Dear Oregon Volleyball, 

I joined the Daily Emerald’s sports desk in the spring of 2022 and my first major task was to cover the volleyball team.

I was excited. I immediately started watching old YouTube videos of past interviews, reading old articles and trying to find all the information that I could about the current roster, coaching staff and commits. 

One thing that I found that was consistent across the board was the program’s commitment to pushing the bar as high as they can. Every team has (and should) have optimism heading into their season, but this just felt different. It was carried and shown in a different way. In my first year covering the team, Olympians and National Champions were brought onto the coaching staff and All-Americans and recruits ranked within the top 50 were added to the roster. This year, the Ducks finished the season with six athletes receiving AVCA All-Pacific North Region honors and program-record five athletes being named to the All-Pac-12 team with two being honorable mentions. 

Oh, also Mimi Colyer was named AVCA National Freshman of the Year for the first time in program history in 2022. 

I have always believed that actions speak louder than words. For the past two years, your actions have matched exactly what you planned to do. You pulled off reverse sweeps, upsets and broken school records. Ending the 2022 season with a 13 game winning streak while staying undefeated at home is impressive, and while you didn’t have that same streak on paper this season, the team played even better. Sweeps are rare in college volleyball — you did it 18 times this season. 

Watching athletes at that level is always a treat, but covering a team at that caliber is another experience. Having Oregon volleyball as a beat for two years had made me realize how much I love writing — especially about sports. 

One of my favorite things about volleyball is that not one match is the same, which really forced me to get out of my comfort zone as a writer. My game recaps and sidebars weren’t repetitive because the sport didn’t allow them to be. On top of that, the game can shift momentum at any moment. It’s a face-paced game and you played at an intense speed. I had to learn how to balance watching the game, while taking notes on the game so I could highlight important plays, players and moments. 

I only played volleyball through middle school and the first two years of high school, so I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to give as much depth as I’d like. In press conferences, Ulmer and athletes would explain plays and matches past the surface level, giving everyone in the room to provide the team with better coverage. 

While it’s an elite team, it was still one of the under covered sports on campus. Moments like those let me provide readers with a unique opportunity to invest in the team. 

So, thank you Oregon Volleyball. Thank you for allowing a new writer like me to tell your stories. While I watched you grow on the court, I grew alongside you. Watching you reminded me how much I love the sport and how much I love covering female athletes and teams. This game is full of unexpectedness and the outcome can change in the matter of one rally. Your dedication, courage, confident humility and competitiveness is inspiring. 

Nina-Grace Montes