What might have been an Oregon volleyball team buoyed by a winning home stand, is instead a squad searching for an identity.
A surprising loss to Arizona State last Friday has the Ducks trying to find themselves with seven matches left in the regular season. This week is going to be a challenge with visits to the Northern California schools this week.
Oregon (16-7, 5-6 Pacific-10 Conference) meets No. 5 Stanford tonight at 7 p.m. and faces No. 8 California on Friday at 7 p.m.
Questions remain whether this Oregon team can regain the form of weeks ago when the Ducks pushed Washington to five games in arguably its best play of the season. Coach Jim Moore, who predicted a dire impact after Saturday’s loss, tempered his prediction Monday.
Oregon fell three spots in the CSTV/AVCA Division I Top 25 Coaches’ poll, one week after they have moved up to No. 16 following a sweep of Oregon State in Corvallis.
“I don’t really care about the rankings because they mean nothing, so whether we’re 23rd or we’re out of the poll is irrelevant in my mind because it doesn’t have an effect on the NCAA Tournament,” Moore said.
“I know without question unless we beat one of those Top-10 teams – the five teams we didn’t beat in the first round and probably two – I know for sure we’re not going to host the first round.”
In Oregon’s first meeting with Cal, the Ducks hosted a Golden Bears team eager for a win following three losses to start Pacific-10 Conference play and beat Oregon in four games. This time Cal is flourishing, having won seven of its last eight matches. The lone loss in that stretch was to USC and in five games.
Stanford has slipped out of first place in the Pac-10 and sits second behind No. 4 Washington. Washington gave Stanford its first loss of the season and since then the Cardinal has also lost to USC.
Moore has relied on a 6-2 system much of the season but, seeking a change in the team’s direction is switching to the 5-1.
“I do not have the ability to sub people in and out because you’re using all the subs and so you have to stay in that system,” Moore said. “With that in mind, you have to assume that everybody is on the same page. I don’t believe we’re on the same page.”
Moore compared the volleyball team’s current malaise to what the football team went through last season. Much of the talent that was a part of Oregon’s team that went 7-6 last season is back and make up this year’s team that is 7-1 and No. 4 in the nation.
While the football team introduced a new offensive coordinator, much of the change has come from the players and the same must happen for the volleyball team, Moore said.
“We’re better. The reality is, talent-wise we’re significantly better than we were last year,” Moore said. “And so it is sort of proof that it has to do with chemistry and motivation and all those things.”
The third-year coach continued his focus on little miscues the team is making, whether it’s digging the ball with two hands, scooting over in serve receive or scooting up in serve among others.
“Just doing the things you’re asked to do. Everybody’s going to make mistakes. People are going to hit balls out,” Moore said. “People are going to hit through the block but to go after a ball that’s right next you with one arm is unacceptable.”
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