University of Oregon Ducks
COACHING STAFF
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2011-12 Women’s Tennis Media Guide
Sixth-year Duck women’s tennis head coach Paul Reber smoothly continues to chart the Oregon women’s tennis program’s ascent up the Pac-12 and national rankings. The 2011 dual campaign saw Oregon win its first four duals of the season and enter the Intercollegiate Tennis Association team rankings for the fifth consecutive season in Reber’s tenure. Among the highlights of the season, the Ducks posted their first win over a top-25 team in six years when they topped No. 20 Washington, 4-3, on March 11. Pavlina Smatova had a tremendous season for the Ducks, going 23-15 on the singles court and 23-13 in doubles play. She finished the year ranked in the top 100 in the singles circuit and spent time in the top 50 of the doubles rankings. He also guided Smatova to becoming the first Duck to be tabbed to the all-conference squad since 2006 with her all-Pac 10 honorable mention selection. Oregon also saw continued success in the classroom with four of Reber’s Ducks being named to the Pac10 all-academic team, the most since posting the same number during the 2009 season. To start the 2009-10 season, UO opened the year with three straight victories by a combined 20-1 margin and spent the first month of the season ranked in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s top 80. The 2008-09 season saw Reber’s Ducks knocked off two ranked teams en route to nine dual match wins. Reber also recruited well in 2009, snagging the #26 ranked recruiting class in the nation, including two U.S. players with five-star rankings. During the 2007-08 season, Reber saw one of his freshman recruits, the No. 78 ranked Celine Rolly, compete and excel at No. 1 singles throughout the season, compiling a 10-12 record in dual competition. The Maldegem, Belgium native also played at No. 1 doubles for the Ducks. In 2006-07, he piloted the Oregon women to one of their finest seasons ever as UO finished the year ranked 41st nationally, went 12-12 on the season against a schedule full of the nation’s top teams, and made their sixth postseason trip in school history. Several of his first-year pupils also made a major impact on the Duck record books. Dominika Diskova and Ana Cecilia Olivos moved to first all-time for UO for most career doubles victories (49) and ranked fourth among season totals (19), while Dieskova also ended her career ranked second in most career singles wins (85). Handpicked by his predecessor and current UO director of tennis Nils Schyllander, Reber was an obvious choice after a successful 10-year career at Arizona State University. The Kamloops, British Columbia native oversaw six NCAA top-10 teams and was also named the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s West Region Assistant Coach of the Year in 2001 and 2005. During his ASU tenure, Reber coached eight All-Americans and led eight teams to the Sweet 16, including six top-10 GODUCKS.COM
University of Oregon Ducks
finishes. Also an accomplished collegiate player for the Sun Devils, he was a four-year letter winner from 1992-96 and sported a 58-58 singles record that included 20 singles victories in 1994-95. He posted a 51-38 doubles mark, including a 23-15 record in 1994-95. He was the 1991 Canadian Junior Doubles Champion and won the singles championship the following year. In 1993 he was once again the doubles champion. Reber received bachelor’s degrees in exercise science and history from Arizona State. Paul married his wife Dana (Tucker) in 2002, and she is an ASU graduate with master’s and undergraduate degrees in social work. The couple has one son, Owen Tucker Reber.
The Reber File Year 1996-2006 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 Career
School Arizona State University University of Oregon University of Oregon University of Oregon University of Oregon University of Oregon -
Position Assistant Coach Head Coach Head Coach Head Coach Head Coach Head Coach -
Head Coach Record W L Pct. 12 12 .500 10 12 .455 9 13 .409 7 15 .318 7 15 .318 45 67 .402
Oregon head coach Paul Reber coached Pavlina Smatova to a 23-15 record last season, tying her for sixth on the single-season victories list.
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2011-12 Women’s Tennis Media Guide
In four seasons as the University of Oregon assistant women’s tennis coach, Maja Kovacek has helped UO make strides up the national rankings. Kovacek has helped the Ducks to dual match wins over seven ranked opponents in the last four years, including UO’s 4-3 win over No. 20 Washington during the 2010-11 campaign. The victory was monumental for the Ducks, vaulting them from being unranked to No. 54 nationally in mid March. Throughout the last few seasons, Kovacek has shown that her considerable ability on the playing court could transfer seamlessly into the coaching ranks. With her alma mater, New Mexico, as an undergraduate assistant coach before coming to Oregon, she worked with all areas of the program during the 2006-07 season, including practicing and conditioning. Kovacek is equally respected in national circles as a top collegiate player. At the Albuquerque, N.M. institution, she was a two-time All-American in 2004 and ’06 and a three-year NCAA qualifier (2004, ’05 and ’06). In the national rankings, she climbed as high as second in doubles and 20th in singles. She was tabbed Mountain West Conference (MWC) Player of the Year in 2004 and ’05 and its StudentAthlete of the Year in 2006. She was also selected as one of 30 national NCAA Woman of the Year nominees in 2006, and was team captain of the Lobos her senior season. In the classroom, she was equally decorated as an MWC Scholar Athlete Award winner in 2004, ’05 and ’06, an ITA Academic All-American, ITA Scholar Athlete honoree and ESPN Academic All-District recipient. Away from the court, she was a Habitat for Humanity volunteer and a treasurer for the Women Athletes in Medicine and Health Sciences organization. Prior to college, she played on the WTA circuit in 2001 and 2002. Then again played in ’05 after college, and her highest world ranking was No. 1062. The Croatia native graduated from UNM with Bachelor of Arts degrees in psychology and sociology in 2006.
The Kovacek File Year 2007-present
School University of Oregon
Position Assistant Coach
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