The Oregon volleyball team entered Monday’s practice with bad memories.
Thursday’s 3-1 loss to Oregon State was disappointing for the Ducks, who were hoping to pull out a win over their intra-state rivals.
While Pacific-10 Conference opponents have been unkind to Oregon (0-12 in conference play), the youthful Ducks have improved against some of the nation’s top teams.
But Thursday’s loss to the Beavers was different.
After dropping game one, Oregon sent the McArthur Court crowd into a frenzy as the Ducks won game two and built a 23-15 lead in game three. The Beavers, however, responded with nine consecutive points and eventually won game three, 31-29. Oregon State would put away a demoralized Oregon team, 30-24, in game four.
The Ducks let one slip away and they knew it.
“I think coming in this morning, we were still disappointed,” junior Lauren Westendorf said Monday. “I know for me, reality just set in this morning.”
As Oregon heads to the Evergreen state this weekend, its new challenge is rebounding from a loss in which it had complete control.
“We talked about it, and the only thing we can do is move on and focus on the next match,” Westendorf said. “Thinking about Oregon State and worrying about it isn’t going to do us any good.”

Rowdy atmosphere
Head coach Carl Ferreira said earlier in the season that Pullman, Wash., is home to the best volleyball atmosphere in the Pac-10. Washington State will host the Ducks Friday at Bohler Gym, where the Cougars drew 1,789 fans against Washington on Oct. 17.
Westendorf said she enjoys playing in Pullman, especially since her parents attended Washington State.
“I love Bohler (Gym),” Westendorf said. “It’s my favorite place in the Pac-10 to play. Their fans are crazy. For me it’s always fun to go back there because both my parents are cougars.
“Hopefully this weekend we can go up there and stick it to ’em, and I can talk to my parents and rub it in their face.”

Stat leaders
Sophomore Kelly Russell leads Oregon in kills (231), kills per game (3.21) and total points (277.5). Freshman Sarah Mason leads the Ducks with a .268 hitting clip. Sophomore Jodi Bell has 683 assists while junior Katie O’Neil has hammered out 217 digs.

Continued improvement
Ferreira said Oregon’s main goal is to continue competing during the season’s remaining three weeks. He added that despite dropping the Oregon State match, the Ducks have played their best volleyball of the season the past three weeks against UCLA, USC and the Beavers.
“If we can get better for the next three weeks, there’s not much more you can ask,” Ferreira said. “That would be clearly an ultimate goal. To keep getting better week after week after week and we’ve done that for the past three.”

Enjoying every minute
Freshman middle blocker Kristen Bitter is one athlete who realizes how lucky she is every time she steps out onto the court. Bitter, who leads Oregon in blocks, recalled how excited she was during her first Pac-10 match Sept. 18 against California.
“I had only been to watch games at Mac Court,” Bitter said. “It was a completely different experience to play in front of the fans. It was absolutely awesome. I was playing against girls that I had watched on TV and said, ‘wow, I want to be like them.’”