Karen Waddington and Katie Swoboda glanced at each other.
Little needed to be said. After winning against Arizona State last Thursday, this year’s Oregon volleyball team completed what few teams have done in the program’s history. They won a match in the state of Arizona.
“We’re like ‘Finally. We finally won down there,’” Waddington said.
Until then, every Arizona road trip had been the same. Oregon traveled down south for two matches and returned to Eugene with two more marks under the loss column. This year was different. It started with the four-game win over Arizona State last Thursday and was followed by a three-game sweep of Arizona on Friday.
“In the past, it hasn’t been a good road trip,” Waddington said. “I was a little bit nervous going down there just because what has happened in the past but we came through and played well.”
The senior middle blocker has been the mainstay in the Oregon lineup. As the Ducks’ lone senior, she is the last tie to the old coaching regime of Carl Ferreira. She had been a part of a core group including Erin Little, Heather Madison and Kristen Bitter – all three completed their Oregon careers last fall, leaving Waddington as the final piece.
She was a sophomore when current coach Jim Moore took over the program and watched as the program made steps, including the growing pains. Now – in her senior year – Oregon is 14-2 overall and ranked No. 19 in the country.
Waddington has been a dependable presence for Oregon with 70 kills – sixth on the team – and four solo blocks – tied for second on the team – in playing in all 16 matches.
Trying to explain why the annual Arizona trip has been so tough is hard to explain, Waddington says, but part of it is belief.
“I think it’s just in our head,” she said.
Past years’ Oregon teams would fall behind in games and that would be it. Game over. The Ducks trailed 23-13 in game two against Arizona, but instead of collapsing like past teams, they took the blow, responded and won the game, 31-29.
In the previous match, Oregon trailed Arizona State three times by six points in the fourth game and recovered to win the game, 32-30, and the match.
“This team this year has a mentality when we’re down we just grind through,” Waddington said. “We go one point at a time and we just stay relaxed.”
In the past, losing didn’t become accepted. It just became something that always happened.
“You never get used to it,” Waddington said. “Losing is always horrible, but it just gets to the point where it goes … over and over again and you just don’t know what to do with yourself.”
Oregon’s current squad has five freshmen. Five volleyball players who joined on the upswing. Five players who never had to experience what Waddington or Swoboda went through. In Swoboda’s (and Moore’s) first year, Oregon went 12-18 overall and 1-17 in the Pacific-10 Conference.
Between the two, they have provided the freshmen with perspective.
“They know about it and they know what went on in the past but they haven’t experienced it,” Waddington said. “I know losing isn’t always the best thing. It’s fun winning.”