7-9.
On first glance, that conference record for the No. 18 Ducks volleyball team may be a little disconcerting. How can a ranked team fall below .500 in conference play? That certainly wouldn’t fly in football or basketball.
 
To that, a member of the team may reply, “Welcome to the Pacific-10 Conference,” and with good reason. The Pac-10 is far and away the best volleyball conference in the country, and in last week’s AVCA poll, an astonishing seven teams were ranked in the top 25: No. 4 Washington, No. 6 Stanford, No. 7 UCLA, No. 11 California, No. 15 USC, No. 18
Oregon, and No. 19 Arizona.
 
Add in the fact that Washington State and Oregon State also received top 25 votes, and you begin to understand just how ridiculously good this conference is. Really, it’s an accomplishment to finish even close to .500. Obviously, the Ducks would like to be better than 7-9, but don’t let that record underscore their talent.
 
Any doubts about the ability and resolve of this Oregon team were answered on Saturday night against UCLA. The Bruins came into Eugene with an 11-4 conference mark after winning seven of their last eight matches. The Ducks, on the other hand, had dropped their last three and seemed out of rhythm.
 
The Bruins took a 2-0 lead early and were seemingly on their way to another easy win. What happened next pretty much sums up the Pac-10 in a nutshell. On the brink of defeat, the Ducks willed themselves to three straight set wins to take the match 3-2.
 
It was a remarkable display of desire and talent, and in winning this match, the Ducks served notice that they are not to be forgotten about in the upcoming NCAA tournament.
As trying as the conference season has been, it may actually end up helping the Ducks in the long run. Few other teams play as tough of a schedule during the regular season, and Oregon will now come into the tournament seasoned and ready to go. After all, playing in the Pac-10 is basically like playing in a competitive tournament for two months straight.
 
Another encouraging sign: the Ducks enjoy the depth of competition. Just ask senior middle blocker Neticia Enesi.
 
“It’s just an amazing experience every weekend,” Enesi said. “It’s an emotional adventure, but I think it will help us in the tournament.”
 
I completely agree. How many times, in any sport, do we see a team cruise through an easy regular season schedule, earn a number one seed in the playoffs, then fizzle when it counts? Ohio State’s football team has done it for three straight years in a weakened Big Ten Conference, winning consistently until a team from a better conference embarrasses them in the bowl game.
 
To continue with the football analogy, the past three NCAA champions have come from what is widely considered to be the toughest conference in the Football Bowl Subdivision: the Southeastern Conference. Playing difficult teams in the regular season can become an advantage come playoff time, and it should come as no surprise that 5 of the last 8 NCAA champions in volleyball have come from the Pac-10.
 
The flip side of this argument is that a demanding conference schedule can wear a team down before it even reaches the tournament. It’s a good point, and this certainly happens to some teams. Still, something tells me that the Ducks aren’t one of those teams. If you need proof, look no further than Saturday night’s gutsy win.
 
It takes a great deal of mental toughness to come back from a 0-2 deficit and defeat the No. 7 team in the nation. That fortitude should come in handy come tournament time. In collegiate athletics, only the strong survive. Don’t count the Ducks out just yet.
 
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