Oregon finished its 2023 season as the No. 7 ranked team in AVCA’s rankings, and they are the third best ranked team in the 2024 Big Ten.

The past two seasons, the Ducks have had their best stretch since over a decade ago when they reached the National Championship game in 2012. They reached the Elite Eight for the second consecutive year, and again had three players earn AVCA All-America Honors. Hannah Pukis was named to the first team, Kara McGhee to the second and Morgan Lewis to the third, while Gabby Gonzales, Mimi Colyer and Georgia Murphy earned honorable mentions.

The 2023 season demonstrated that the Ulmer era at Oregon is just getting started and the pieces have been put in place for the Ducks to have one of the country’s most successful programs in just a few years. The success of this program was built by the departing seniors, who set the precedent for the younger Ducks that they have to now carry on.

This was the Ducks’ year to prove that they weren’t just a flash in the pan and that they were building something that all volleyball fans should keep an eye on.

The biggest hole to fill next year will be the role of the team’s main setter. Pukis ended her Oregon career with a first team All-American nod in her best season yet as a college player. Pukis posted career-highs in assists, digs and blocks, while also leading the Ducks to a season hitting percentage of .282.

An all-around star, Pukis’ underrated defense and leadership might be what the Ducks will miss most, especially with other team leaders graduating.

Along with Pukis, Oregon is losing its starting libero in Murphy, setter Elise Ferreira, a versatile outside hitter and tremendous server in Gonzales and almost all of its starting net line of Lewis, McGhee and Karson Bacon.

In her sophomore season, Oregon’s former national freshman of the year Colyer had another stellar season, finishing fourth in the Pac-12 in kills and total aces while also being named to the all-conference team. Colyer will almost certainly be the most important member of the 2024 squad, especially since Oregon is losing some of its most potent scorers.

The Ducks also have a strong group of freshmen — led by elite serving talent Kate Thibault — who will all be competing this offseason for the open slots in the lineup. Thibault should expect to see a lot more game time, especially behind the endline.

Ulmer also hopes to get more production out of highly-touted high school prospect Alex Acevedo, who didn’t see much playing time this season. Acevedo was originally supposed to graduate high school this year, but reclassified in order to gain an extra year of experience in Eugene.

Along with the strong group of 2023 freshmen, the 2024 freshman class will also have a lot to prove.

In the class of 2024, the Ducks managed to get two of the most highly recruited prospects in their respective areas.

Mia Tvrdy, a middle blocker from La Vista, Nev., will be playing in the Under Armour All-American game in Orlando this week. She is an excellent and athletic player who has a great defensive sense and a tremendous vertical leap as well.

Tvrdy will be joined by one of California’s best in Anaya Thrower from Vacaville. Thrower is a tall middle blocker, who has a lot of power on her attacks while also reserving energy to make athletic defensive plays.

The task that these athletes will undertake is going to be a very difficult one, made even more difficult by the move to a brand new, very dominant conference. The Big Ten currently includes two of the top three ranked teams in the final AVCA rankings of 2023 in Wisconsin and Nebraska, both teams that Oregon has played in the last two seasons (the Ducks beat Nebraska in last year’s Sweet Sixteen and lost in the Elite Eight to Wisconsin this season).

These challenges will be crucial for the new group of leaders for the Ducks. However, with the guidance of those that came before them, the 2024 Ducks should be able to continue the success that this program has enjoyed under Coach Ulmer.

While the main contributors of the last two historic seasons have since departed, the foundation they built will be followed for years to come under the savvy tutelage ––and surprisingly fine tuned vocal chords –– of Ulmer.