It’s not quite must-win time for the Oregon volleyball team, but its getting close.
After getting swept by Cal and Stanford last weekend, the Ducks fell to 4-7 in the Pacific-10 conference and 16-7 overall. With only seven games left on their conference schedule, Oregon needs to start winning games soon or risk getting left out of the NCAA Tournament.
“Obviously if we want to get (there), we’re going to have to be more successful,” Oregon coach Jim Moore said. “I don’t think this is a must, (but) it’s going to get to that point pretty soon if we keep losing.”
The No. 20 Ducks hope to get back on the winning track with a visit to Arizona to take on No. 23 Arizona (16-7, 5-5 Pac-10) Friday and Arizona State (10-13, 4-6) Saturday.
To try and get the team jump-started, Moore will make a change in the starting lineup at outside hitter.
“As of right now Lauren Gross will go in for Jocelyn (Levig), but we may have more come Friday,” Moore said. That comes on the heels of a spirited week of practice designed to correct a lack of focus in the 3-0 loss to Cal this past Saturday.
“We just know we have to do a better job coming out focused to start the match and ready to play right from the beginning,” Moore said.
Sophomore outside hitter Alaina Bergsma hopes the practice intensity translates into a better performance this weekend.
“We’re definitely a little more intense this week in practice, definitely staying focused,” Bergsma said. “We do need some more wins and hopefully we can do that this weekend.”
So far, the practices seem to be having the desired effect.
“We’re confident and we’re playing really well this week in practice,” Gross said. “(Our goal is) just to go in and win two more games.”
Of course, any road trip in the Pac-10 is a challenge, and the Ducks will need to be at the top of their game to compete with the Arizona schools.
“We have to play very well this weekend to have a chance of winning either one of those matches,” Moore said.
While Arizona has struggled at times this year, they have several players capable of racking up points in bunches.
Middle blocker Cursty Jackson is sixth in the Pac-10 in hitting percentage (.379), outside hitter Tiffany Owens is fifth in kills per set and Whitney Dosty is second on the team in kills per set.
As a team, Arizona ranks sixth in the Pac-10 in hitting percentage and opponent hitting percentage, and seventh in kills.
“They’re a very, very good team and they’re very good at home so we’re going to have to play one of our best matches of the year to be able to compete,” Moore said.
When Arizona played Oregon in Eugene in early October, the Wildcats pulled out a tough five set victory.
While they might be an easier foe on paper, Arizona State presents another set of challenges for Oregon. The Devils play well at home, topping UCLA and USC, among others, in Tempe.
“They’re playing great at home,” Moore said.
Still, the Devils rank towards the bottom of the Pac-10 in many major statistical categories. They’re eighth in hitting percentage, seventh in opponent hitting percentage, eighth in assists and eighth in kills.
Arizona State’s defense isn’t bad, however. The Devils are fifth in the conference in blocks and third in digs. In a 3-1 loss to Oregon in Eugene in early October, the Devils limited the Ducks to a .192 hitting percentage.
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