Soon, it will be time to kick-start, serve up and run toward the
starting line of Oregon fall sports. While some Ducks, especially
on the soccer and volleyball teams, will be looking to surge toward
the NCAA Tournament, the runners of the cross country teams will
try to better themselves individually and qualify for the NCAA
Championships.
Without further time consumption, a quick preview of Oregon’s fall
sports:

Soccer
For the Oregon women’s soccer team, winning is as easy as
B-A-Y-S-A. Senior Chalise Baysa, the Ducks’ all-time leading
scorer, will now be a bona fide leader and veteran on a team that
is a healthy mix of old and new.
Baysa anchors a midfield which should be the strength for
Oregon. Returning are Crystal David, the Ducks’ second-leading
scorer last year, and Julie McLellan, Oregon’s speediest, feistiest
player.
“By keeping [David and McLellan] wide, it will give them more room
to run, which is their strength,” Oregon head coach Bill Steffen said
in a release.
In all, Oregon returns nine of 11 starters from last year’s team, and
it has added exciting recruits as well.
“We’ve got the best of both worlds this year,” Steffen said.
“Typically, you either have strong veteran leadership or a talented
freshmen class. Here, we’ve got both.”
The Ducks may feel a sense of urgency to make the NCAA
Tournament this year, after failing to make it there in five seasons
of existence. The Ducks have a relatively easy preseason
schedule, compared to the nine top-25 teams they faced last
season.
Oregon opens the season with an exhibition game against British
Columbia Aug. 26 in Eugene, then launches into the regular
season with another home matchup Aug. 31 against Gonzaga.

Volleyball

How much of an impact did coach Carl Ferreira have on the
Oregon volleyball program last year? In terms of the Ducks’ record,
not much. Oregon went 10-19 last season and only managed two
wins in Pacific-10 Conference play.
But that was only a tune-up, Ferreira said.
“I’m dealing with a much more mature group of players this
season,” Ferreira said. “They know what they want.”
Not only have the Ducks learned a new winning attitude under the
new coach, but he has brought in new talent as well. In two major
recruiting coups, Ferreira landed last year’s Oregon Gatorade
Player of the Year, outside hitter Katie O’Neil, and the national
junior college player of the year, middle blocker Stephanie Martin.
Joining the new recruits, fearsome outside hitter Monique Tobbagi
should continue to star for the Ducks. Tobbagi has led Oregon in
kills per game for the past two seasons, and her hard-hitting
presence should be felt around the league once more.
This season, the Oregon squad will have to deal with a major
NCAA rule change in scoring. All matches will now be rally scoring,
which eliminates side-outs and speeds up the game.
The Ducks begin their quest for the NCAA Tournament with an
exhibition game at the Moshofsky Center Saturday, as part of the
Oregon football team’s autograph day.

Cross Country
The Oregon men’s cross country team will try to build on last
season’s NCAA track and field success, while the women
long-distance runners will try to quickly bring some new blood
through the ranks.
Jason Hartmann should star once again for the men, who also
return Adam Bergquist, John Lucas, Brett Holts and Noel Paulson
from last year’s team. All those runners finished in the top 25 at the
Pacific-10 Conference Championships last year.
On the women’s side, the Ducks lost two of their top athletes, Katie
Crabb and Hanna Smedstad, to graduation. A handful of other
runners, including Eri Macdonald, Tara Struyk and Laura Harmon,
will try to perform in the absence of Crabb and Smedstad.
Both the men and women will compete in six races, if they can
qualify for the NCAA Championships. The Ducks will jump-start
their season at the Roy Griak Invitational in St. Paul, Minn., Sept.
22.

Golf
Traditionally, the Oregon golf teams bookend their year-long
season with tough tournaments. They open with some test
tournaments, and, of course, try to end at the NCAA
Championships.
This year will be no different. The women open Sept. 24 at the
NCAA Fall Preview, a tournament that usually boasts last year’s
NCAA Championships participants, while the men will see tough
competition Sept. 9 at the Northwest Classic, hosted by Oregon
State.