Junior Lauren Westendorf is one of Oregon’s five returning players and is third on the team in kills and points.
One of Oregon volleyball’s biggest problems is its inability to maintain a high level of intensity during a game’s final points. The Ducks are usually in a position to win at the end of games, but are unable to pull them out.
“Late (in the) game is when you have to really go all out and push to finish (strong),” sophomore Kelly Russell said. “We kind of stay complacent. The last 10 points is when you really have to pick it up and really have to bring it to ’em.”
Oregon head coach Carl Ferreira said his young team is still learning its offensive system. Players are also developing their skills to master the different types of attacks. He added that once the Ducks’ young athletes have a better grasp on what they want to accomplish on the court, they will be among the best in the conference.
“If you look at the art of hitting, it’s kind of like Greg Maddux,” Ferreira said. “The great hitters in this conference don’t give you the same thing twice. It’s one off the outside hand, one high-hand, one busting hard inside, one cross court. They have that much mastery over their attacking ability and our kids are working on those things on a consistent basis.”
Youth struggles
The McArthur Court crowd cheered when game two of Friday’s match against Washington neared the end.
The Ducks had clawed to within three points of No. 13 Washington when the Huskies sent an attack over the net. Junior libero Katie O’Neil dove, somehow managed to dig the ball and, for the moment, saved the game. But after rocketing 20 feet into the air, the ball fell harmlessly along the left sideline in front of several of O’Neil’s teammates
So goes the story of the Ducks’ season. Oregon is a team featuring 12 freshmen and sophomores that manages to compete but always seems to come up just a little short. After facing the nation’s No. 1, 4, 8, 9 and 13th ranked teams, the Ducks are learning every day and gaining more confidence.
“If we come and play our game and play to our level, any Pac-10 team can beat any Pac-10 team,” Russell said. “It’s just a matter of us mastering ourselves and playing our game.”
Freshmen contributors
Sarah Mason, Kristen Bitter, Allyson Leavitt and Stephanie Alleman have been making the biggest impact of the nine newcomers. Mason is tied for the team lead in hitting percentage at .264 and is second in points (174) and kills per game (2.89).
Bitter has been one of Oregon’s most effective net players and leads the Ducks in blocks with 52. Leavitt and Alleman have been spending a lot of time on the floor as defensive specialists.
Veteran leadership
Despite freshmen involvement, Oregon’s five returning athletes have still carried much of the workload. Russell leads the team in kills per game (3.22), points (211) and is tied for the lead in hitting percentage. Junior Lauren Westendorf is third in points (168) and kills (142).
Sophomore Jaclyn Jones is third in kills per game (2.69) and fourth in points (151.5). Sophomore Jodi Bell leads the Ducks with 515 assists while O’Neil has a team-high 167 digs.
Ducks head to Arizona
This week Oregon travels to Arizona. The Ducks will take on the Wildcats on Thursday and Arizona State on Friday. The Ducks dropped all four matches to the Arizona schools last year, but held a 2-1 lead over the Sun Devils at home before falling in five games. The first four games of the match were each decided by two points each.
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