Head coach Jim Moore has transformed the Oregon volleyball team from a program that hardly garnered any national attention or recognition to a perennial Pac-12 contender now advancing to the Final Four, further than the program has ever been before.
Entering Moore’s eighth year at the helm of the Oregon program, he is no stranger to good teams. His squad last year qualified for the NCAA tournament before surprisingly being upset by Colorado State, and in 2010, the Ducks ranked as high as No. 11 in the AVCA poll.
However, there is a difference between being good and being great.
Looking at the team’s body of work for the year begs the question — what makes this team better than previous squads under Moore?
For starters, talent. The Ducks have one of the top outside hitters in the country and Pac-12 Player of the Year, Alaina Bergsma, roaming the floor for them at all times. Throughout the season Bergsma tallied 547 kills, more than 100 more than the next closest player on the team. Bergsma’s quite simply a playmaker opposing teams need to game plan around. @@http://pac-12.com/Sports/VolleyballW/Statistics.aspx@@
Bergsma is the type of player who will undoubtedly play in the professional ranks once her time in Eugene is up, but several years ago a player of her caliber would probably not have considered Oregon a top volleyball destination.
Another talented athlete who has helped make the 2012 squad better than any other Oregon team in the past is Portland-native Liz Brenner. The three-sport athlete at Oregon is the epitome of raw athletic ability. In addition to being a starting outside hitter for the volleyball team, she also plays basketball and softball as well.
Brenner provides an impressive second option for the Ducks, and her athletic ability takes some of the pressure off of Bergsma who opposing teams continually key in on to stop.
“We have great hitters at pretty much every single position,” setter Lauren Plum said. “Oregon’s had some pretty good teams in the past that had one or two good players where now we have five or six. It’s really fun and a high level of volleyball.”
In addition to the pure talent Oregon now possesses and the opportunity to play in one of the best volleyball conferences in the country in the Pac-12, the Ducks now have a nice balance between veteran players who are familiar with their system and fresh new faces who are contributing immediately upon their arrival in Eugene.
Seniors Bergsma and Kat Fischer now have the luxury of playing with upstart underclassman like freshman Canace Finley and Martenne Bettendorf, along with the immensely talented Brenner.
With its mixture of talent and balance, Oregon can set its sights on playing for a national championship in Louisville.