Seven teams will travel to Eugene on Saturday to compete in the Second Annual Northwest Collegiate Volleyball Classic. The tournament will be hosted by the Oregon men’s Club volleyball team and will feature teams from Oregon, Washington and Idaho, as well as Canada.
The event will run all day Saturday at the Student Recreation Center, and eight teams including Oregon will compete in pool play in the morning hours and move onto bracket play in the afternoon.
The Ducks will face two teams in pool play they have never seen before — Simon Fraser University and Humboldt State — in hopes of gaining a top seed to start off bracket play.
Volleyball coordinator Kyle Sinner said the team is “definitely looking to take first place” in this weekend’s tournament.
“So far our season has gone well,” Sinner said. “We have grown a lot and we should be very seasoned for nationals.”
Nationals will be held in Charlotte, N.C., April 8-10.
On a roll
Gonzaga caught a glimpse of the Oregon men’s lacrosse team’s potential Saturday.
The Ducks defeated the Bulldogs, 24-1, on home turf and have recently been transformed into a nationally ranked team.
Men’s Club lacrosse captain Jim O’Neill said he has seen the program grow from a team that “nobody took seriously” to a team that is currently ranked 11th nationally.
O’Neill said the season took another positive turn when the Ducks beat No. 8 Simon Fraser, 9-8, on Feb. 22. It was the first time Simon Fraser had lost at home, and also the first time the Ducks had ever defeated the club.
Oregon will travel to Bellingham, Wash., on Saturday to play Western Washington, and they will then play Pacific Lutheran on Sunday in Tacoma.
“Western Washington put up 15 points against Simon Fraser but ended up losing,” O’Neill said. “They will definitely give us a good game.”
Oregon’s next home game will pit the Ducks against Colorado State, last year’s national champions. The game will be played March 12 at 7 p.m. on Oregon’s turf field.
Duck Bill Chill
Hosting its only triathlon of the year, Oregon’s Triathlon Club is preparing for the Duck Bill Chill, which features beginning triathletes.
On April 10, triathletes of all skill levels are invited to participate in the Club’s fifth-annual fundraiser and race.
The triathlon will take place on the Oregon campus and will include a 500-yard swim in the Student Recreation Center pool, a 12.4 mile bike course on the Willamette Riverbank Trail and a 3.1 mile run through the University’s campus.
Participants can register online at http://www.goodrace.com, and entry fees are $25 per individual and $45 per relay team before April 1. After April 1, entry fees will include a $5 late fee. The entry fee includes a race souvenir and post-race food and refreshments.
Kirsten McEwen is a freelance reporter
for the Emerald.