After returning home last week for only the second time all season, the Oregon volleyball team is back on the road tonight against Arizona.
The Ducks are searching for their first Pacific-10 Conference win of the season and first win against any opponent since defeating Villanova, 3-0, on Sept. 13.
Oregon (3-13 overall, 0-7 Pac-10) has lacked the ability to score points in bunches and has often succumbed to more experienced opponents that are able to jump out to an early lead. The Wildcats (7-10, 1-6) should present the Ducks with ample scoring opportunities.
They lead the conference in errors per game (9.89).
Arizona and Arizona State “make the most errors of any teams in the conference, so they give you (opportunities),” head coach Carl Ferreira said. “But they have very explosive and dynamic athletes.”
One of those athletes is sophomore Kim Glass. The 6-foot-2-inch outside hitter was the American Volleyball Coaches Association National Freshman of the Year in 2002. Glass set Wildcat single season records in kills (556), kills per game (4.96) and 20-plus kill matches (14) during her freshman campaign.
“She is an international, world class volleyball player and athlete,” Ferreira said. “We need to attack her. We’re going to try and triple block her and not just let her have her way.”
This season, Glass is averaging 6.23 points per game. Middle blocker Bre Ladd (3.91) and outside hitter Jennifer Abernathy (3.12) are both averaging more than three points per game and are always offensive threats. Jolene Killough, a 6-foot-5-inch middle blocker, is a force at the net.
After being ranked third in the preseason Pac-10 poll, Arizona is tied for eighth in the conference. Despite struggling, the Wildcats have been competitive in all but two of their conference matches. They have shown flashes of being an elite team, with wins over No. 5 Pepperdine and No. 8 UCLA.
After competing with five of the top-15 teams in the nation, Ferreira said Oregon has had a habit of pressing for a victory when it plays an unranked opponent. Ferreira added that the Ducks need to ignore the Wildcats’ record and play as if they were facing one of the nation’s elite.
“We play very, very well at times against these nationally ranked teams, but we don’t get the outcome we want,” Ferreira said. “Then you try to play too hard against (unranked teams), and you don’t just relax and play.”
This will be the first time Oregon has traveled since classes began on Sept. 29. For the nine freshmen on the team, this will be another learning experience.
“It’s our first year in college, and we’ve never had to travel like this,” defensive specialist Allyson Leavitt said. “This will be a lot different trip because we’ll have to study on the road.”
Leavitt, a 2002 graduate of Thurston High School in Springfield, has made the transition to defensive specialist after being an attacker for the duration of her high school and club career. She is routinely in the Oregon starting lineup and has contributed 53 digs and five service aces.
“Ally is a very good player,” Ferreira said. “She’s responded well in a lot of very critical moments. (She has) great feet and good eye-hand coordination. I’m not surprised at all that she’s contributing to the level she’s contributed.”
Sarah Mason is another freshman who expects to play a major role against Arizona. The outside hitter from Hilo, Hawaii leads Oregon in kills per game (3.62), hitting percentage (.245) and points per game (3.9) during conference play.
Oregon assistant Keith Rubio wants to win tonight’s match as much, if not more than anyone. The second-year coach will have to put family love aside tonight because his brother, Dave Rubio, is the Arizona head coach.
Keith Rubio has seven years of coaching experience, including two years as a volunteer assistant for USC. Dave Rubio is in his 12th year as the Arizona head coach and has guided the Wildcats to four consecutive sweet 16’s.
After tonight’s game, the Ducks will travel to Tempe to play Arizona State on Friday.