Ducks Can’t Hold Off Blue Demons, Fall 4-3

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Despite winning the doubles point, the Oregon women’s tennis team wasn’t able to hold off DePaul in singles play Saturday morning. The Ducks fell 4-3 to the Blue Demons in the neutral site match after Kelsey Lawson downed Marlou Kluiving in singles No. 3 7-5, 7-6 (1).

Sofia Hager and Lana Buttner improved to 5-0 as a pair in dual play for the Ducks (4-2) in doubles, downing Rebeca Mitrea and Zaina Sufi 6-4. The pair clinched the doubles point for No. 72 Oregon shortly after Lina Åkesson and Kluiving downed DePaul’s (5-1) Jasmin Kling and Kelsey Lawson 6-3.

Nicole Long took down Patricia Fargas 7-6, 6-4, the reigning Big East Player of the Week, to move to 5-1 in at the No. 1 singles spot. At No. 2 singles, Jasmine Minor was able to battle back after dropping the first set to defeat No. 52 Ana Vladutu 4-6, 6-0, 1-0 in the tiebreaker.

Minor’s victory tied things up at 2-2 before DePaul’s Lawson and Kling won singles No.3 and No. 4 respectively to clinch the match. Hager saw her five-match winning streak come to an end after her 7-6, 6-1 loss to Kling.

Like her doubles mate Hager, Buttner also saw her four-match win streak come to end after falling in the tiebreaker to Zaina Sufi. After taking the first set 6-3, the Oregon senior wasn’t able to fend off Sufi in the second set and eventually fell in the in tiebreaker 3-6, 6-2, 1-0.

Rabea Stueckemann lost her first singles match in dual play on Saturday after falling to Mitrea 6-2, 6-4 at No. 6 singles.

The Ducks return to the courts next weekend for a pair of contests in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Oregon will first take on Oklahoma State on Saturday at 11 a.m. (PST) and then face off against the host, Minnesota, on Sunday at 9 a.m. (PST).

No. 74 DePaul 4 – No. 72 Oregon 3
Doubles
Fargas/Vladutu vs. Long/Minor 2-5 Unf.
Kluiving/Åkesson (UO) def. Kling/Lawson (DEP) 6-3
Buttner/Hager (UO) def. Mitrea/Sufi (DEP) 6-4
Order of Finish: 2, 3

Singles
No. 1 – Nicole Long (UO) def. Patricia Fargas (DEP) 7-6, 6-4
No. 2 – Jasmine Minor (UO) def. #52 Ana Vladutu (DEP) 4-6, 6-0, 1-0
No. 3 – Kelsey Lawson (DEP) def. Marlou Kluiving (UO) 7-5, 7-6 (1)
No. 4 – Jasmin Kling (DEP) def. Sofia Hager (UO) 7-6, 6-1
No. 5 – Zaina Sufi (DEP) def. Lana Buttner (UO) 3-6, 6-2, 1-0
No. 6 – Rebeca Mitrea (DEP) def. Rabea Stueckemann (UO) 6-2, 6-4
Order of Finish: 5, 6, 2, 4, 3, 1