When the seventh-ranked Oregon volleyball team fell to Iowa State in the Sweet 16 of the 2008 NCAA tournament, head coach Jim Moore and the team were devastated. The Ducks were the superior team on the stat sheet, had beaten more quality opponents, and had three All-Americans.
But the Cyclones didn’t care, and they rallied from a two-sets-to-none deficit to advance to the Elite Eight.
“It took us awhile to get situated after that,” Moore said. “I did the best I could to not do a thing, and there were a couples days where I didn’t. But the biggest thing I hoped everyone learned was that it’s not just about talent, it’s also about chemistry. We didn’t have very good chemistry. They did. But I think we’ve worked pretty hard on those things. We have to make sure that we keep having the talent, but it’s about more than that.”
Chemistry is one of the big questions for the new-look Ducks this spring after losing three of the most vocal and talented athletes on the roster. Two-time All-American Gorana Maricic graduated, and she is now playing in Paris, France for a professional team. Four-year letter winner and career digs leader Katie Swoboda is gone, as is the vocal Kristen Forristall. All three were key in Oregon’s rise to prominence, and Oregon will have to find new people to step up and fill the void.
“I think it’s good,” Moore said. “Sonja (Newcombe) has been that presence since she was a freshman, but Neticia (Enesi) has done an unbelievable job stepping in and being a leader. There is without question that she is a leader on the floor. She gets it done when it matters, and that’s huge.”
However, Newcombe admits it will be difficult to replace Maricic’s 4.15 kills per game.
“Gee is going to be our interesting one to replace,” she said. “That will have to come as the year goes on in big matches who can put the ball away and get those numbers. We will see. There are a lot of new faces on the court, and it’s a whole new core group of girls. But it’s been rejuvenating because we can work in a different system.”
And getting back to the chemistry question, Newcombe says she sees this season as being better than the historic 2008 campaign in which the team posted the most wins in a season since 1984 with 25.
“As seniors, we want it to be the best,” she said. “We want it to be the furthest we’ve ever gone, and I think we can. I think we have a really good team, and a good chemistry. There are a lot of great freshmen coming in, and we have a good opportunity to do that.”
Newcombe will have help making that come true, as Enesi steps into her role as a scorer and a leader. Enesi was recently named to the U.S. Women’s National A2 Team, a 24-member team made up of the most elite players in the country. Five Pacific-10 players were selected to the team, and Newcombe was selected as an alternate.
Enesi will play with the team starting May 18 in Minneapolis, Minn., and then play in the 2009 USA Adult Open Championships.
“It’s just another thing to look forward to,” Enesi said, downplaying the honor.
Her coach was a bit more excited for her, saying that being able to play with the best athletes in the country will do nothing but improve her game.
“I’m thrilled to death that Neticia made it,” Moore said. “I think she deserves it. I’m sure she will have a good experience when she goes and plays, any time you do it helps. The biggest thing for both Neticia and Sonja was for the team to get to know who they were. And know they do.”
In combination with Enesi and Newcombe, junior Heather Meyers and senior Amanda Westrick look for bigger roles next fall. Westrick is the favorite right now to replace Swoboda as libero; however, Moore says the incoming freshman class has a few players who will be able to step in and contribute right away.
“Right now she’s in the spot,” Moore said. “But there will be at minimum two competing for that spot with two freshman coming in. Right now, Amanda is there and has the opportunity to progress. The advantage she has is that she knows the speed of the game and everything else. She’s done very well this spring.”
The freshman class includes five new recruits. Jocelyn Levig, Lauren Gross, and Katherine Fischer will all see time at outside hitter, and the two other freshman will be named in the upcoming weeks as paperwork and other details get worked out.
Gross tore her ACL in January, so she will be out until this summer, but Moore has high hopes for the three hitters.
“It is unfortunate that (Gross) didn’t get this club season in, but she’s ahead of schedule, and Levig will compete with Emilee Sisco and Dana Stephenson for a spot. Fischer is going to be a special player, too. She absolutely flies, and we are very excited that she’s coming here.”
Now the Ducks are nearing the end of their spring practices. They traveled to the University of Portland to scrimmage the Pilots on April 19, and they hosted Portland State on April 25. To wrap up the spring they will host Western Washington this Saturday at 9 a.m. at McArthur Court, followed by a scrimmage with Oregon State in Corvallis on May 5.
“It’s really low key,” Newcombe said of the spring. “It’s not as serious as in the fall, sometimes coaches will even ref, and we will do drills against the other team. You don’t have to worry about winning. Just getting better.”
As the Ducks move into the relatively quiet months of the summer, they will be able to concentrate on building chemistry.
“All of us will be here, and the freshmen will be here,” Enesi said. “Summer is always fun. I like summer. We get to play outside, and conditioning is outside. It’s still conditioning, but it’s better than doing it by yourself. And you get a tan too.”
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