Jim Moore glanced down and saw the text message on his cell phone.
He saw the word sorry, and feared the worst. He read the full message: “Sorry, the season isn’t over.”
The Oregon volleyball coach could relax – the Ducks had made the NCAA Tournament.
Oregon flew from Los Angeles to Bend, Ore. Sunday following its final two Pacific-10 Conference matches of the season. The second flight to Eugene was getting underway as the NCAA selection show aired simultaneously at 12:10 p.m. on ESPNEWS.
Passengers had already been told to turn off their cell phones, but Moore kept his on – just in case.
“I really did it to make sure we didn’t have the soccer situation,” said Moore, referring to the soccer team being snubbed despite a second place finish in the Pac-10. “I didn’t want to depress anybody. I was just going to bring them in and say, ‘Sorry, we don’t go.’”
Instead, Oregon earned its spot in the NCAA Tournament. Having learned of the positive news, Moore kept it to himself, waiting to tell the team until they had arrived at his house.
The 2006 season has been a series of breakthroughs for the Oregon volleyball program. Let’s be clear that while making the NCAA Tournament is a nice accomplishment, it shouldn’t define Oregon’s season. The same goes for the soccer team.
Both programs had successful seasons exceeding the expectations of Pac-10 coaches. Moore and soccer coach Tara Erickson’s respective programs have both shown they are on the way to becoming perennial NCAA Tournament teams with wins against ranked opponents and strong recruiting classes.
Volleyball enjoyed its highest Pac-10 finish since Oregon tied for seventh place in 1990. Oregon placed fourth in the conference in 1989 – also the last time the Ducks made the NCAA Tournament.
The individual accomplishments followed with a career year by outside hitter Erin Little, who was third on the team with 303 kills. Libero Katie Swoboda made 1,003 digs and became the seventh Oregon player to record 1,000 digs in a career.
So no, the NCAA Tournament bid isn’t everything. The program has accomplished too much this season. Moore made it clear Oregon didn’t need the NCAA bid to show the program’s progress.
“No, absolutely not,” said Moore at Sunday’s press conference discussing the selection. “I don’t believe that at all. Maybe, if we weren’t in, but I had convinced myself at least before the selection had occurred – this doesn’t change anything that we have done all year long. We were the same team whether we are in or we’re not in.”
Oregon went undefeated in their non-conference matches and won seven of its first 11 Pac-10 matches, before losing seven straight to end the season.
“Obviously, we didn’t play well coming down the stretch, but to set themselves up to get them in that early – four weeks before the tournament starts, says a lot and you can’t take that away,” Moore said.
For the three seniors – Kristen Bitter, Heather Madison, and Erin Little – this is another accomplishment in a season of breakthroughs.
On Sunday, Bitter reflected on a memorable senior season. For her, she didn’t need to make the tournament to validate the success Oregon’s had this season.
“No, but it sure is a cherry on top,” Bitter said.
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