Oregon’s first-ever Pac-12 volleyball road trip was a resounding success. The No. 15 Ducks had little trouble dispatching conference newcomers Utah and Colorado over the weekend, winning both matches by shutout.@@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=4287&SPID=234&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=205276697&DB_OEM_ID=500@@
Oregon (11-1, 4-0 Pac-12) extended its winning streak to 10 with the pair of easy victories. And while the Buffaloes (5-8, 0-5 Pac-12) and Utes (6-8, 1-4 Pac-12) may not have comparable talent to the upper-echelon Pac-12 teams, notching two conference road sweeps is nothing to scoff at.@@http://pac-12.org/SPORTS/Volleyball/Standings.aspx@@
“It was good to be on the road and get those taken care of,” Oregon head coach Jim Moore said. “It was nice to get those two wins.”
On Friday night, the Ducks endured the altitude and an off night by star Alaina Bergsma to crush Colorado 25-13, 25-13, 25-14.
Oregon hit .385 as a team, overcoming Bergsma’s .148 attack percentage, to post one of its most dominant wins of the season. Still, the Ducks’ enthusiasm for the win was tempered.@@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPID=234&DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=205276558@@
“We didn’t hit very well,” Moore said. “But we did other things well and so we were able to get through that in three (sets) and not have to take a bunch of extra swings.”
Perhaps the altitude (Colorado’s campus is located more than 5,000 feet above sea level) was a reason for the Ducks’ sluggish play. While Moore denied it played a factor in the match, junior outside hitter Katherine Fischer admitted the elevation did have an impact.@@http://www.colorado.edu/catalog/catalog10-11/general/theuniversityofcolorado.html@@
“I felt it,” Fischer said. “It was a lot more tiring. I did get out of breath even when I didn’t really do anything. The ball, when we hit or served, it would just float a lot farther than what we’re normally used to.”
Though playing at altitude may have affected her teammates adversely, Fischer powered through fatigue to have one of the best statistical games of her Duck career, earning praise from Moore. She had 14 kills and hit .542, a personal best for the 2011 season.
She wasn’t entirely alone in her success. Middle blocker Ariana Williams hit .700 and had seven kills, while freshman Liz Brenner hit .467 with nine kills.
As a team, the Ducks hit .385 while limiting Colorado to a .102 hitting percentage. Oregon also had 39 digs to Colorado’s 30.
“We didn’t play as well as we wanted to offensively, but we ended up making it quick and fast and got out of there,” Fischer said. “That’s what we wanted to do.”
Oregon’s play was again sluggish the following night against Utah, but the Ducks still notched a relatively easy 25-19, 25-15, 25-21 win. Oregon made up for an off night on offense (.162 hitting percentage) with a strong all-around floor game.
“Our hitting again was off,” Moore said. “We did not hit great. We didn’t hit .350 and could have and maybe perhaps even should have, but we got through it. Again we served and we passed very well on Saturday night.”
Although Bergsma (.115 hitting percentage) and Fischer (.000) struggled, and no Duck had double-digit kills, Oregon got enough offense from its role players to notch the victory. Williams had another strong game, hitting .353 with nine kills, junior college transfer Milica Krstojevic hit .778 and had seven kills, and setter Lauren Plum had 38 assists.
“Going into it, we knew it would be a little bit tougher than Colorado,” Fischer said. “And from here on out, being in the Pac-12, we know every night is going to be a dogfight.”
Oregon will be in for a tough test next weekend when it visits Washington and Washington State. Though the Cougars have been mediocre thus far (8-5, 1-3 in conference play), the Huskies are 11-1 and ranked No. 4 in the nation.@@http://www.gohuskies.com/sports/w-volley/recaps/092511aaa.html@@
“The only chance that we have at staying near the spot that we’re at right now is to have complete focus on the play right in front of us,” Moore said. “And if we can stay consistent in terms of playing hard and are focused, we have a chance.”