Alyssa Tobita proves she belongs at No. 1 for the Ducks

Although it’s been months since Alyssa Tobita made history at Oregon, she’ll still catch a glimpse of her ITA regional championship plaque and wonder if it’s real.

“I still can’t believe that we won,” Tobita said in a phone interview Tuesday. “I never thought I’d be able to play at such a high level.”

The 2014 Mililani alumna took home the first ITA regional doubles championship in program history in October and has parlayed that success into a memorable senior season to cap her four-year career with the Ducks.

The school’s winningest doubles player and top three in singles victories, Tobita played her final match at the Student Tennis Center in Eugene, Ore., on Sunday in front of her parents and younger sister.

Her 168th collegiate win clinched a 4-0 sweep of Utah and was her third straight victory over a ranked opponent.

Tuesday, she was named the Pac-12 player of the week for the second time in her career.

“It was just really, really great because I thought I was going to be so emotional at the beginning,” Tobita said. “I held all of my emotions in, though, and at first I didn’t think I was going to clinch (the match), so I was just happy I played well in doubles, but then I closed it out and I couldn’t really believe it. Later that night I thought to myself, ‘Wow, I couldn’t have dreamed of that happening.’ “

That could describe most of Tobita’s senior season, in which she’s made herself a force at the top of the Ducks’ lineup.

She’s 18-10 overall in singles and 6-6 against ranked opponents.

In the latest Oracle/ITA Division I women’s collegiate rankings released Tuesday, Tobita jumped seven spots to No. 42 in the country in singles.

In doubles, she’s ranked No. 30 overall with partner Shweta Sangwan.

“This year, playing at the No. 1 spot, I never thought I could really play and hold it down for the team, so I’m just so happy I got to this point,” Tobita said. “I’m lucky to be playing on such a great team.”

Tobita has helped elevate the Oregon program since arriving on campus in the fall of 2014.

An All-Pac-12 second-team pick as a junior, Tobita helped Oregon beat UCLA and USC for the first time in school history that season. The Ducks also advanced to the NCAA tournament for the first time in a decade, losing 4-2 to N.C. State in the first round.

Her fall season included the regional win in doubles as the No. 3 seed in the tournament. This spring, she beat Washington State’s Michaela Bayerlova, currently ranked No. 26 in singles, in three sets in Tobita’s second Pac-12 match.

“I kind of struggled at the beginning of the year playing ranked (opponents) in singles matches and had a couple of tough matches that came down to a couple of points here and there not go my way and I got discouraged by it,” Tobita said. “I kept believing in the process and worked hard and that Washington State match went my way and probably was that moment where even though it was later in the season, I felt like I finally got over the hump.”

In her final two road matches of the Pac-12 season, Tobita beat California’s Julia Rosenqvist, ranked No. 41, in straight sets, and then earned the Ducks’ only point against Stanford when she beat the Cardinal’s Michaela Gordon, ranked No. 16, 4-6, 6-1, 6-3.

“She’s just methodically put in the work, every single day, and has really trusted the process throughout her career,” Oregon coach Alison Silverio said in a press release. “It’s no surprise to me, or any of our staff, or her teammates that she’s having the success she is.”

Silverio is in her fourth year as Ducks head coach but was not on the staff that originally recruited Tobita to Oregon.

“Honestly, not a lot of schools really wanted me,” Tobita said. “I looked at a lot of California schools, but Oregon was one of only three trips I made. I thought Oregon fit best, so I chose to come here, and even though it wasn’t the coaching staff that recruited me, I couldn’t have asked for more perfect coaches.”

The Pac-12 tournament starts today and the Ducks are hopeful to earn an NCAA tournament berth.

That might have been the last time Tobita stepped on a tennis court, but with her recent success, maybe there’s a future in the sport after college after all.

“Looking back, if somebody told me I would be here ranked in singles and doubles I would have thought that was a joke,” Tobita said. “I’ve been so lucky. I haven’t been able to think about much or even breathe with everything going on with school and tennis, but we’re thinking about maybe playing after (college).

“I wouldn’t have even considered it before, but now it’s more like I feel that I could do it. I still haven’t figured it out yet, but I’m hoping now to play a little bit after.”

AROUND THE NATION

BASEBALL

>> Beau Branton, Punahou ’14: The Stanford second baseman finished 3-for-11 with two walks, two runs scored and three RBIs in a three-game sweep of Arizona State over the weekend.

>> Codie Paiva, Kamehameha ’15: The Loyola Marymount junior right-hander improved to 4-3 for the season, allowing seven hits and three runs in six innings with one walk and nine strikeouts in a 6-3 win over San Francisco on Friday.

