Heading into the season, incoming freshman Taylor Agost was the “bell of the ball” within the Ducks’ recruiting class.
Agost starred at Clackamas High School in Happy Valley, Oregon before going to Oregon this fall as the No. 17 ranked player in the nation. Not only was Agost the highest ranked recruit Oregon had in its class, she was also expected to fill the void after the transfer of last year’s starting outside hitter Canace Finley.
Not everything went as planned though for Agost and the Ducks.
She struggled to adjust to the speed of the college game, often being overwhelmed with the quickness of blockers and defenders. What stagnated her adjustment to the college game even more were her injuries she suffered in the beginning of the year that kept her out of most games.
Everything comes full circle though, and now healthy, Agost has been a force for the Ducks in their late Pac-12 season run, who are now in the NCAA Tournament.
“She touches 10-foot-5 so that really doesn’t hurt,” Oregon head coach Jim Moore said of Agost. “She’s a great athlete and she has a chance at being a phenomenal player.”
Everything she’s been through since the time she stepped foot on campus to now, has been a journey for Agost. It all culminated when Oregon defeated Santa Clara 3-0 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament as she helped lead the Ducks with six kills and a .462 hitting percentage.
When out due to injury, Naya Crittenden had taken over the opposites-side hitting spot in Oregon’s rotation, but towards the end of the conference schedule, Oregon head coach Jim Moore decided to enter Agost into the starting lineup because of her height as a blocker and consistent hitting.
“She’s taller so she’s able to go over blockers — she just hits so high so that was one of the reasons we wanted her in there,” Moore said.
She rewarded Moore’s vote of confidence by posting 17 kills in the Ducks’ two biggest wins of the season, beating No. 17 UCLA and No. 25 USC, and all-but securing the Ducks a bid to host the first and second round of the NCAA Tournament.
With Agost continuing to play well, she gives Oregon’s offense another attacker to help off-set the all-Pac-12 first teamers Liz Brenner and Martenne Bettendorf as freshman Frankie Shebby, as well as middles Serena Warner and Kacey Nady.
“Their hitters, you could tell through their routes that some other their younger players where much more comfortable at home than on the road,” Santa Clara head coach Jon Wallace said of Oregon’s offense. “When you have Bettendorf being comfortable, Nady being comfortable and the rest of their young kids being comfortable, that’s a tough task to kind of slow down.”
The Ducks, thanks to Agost’s play, are one of the deepest teams in the tournament and the continued excellence by the freshman will only help Oregon towards achieving its goal of winning a national championship.
Follow Ryan Kostecka on Twitter @Ryan_Kostecka