Oregon volleyball has been near perfect thus far in 2014, winning 14 of its first 16 matches and reaching a No. 11 ranking in the country.
Leading the team with 6.98 assists per set is freshman Maggie Scott out of Lafayette High School in Wildwood, Missouri. Scott not only brings rare talent to the program, but also a winning mentality stemming from years of unprecedented success.
“When I step on the floor, I expect to win,” Scott said. “As much as I like winning, I hate losing way more.”
In her sophomore year at Lafayette, Scott led the volleyball program to its first state championship in school history. Lafayette went 40-0 her junior year, winning every single one of its 80 sets played. Scott led the team in assists and serves en route to back-to-back district, sectional and state championships. She was named First Team All-Conference, All-District, All-Region and All-State. Lafayette defended its title again in Scott’s senior year, totaling three consecutive state championships in Scott’s three full years on Varsity.
Lafayette head coach Zach Young recalls his final season coaching Maggie, in which the defending state champion team had its share of naysayers as it had lost eight seniors from the previous, undefeated year.
“The girls played the whole season with a chip on their shoulders,” Young said. “They knew they were a good team and they knew they had a chance.”
When they ultimately won the state championship game, the girls immediately stormed the court and dog piled on top each other, but Maggie didn’t join in. Instead she was on the side of the court, falling to her knees and breaking out into tears.
“It was that moment of when you work so hard and finally achieve your goal,” Young said. “You could tell it meant so much to her.”
Jackie Scott, Maggie’s twin sister, was also a key component in the high school team’s success. Having played together throughout their prosperous club and high school careers, Jackie said it’s the positivity and energy Maggie brings to the court every day that makes the teams she plays for so successful.
“Off the court Maggie and I have opposing personalities, but on the court they balance each other out,” Jackie said, who is now an outside hitter at Western Kentucky University. “She’s really peppy and super energetic, and she can get along with anyone and make it work. She’s just a great teammate for literally anyone.”
On top of their success in high school athletics, Maggie and Jackie’s club team, Rockwood Thunder, competed in the national tournament four consecutive years before they each left Missouri for their respective Division I schools.
It was during one of those national runs that a parent came up to Maggie after a game and told her she looked like she’d “rather eat glass than lose a game.” Maggie naturally agreed with the statement, although several months had passed since the last time she lost a match.
That was until Oregon, 12-0 at the time, faced No. 1 Stanford in an away game on Oct. 3. The Ducks let a 22-17 first set lead slip away, allowing Stanford to steal a pivotal 1-0 match lead and the momentum for much of the remainder of the match.
“It was disappointing, but we learned a lot about emotional and mental toughness,” Scott said after. “We learned a lot from that match as a team and I think we are going to come out stronger this weekend.”
The Stanford loss will serve as motivation for Scott and the Ducks in their Oct. 12 , match against rival Washington, sharing the Pac-12 conference lead with Stanford and boasts an undefeated record of its own. Oregon will take on Stanford once again on Sunday, Nov. 2, at Matthew Knight Arena.
Follow Kenny Jacoby on Twitter @kennyjacoby