 10 p.m. Fri day and Saturday at the Lane County Ice Arena, as a tune-up for the Pac-8 tournament on Feb. 22 and 23 at Disney Ice in Anaheim, Cal. Although the Ducks felt confi dent they would make the tourna ment, it wasn’t official until Wednesday, when the conference announced the top four teams based on a complicated ranking system. Stanford was ranked first with a Pac-8 record of 9-4, followed by California (7-6-2), Oregon (7-5-1) and Southern Cal (8-6). Oregon will play Cal in the first game of the tournament, fol lowed by Stan ford vs. Southern Cal. The win ners will meet for the championship the following day. Wasson said the Ducks defi nitely deserve to be in the tourna ment and will be a force to be reckoned with. “The guys have worked so hard, put so much sweat and money into this team,” he said. “We’ve got a really good chance of winning the tournament. ” Making the Pac-8 tournament is a compliment to a program that has been building in recent years, and the impact should last be yond this season. “Just being there is great expo sure,” Wasson said. “Being in the Pac-8 [tournament] makes us one of the top four teams in the west. “I feel great about a team that grew from basically a recreational team about six years ago, to a team that is this school’s equivalent of a varsity hockey team.” While it’s great to be there, Wasson made it clear that the Ducks aren’t satisfied with just making an appearance. “The guys are excited, and we will take the whole team down,” he said. “But we want to bring back a trophy.” Complete Selection of X-CSkis • Boots • Clothing Cross Country Ski Rentals Berg’/ /hi /hop Mon-Sat 10-7 • Sun 12-5 13th & Lawrence* 683-1300 -poppi*/^ y I The Land East" Traditional ’Greek & Indian Food Lunch Monday through Saturday Dinner 7 Nights a Week 992 Willamette Eugene, Or 97401 343-9661 FREE Board Waxing / tsoarasc< Boot Rentals Mon-Sat 10-7* Sun 12-5 13th& Lawrence* 683-1300 FREE \ BIRTHDAY i ENTREE!* CetebrateBIGth^year! 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