Heather Meyers admitted she had nerves.
The Oregon volleyball team had dropped the first two games and entered the break of its match with Kansas State facing a sweep and an early exit from the NCAA Tournament.
“I was just nervous as heck,” Meyers said. “I don’t know how the other girls felt, but in that little meeting we have after the first two games it was just dead quiet. No one said a word.
“I think we … still had that hope and when we came back on the court, we were pumping ourselves up. We knew it wasn’t over and we still had a chance.”
Meyers made sure of it. The freshman outside hitter had 19 kills and a blistering .432 hitting percentage as Oregon (22-10) roared back from a 2-0 deficit and won in five games Saturday night 24-30, 20-30, 30-27, 36-34, 15-11.
The win in front of 1,261 fans at Ahearn Field House sends the Ducks onto the Sweet 16 next weekend in Stanford, Calif. and a meeting with Pacific-10 Conference foe UCLA.
Oregon has faced UCLA twice this season with each team winning on its home court.
Saturday night, Oregon was celebrating the latest high point in a season of breakthroughs. Oregon advances to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history.
“It was so amazing,” Meyers said afterwards by phone, still reliving the excitement. “Coming back like that after two losses and then winning in (the next) three (games) – that was awesome.”
“I can’t even explain it,” said teammate Sonja Newcombe, who had 22 kills and 10 digs. “I was shaking ’cause it was so cool.”
Newcombe described the environment on Kansas State’s home court in Manhattan, Kan., as “very different from anything we’ve been in,” she said. “It was in a field house and their fans were quite obnoxious but I think we handled it quite well obviously.”
Coach Jim Moore preached patience after Oregon trailed through games 1 and 2.
Tied at 20 in game 3, Newcombe had two of Oregon’s next four points for a 24-20 Ducks lead. Kansas State (23-9) came within one, 26-25, but kills by Gorana Maricic and Karen Waddington put the Ducks up by three, 28-25. Oregon ended the game momentarily, 30-27, on a Newcombe kill.
Game 4 went into extra points and three times Kansas State served for the match and Oregon answered each time. Oregon tied it at 34 on a Maricic kill and kills by Kristen Forristall and Newcombe gave Oregon the game, 36-34.
Oregon led from the start of game 5 until Kansas State knotted it at eight and again at nine. Meyers’ kill put Oregon ahead one, 10-9, and Moore inserted little used reserve Amanda Westrick. The sophomore sparked the next three points with her powerful serve and Oregon led 13-10. Waddington clinched the match on a solo block.
Five times this season Oregon had lost the first two games and failed to comeback.
“It’s absolutely huge. Jim was saying now you’re on the other side of the Washington match,” said Newcombe, referring to Oregon’s loss to Washington earlier this season after winning the first two games. “Now we come back in three (games) instead of having someone else come back on us. It was a very big hump that we got over.”
Oregon now prepares for UCLA, which beat Alabama A&M and Clemson to make it to Palo Alto. But for now, Oregon is celebrating its second chance.
“I don’t know to express my thoughts,” Moore said. “It is the best comeback I have ever seen without question.”
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