A day prior to their match-up against the University of Oregon, the Husky women were already on-point with an excellent hitting session under their belt. Every team member was incredibly focused, their ball timing was great, and you could feel the intensity that they, undoubtedly, took into today's Pac-12 dual match. The weather was perfect for tennis and the Husky ladies played accordingly winning 5-2 over the No. 55 Ducks.

Take a look at some quotes from coaches, Jill Hultquist (Head) and Luke Shields (Assistant), regarding the match and their prospects for the upcoming weekend against USC and UCLA. Riko Shimizu, who clinched the winning point in today's competition (7-5, 6-4), gives her thoughts on today as well!

As coaches, how did you both feel about going into this match-up?

Jill Hultquist (JH): "I felt good about going into this match as our girls have been working really hard and playing well.  We knew it was going to be a tough match as Oregon was coming off of a ranked-win against Denver.  Oregon is always very feisty and competitive so we prepared the girls for that."

Luke Shields (LS): "We felt very confident as a team. We have had great practices and have consistently gotten better over the last 6 months. We have done a great job of focusing on our own games each match. Our mindset has been outstanding so coming into the match we felt very strong."

Tell me about the team's performance today. Also, what does it mean going forward into next week's challenges against USC and UCLA?

JH:  "Next week's matches are against the teams we have struggled against. They are top 10 teams and they are very polished.  To beat them we have to be on our game and take advantage of the opportunities that are given to us if we are going to beat them."

LS: "We did some things well and we can 

definitely build off of this weekend. We are more concerned about long term goals and getting better with each match. If we keep doing the right things and if we keep growing as a team the results will come."

What is something that you were particularly proud to see today that you have, as a team, made an effort to work on earlier this week (in preparation for Oregon)?

JH:  "We have had good success in doubles as we have been working really hard on it and adding new elements every couple of weeks so it is always fun to see them implement it in their games and see their success with it.  Singles we are working on being more aggressive and moving forward. The team did a great job with that today as well."

LS: "We stuck to our game plans well. Even if we lost a few points we stuck to what we do well. We played high percentage tennis."

What were the big factors that won this match today?

JH:  "Staying disciplined with their game plan.  Each match, I give them a challenge to work on and I love to see them work(incorporate it within their..) on that in their matches.  Also, teamwork has been important for them this year and they are very supportive of each other and that helps everyone out on while they are playing."

LS: "Energy!"

Riko Shimizu put on a brave performance today at the 6th singles position. Here are some of her thoughts from earlier today: 

How do you feel about your performance today?

Riko Shimizu (RS): "I have had a rough week regarding many things. Although I do not feel that I performed my best today, I am proud of the way I competed; I fought really hard in this match and that is what lead me to victory. Also, I think everyone competed well and fought hard too so I am really proud of them for that."

After taking losses last week from Stanford and Cal Berkeley, what does this team win mean to you personally?

RS: "We took our losses to Stanford and Cal very well in the first place. Although they were tough matches, we learned a lot and saw that we could compete with the top teams. I am very happy about this win against Oregon and that our hard work throughout this week paid off. Also, the team did not let the previous losses affect us negatively. Instead, everyone carried a positive mindset throughout this whole week and I definitely think that helped us with the win today too."

What will you take from today's win into next week, when you face opponents from USC and UCLA?

RS: "Definitely the energy, the fight and the team spirit. USC and UCLA are top schools that I am excited to compete against on our home court. I am confident we will do well."

Next Friday (Mar. 22), the ladies take on the USC Trojans. Then, on Saturday (Mar. 23), the women face the UCLA Bruins. Save those dates!

Samantha Smith

Volunteer Assistant Coach, University of Washington Women's Tennis