Oregon volleyball, meet Portland. Portland, meet Oregon volleyball.
That’s about the extent of knowledge that both teams will take into tonight’s match at the Chiles Center in Portland. The Ducks (8-16, 0-13 Pacific-10 Conference) are reeling, having lost their last 15 matches, but came on strong recently against Stanford, proving they can play at a high level.
“Playing at a high level is something that you’re looking to attain, but it is a domino effect,” head coach Carl Ferreira said. “Greatness follows greatness, consistency follows consistency.”
Against the Cardinal, consistency and resiliency were the name of the game. Senior Monique Tobbagi, while still sporting a hitting percentage under .200, has wowed her opponents recently, and posted a team-high 18 kills against Stanford. The team’s other senior, Julie Gerlach, had 40 assists against California on Thursday.
Ferreira noted the improved play in both of his seniors and said they will be key for the rest of the season, not only because of their physical play but because of their mentality as well.
“Why did we play well (against Stanford)?” Ferreira said. “(Because of) upper division players. They are in a learning curve to see how important they are to the outcome of a match.”
In Portland, the Ducks will play a wounded and vulnerable opponent. The Pilots have won two of their last seven matches and have not beaten a Pac-10 opponent this season, losing to Oregon State in September. But that doesn’t mean they won’t be a problem.
Bridget Dechant and Bridget Beschen, two outstanding seniors for the Pilots, will give Oregon the most trouble. Dechant has 159 kills in 54 games this season, and Beschen is close behind at 143. However, their digging ability will be most important. Beschen has 141 this season, and Dechant is at 105.
Ferreira doesn’t know much about the Pilots, and that’s all right. Most important will be Oregon’s play, he said, and not what the Pilots can do.
“It wasn’t Stanford and Cal that changed from night to night,” he said. “It was Oregon. You don’t change physically, you change mentally.”
The Ducks will use their match against Stanford as a springboard, but know they need to pull out the win against the weaker opponent.
“As long as we play Oregon volleyball and play like we did (against Stanford), we will do well,” freshman Lauren Westendorf said.
Said Tobbagi: “We know we need that win to go into the Pac-10 match on Friday.”
Tonight’s match, slated for 7 p.m., will be an important tune-up for the Ducks, as Oregon State visits McArthur Court on Friday.
Hank Hager is a sports reporter for the Oregon Daily Emerald. He can be reached at [email protected].