By Alan Babadzhanov
EUGENE, Ore. - Coming off dominant wins against Nevada and Seattle, the Oregon Ducks Men's Tennis Team (7-2) is hot, and looks to keep up the momentum against the Nebraska Cornhuskers (6-3) and the Portland State Vikings (2-2). The Ducks are sitting comfortably at 2nd in the Pac-12 and are looking to stay there. Coaching for his 18th season, Nils Schyllander is looking to pick up another two wins to add to his impressive 228-164 career record with the Men's Tennis Team after being the Women's Team Head Coach from 2004-2006.
The Ducks are led by #93-ranked Quinn Vandecasteele and 5th-year David Cierny who are the #1 and #2 singles players for the Ducks. Vandecasteele is 3-3 on the season in his singles matches. The doubles pair featuring Vandecasteele and Sophomore Matthew Burton are ranked the #31 doubles pair in the nation with their 3-2 record. This is a young Oregon Ducks team in which four out of the six singles players are underclassmen, with some having their first matches earlier this season. With the departure of Josh Charlton and Ivailo Keremedchiev, the Ducks are going to need the younger players to develop quickly once conference play begins.
Projected Lineup for the Ducks
#1 Doubles- Quinn Vandecasteele/Matthew Burton
#2 Doubles- Ray Lo/Lenn Luemkemann
#3 Doubles- Avi Shugar/Lachlan Robertson
#1 Singles- Quinn Vandecasteele
#2 Singles- David Cierny
#3 Singles- Vlad Breazu
#4 Singles- Zian Vanderstappen
#5 Singles- Matthew Burton
#6 Singles- Lenn Luemkemann
Key Matchups
The biggest matchup for the Ducks is going to be Cierny against #113 Anton Shepp. Anton is 8-1 on the year with a ranked win against #51 Enzo Aguiard from Alabama. Cierny is 4-1 in his matches and takes his opponents down with ease. This will be Cierny's first ranked opponent. Cierny will be relying on his big frame and huge serve to get his opponent on his back foot. Shepp is the more patient baseline type. He is very good at placing his shots and consistently makes the right decision on when to move in and attack. For the Vikings, #5 Singles player Sophomore Luka Jovanovic is undefeated on the year including beating Washington Sophomore Brett Pearson in a thrilling three set match. Burton is 5-2 playing from #3, #4, and #5. The Sophomore is getting lots of playing time in singles and doubles being paired with Vandecasteele.
Predictions
5-2 Oregon over Nebraska
7-0 Oregon over Portland State