It’s the best time of the year — the postseason. 

It’s what you spend all of your time, energy and focus working towards. It’s the motivation that’s used when things get tough. It’s why athletes put their bodies through the gruel that takes place over the course of a season. It’s the thing that keeps people going. 

In the first round of the NCAA tournament, hosted in Eugene for the second straight season, No. 2 seeded Oregon beat No. 15 Southeastern Louisiana in three straight sets. 

“I’m really proud of our group for showing through on the first day,” head coach Matt Ulmer said. “Our non conference and conference games really prepares us for this.”

The Ducks showed their power with their kills. The speed and strength displayed kept Southeastern Louisiana off balanced — to the point where Oregon built an extended lead. 
But, it quickly disappeared. 

The Lions placed the ball well, switching it up on both back corners of the court — forcing the Ducks to play out of system. Southeastern Louisiana took the lead at 10-9 and continued to go on a scoring streak until a free ball over the net luckily placed in Oregon’s favor. 

The match speed is what threw both teams off its rhythm. Southeastern Louisiana played too slow for Oregon and the Ducks played too fast for the Lions. Throwing your opponent off balance is one of the common tactics to any sport — but there are extreme cases like this one. Oregon had its usual hitting statline of .423 and kept SLU to .100, but it’s what kept the set close until the closing points. 

“We can never focus on the point ahead of us,” Ulmer said. “That’s what gets us in trouble. The pace of play was an adjustment for us.”

“I just think they’re not used to it,” Cicily Hidalgo, an outside hitter from Southeastern Louisiana, said. 
Between a service ace from Daley McClellan and three straight out-of-bounds attack errors for SLU, it gave Oregon a three-point lead at 19-15, the largest since the Lion’s scoring run. 

The Ducks started to look like their normal selves in the final nine points of the game. An 8-1 scoring run that included five straight points — with two straight serves from Elise Ferreira. 

The tone of the second set stayed the same — the lack of intensity that Southeastern Louisiana showed was an adjustment for the Ducks, but any flash that Oregon showed where they could play at their own pace, they scored consecutively. 

A 9-2 scoring run forced an SLU timeout and a nine-point Duck lead. When both teams returned, Oregon cruised its way to a 2-0 lead by beating the Lions, 25-13. 

Southeastern Louisiana would sprinkle in points during Oregon’s scoring run to start the third set. One point from the Lions would interrupt the Ducks’ three-point scoring run. 

Oregon didn’t need to showcase all of its arsenal. The force shown behind the kills was enough to build a 12-point lead. Noemie Glover, Kate Thibault and Ferreira all made appearances in the set — showcasing how important the bench will be in the tournament run. 
“The last few weeks, we have really figured out most of the kinks,” Ulmer said. “That’s really showing in how we play.”
After the win, the Ducks will face Hawaii in the second round for the second time this season, but the first time since August 27 when Oregon swept the Rainbow Warriors. The result of this game will decide who will advance to the third round in Wisconsin. 
“I’m not worried about anyone we face,” Hannah Pukis said. “All that’s going to matter is how we show up and play.”