After grappling with losses earlier in the season, Oregon volleyball stepped up its game for two wins in a row. The first was a road upset over No. 9 UCLA and the second a confidence-boosting defeat of Washington State at home.
Taylor Agost, who has been a top-three hitter for most of Oregon’s season, maintained her dominance in the Ducks’ front row with 21 kills in those two matches.
After the win over the Cougars, head coach Jim Moore said he wasn’t surprised with Agost’s stellar match.
“This has been Taylor since we’ve gone to the 6-2,” Moore said. “And she’s doing awesome over there.”
The Ducks switched their offense to 6-2, consisting of six attackers and two setters, just before the Utah match on Oct. 30. It allows for setters on the court to do more than assist the hitters.
Coach Moore likes the setup because it “allows for more offense opportunities.”
“I’ve had some great matches since we made that switch,” Agost said.
In matches since the change-up, Agost scored nine kills in the fifth-set upset over No. 9 UCLA with a .400 hitting percentage. That match was preceded by a ten-kill, .412 percentage match in Oregon’s win over Cal.
“Ever since I switched to the right side, it’s been really effective for the team,” Agost said.
Agost believes part of her success on the right side is also due to the Ducks’ newest setter August Raskie. The freshman has been a key offensive player since Oregon changed up its offense.
Raskie posted 22 assists at UCLA for the Ducks, a handful of which went straight to Agost for the kill.
“I’ve had a great connection with August setting me,” Agost said.
Agost hopes that connection stays strong for Oregon’s final two matches of the season against Arizona State and Oregon State. These matches are “must-wins” for the Ducks if they hope it make it to the NCAA Tournament.
Oregon faced its share of struggles earlier this season, with mid-season losses to Stanford, Colorado and UCLA that left the Ducks fighting in the past couple weeks.
“Once you lose that focus, it’s really hard to regain it,” Moore said after the loss to Stanford at home.
That loss of focus also left Oregon struggling to find wins needed to make the NCAA Tournament, which the Ducks haven’t missed since 2010.
To stay in the postseason hunt, Agost has one personal objective: to hit .300 in every remaining match.
Agost’s next chance to keep that goal alive will be on Wednesday when Arizona State heads to Eugene to take on the Ducks.
Agost also has a team goal for Oregon’s final two home matches:
“We go into every game thinking we need to win it, no matter who we’re playing.”
Follow Madison Layton on Twitter @MadisonLayton01