>> Keith Torres, Saint Louis ’17: The Sacramento State shortstop finished 2-for-7 with three walks, four runs scored and an RBI to help the Hornets win two of three against Northern Colorado over the weekend.

>> Justin Ushio, Maryknoll ’14: The Whittier (Calif.) senior right-hander recorded the final three outs of a 1-0 win over Caltech on Saturday, walking one and striking out one to earn his fifth save of the season.

>> Ryne Oshiro, Moanalua ’17: The St. Martin’s (Wash.) shortstop finished 7-for-17 with two walks, four runs scored and four RBIs in a four-game split against Central Washington over the weekend.

>> Micah McNicoll, Kamehameha ’16: The St. Martin’s (Wash.) third baseman went 4-for-11 with two walks, a stolen base, three runs scored and an RBI against Central Washington.

>> Kahi Hirano, Maryknoll ’15: The St. Martin’s (Wash.) middle infielder went 2-for-3 with two walks, a triple, three runs scored and five RBIs in an 18-10 win over Central Washington in the series opener.

>> Bryant Nakagawa, Maui ’17: The St. Martin’s (Wash.) catcher went 2-for-3 with a walk, a home run, four runs scored and two RBIs in the series opener against Central Washington.

>> Raymond Pedrina, Campbell ’13: The Lewis-Clark State senior center fielder finished 5-for-17 with a walk, two doubles, a triple, three runs and three RBIs to help the Warriors win three of four against College of Idaho over the weekend.

MEN’S GOLF

>> Spencer Dunaway, Kamehameha ’15: The Brigham Young junior shot a 1-under 71 after opening with a 76 and is tied for 19th place at 3 over heading into today’s final round of the West Coast Conference Championships in Santee, Calif.

>> Zackary Kaneshiro, Mid-Pacific ’17: The Santa Clara freshman shot rounds of 73 and 77 and is tied for 32nd place at 6 over at the WCC Championships.

>> Tyler Munetake, Baldwin ’15: The Gonzaga junior is in 40th place at 9 over after shooting a 75 and a 78 at the WCC Championships.

WOMEN’S GOLF

>> Rose Huang, ‘Iolani ’15: The Brigham Young junior birdied her final hole on the par-5 ninth to move into a first-place tie heading into today’s final round of the West Coast Conference Championships in Santee, Calif. Huang, who finished tied for second in last year’s conference tournament, shot a 1-under 71 on Tuesday after opening with a 74. She’s 1 over for the tournament after making four birdies in her final 12 holes after starting with a bogey on her first hole and a double at the par-4 14th.

>> Kristin Le, Punahou ’14: The Santa Clara senior shot a 5-over 77 on Tuesday and is tied for 13th at 13 over at the WCC Championships.

>> Kaylee Shimizu, Baldwin ’15: The Utah Valley sophomore followed up a 74 with a 75 and is in a tie for 17th place at 7 over entering today’s final round of the Western Athletic Conference Championships in Phoenix, Ariz.

WOMEN’S GYMNASTICS

>> Chloe Camello, Sacred Hearts ’17: The Air Force freshman scored a 9.725 on the vault at the USAG Championships, helping the Falcons finish in third place in the team finals on Saturday.

SOFTBALL

>> Nawai Kaupe, Maui ’17: The Washington freshman had a pinch-hit single in a 3-1 win over California in the first game of a doubleheader on Sunday and doubled home two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to end a 9-1 victory over the Golden Bears in the second game due to the eight-run mercy rule. No. 1 Washington is 41-2 overall this season.

>> Jocelyn Alo, Campbell ’17: The Oklahoma freshman hit her 18th homer of the season and finished 2-for-7 with three walks, four runs scored and five RBIs in a three-game sweep of Kansas over the weekend. No. 2 Oklahoma is 38-2 overall this season.

WOMEN’S TENNIS

>> Skyla Alcon, Mid-Pacific ’15: The Cal State Northridge junior won in straight sets at No. 4 singles to secure the Matadors’ only point in a 4-1 loss to Long Beach State on Saturday.

>> Lisa Owen, Kaiser ’16: The Puget Sound sophomore went 1-1 at No. 1 singles and 2-0 at No. 1 doubles to help the Loggers end their season with wins over Pacific Lutheran on Friday and College of Idaho on Saturday.

>> Ashley Ishimura, Punahou ’15: The Creighton junior didn’t drop a game in a 6-0, 6-0 win at No. 1 singles in a 5-2 victory over Saint Louis on Friday.

>> Lani-Rae Green, Waimea ’14: The UC Davis senior won at No. 2 doubles and No. 3 singles in a 7-0 win over Sonoma State on Saturday.

Stats compiled by Billy Hull, Star-Advertiser. To submit an athlete for publication, email: bhull@staradvertiser.com.