Like football, baseball and every other sport in America, volleyball also felt the aftermath of the tragic events that took place on Sept. 11.
Matches all across America were canceled, which included the Pacific-10 Conference. The Oregon volleyball team was slated to open its Pac-10 season at McArthur Court with matches against conference rivals UCLA and USC on Sept. 14 and 15, but the Ducks had to wait a week to open conference play.
Oregon players were fortunate not to have any family members involved in the unfortunate circumstances that took place that fateful day. Despite the distance between Oregon and the East Coast, the events that unfurled were felt 3,000 miles away.
“The first time I heard about it, I was actually [at McArthur Court],” sophomore Heather Gilmore said. “I went to get treatment, and it was on the news and everyone was saying, ‘Have you heard about the bombings?’ It was dead silent in the training room. It was unbelievable … It was like a movie.”
“I remember my alarm clock went off, and I heard something about airports being closed, and I just hit that snooze button, not thinking,” senior Monique Tobbagi said. “I showed up (at McArthur Court) and heard about it on TV, and it was just scary.”
While the tragedy affected each player mentally, most on the team felt it was more important to spend time with their teammates than to dwell on what had happened by going home to watch the events unfold on television.
“The thing about volleyball and a lot of sports on the Oregon campus is that none of our players have any family locally, so where do they go to lean on somebody?” said head coach Carl Ferreira about the team’s mental state. “Your volleyball team is really your family. So we spent time together, communicated what happened, and we used the practice window as truly an opportunity to escape.
“We were able to escape for two hours but really had what we were doing in perspective.”
The postponed matches against UCLA and USC have not yet been rescheduled, but an announcement is expected by the Pac-10 at the end of the week regarding make-up dates.
Tobbagi close to milestones
It may be the season of the milestone for Tobbagi. With 58 more kills, she will surpass the 1,000 kill mark for her career, putting her in select Oregon company. Only four players since 1986 have reached that mark.
In addition, with 57 more digs, Tobbagi will reach the 700 mark for her career. She is currently ninth on the active career leaders list in the conference.
But none of this matters to the star senior. In fact, when told of her accomplishments, she sounded more surprised than anyone.
“I didn’t even know about it,” she said. “I don’t even think about those things. I just go out there each day to do my best and do whatever I can for my team. Those are definitely things that are icing on the cake, but I don’t think about it too much.”
New scoring system works
to Ducks’ advantage
At the beginning of the 2001 season, the NCAA instituted a change in the scoring system in women’s volleyball. Instead of the traditional side-out scoring system, rally scoring was adopted. This allows teams to not only gain control of the serve, but also to gain a point in the process.
Ferreira said the change allows for teams like Oregon, who are in traditionally strong conferences, to remain in each game longer and gain more confidence.
“Now, whoever has the ball has the advantage,” he said. “It gives you a chance to gain some momentum and stay in the game longer. The percentages are always higher for the team with the ball.”
In addition, the change should allow for fans to become more interested in the sport. Because the old system was complex — spectators had to be knowledgeable concerning the rules — the game was hard to follow.
Ferreira hopes the new system will bring more fans to Mac Court.
“I think the scoring system is way better for fans,” he said. “I’ve always said that volleyball is a non-ESPN sport. We are all more educated about the sports we see on television. So now, when fans watch volleyball, it’s easier to follow.”
