Oregon found itself engulfed in a sea of orange and black when it took the Gill Coliseum floor in Corvallis on Oct. 2.
Surrounded by 1,274 screaming Oregon State fans, the youthful Ducks were hounded with every Beaver point.
The crowd, with its verbal taunts and rubber ducks on ropes, forced a flustered Oregon team into several key mistakes en route to a 3-0 (30-26, 30-27, 30-28) loss. The frustration culminated when the Ducks relinquished a 15-4 lead in game three, on their way to being swept.
With these Civil War memories still fresh in their minds, the Ducks have waited 28 days to get another shot at the Beavers.
The wait is over.
Oregon hosts Oregon State (12-11 overall, 2-9 Pacific-10 Conference) tonight at 7 p.m. at McArthur Court. The Ducks (3-17, 0-11) enter the match on a positive note after staying competitive with No. 1 USC and No. 9 UCLA last week. Oregon won its first conference game of the season against the Bruins.
“I think the one thing we’ll take away from (last week) is confidence,” sophomore outside hitter Jaclyn Jones said.
Oregon head coach Carl Ferreira said the Ducks are a different team than they were a month ago and added that players, including the 12 freshmen and sophomores, have discovered a style of play that fits them best.
“Early on, when you’re a young team and you haven’t quite evolved with your own identity, you (watch) experienced teams to get where you want to go,” Ferreira said. “But I do feel that we now have an identity. Our players recognize how they play the game, how we want to score points, how we want to have energy, how we want to be mentally composed.
“I think you’re going to see a composed team that plays with identity on Thursday night.”
Knowing that crowd support can make a huge difference in a match, Ferreira said he hopes Oregon fans come to McArthur Court in large numbers.
“Fans make an enormous difference in the atmosphere,” Ferreira said. “Creating a home court advantage in this conference is an enormous asset. I wish we could break an attendance record every year when we play Oregon State.
“It’s a fun event. Not only is it volleyball, it’s institution versus institution, it’s green and gold versus black and orange. Everyone knows the rivalry.”
The players couldn’t agree more.
“That would be amazing,” sophomore middle blocker Kelly Russell said about the idea of a rowdy Mac Court. “We’re a little more prepared this time around. We’re in the groove of conference play, and it would be a huge help for us to have a huge crowd. There’s nothing that gets you more fired up than having a lot of people cheering you on.”
In the season’s previous meeting, Russell led the Ducks with 19 points –15 kills, three service aces and two block assists — and freshman Sarah Mason added 12 kills. Freshman middle blocker Kristen Bitter also had a solid match, finishing with 11.5 points — five kills, three aces, one solo block and five block assists.
The Beavers are led both offensively and defensively by Allison Lawrence. The junior outside hitter is accountable for 3.54 kills per game and 3.33 digs per game and recorded a double-double in the Beavers’ win over the Ducks, finishing with 21 kills and 11 digs. Sophomore outside hitter Karah Rhoades also finished with a double-double, adding 14 kills and 11 digs.
Both teams enter tonight’s match looking to snap losing streaks. Oregon has lost 12 consecutive matches, while Oregon State has dropped its last five.