For Oregon volleyball head coach Carl Ferreira, the 2001 season has been one of twists and turns, achievements and disappointments, but more often than not, a time of aggravation.
Entering today’s 7 p.m. match against UCLA at McArthur Court, the Ducks remain winless in Pacific-10 Conference play, and they have won only one match since Sept. 8. In the 32 seasons Oregon volleyball has existed, no team has ever failed to win a conference match. With only two more remaining this season, the Ducks are very close to obtaining this dubious feat.
But ask Ferreira if the season is a waste, and he’ll tell you otherwise.
“Just an overall evaluation, I’d say we’re probably twice as good as a year ago,” he said, “winning and losing not reflective of the significant amount of growth we’ve taken on.
“There’s no question; from where we were when I got here — 19 to 20 months ago, to now — the growth is staggering.”
And all that comes from a coach who had never seen a losing season in six years before coming to Eugene.
Ferreira came to Oregon before the 2000 season after leading Idaho to three top-3 finishes in as many seasons. Before that, he led Division II California State-Bakersfield to a 100-13 record in three seasons, including a trip to the national championships in 1994.
So, after 36 career Pac-10 matches, he has guided Oregon to a 2-34 record, including this season’s winless peril. Despite the poor record, he has enjoyed his time at Oregon.
It’s been “phenomenal, but with a ways to go,” he said.
After taking over for the maligned Cathy Nelson almost two seasons ago, Ferreira has begun to make his mark in perhaps his strongest area. Recruiting, despite the program’s poor overall record over the last decade, has picked up.
Juniors Stephanie Martin and Lindsay Closs led a small, but impressive cast of characters to put on the Oregon green and yellow for the first time this season. And, along with senior Monique Tobbagi, they’ve provided the heart and soul of this year’s squad.
Martin may be Ferreira’s biggest coup, having come to Oregon after being named the junior college player of the year after the 2000 season, but freshman Katie O’Neil is also an impressive feat for the second-year coach. She came to Oregon after being named the Oregon high school player of the year in 2000.
“(Ferreira) has done a good job of establishing a strong and consistent foundation for the program,” Tobbagi said. “The recruits he’s brought in are building a strong foundation as well, and I think it’s the beginning of a successful Oregon.
“I think slowly but surely they’ll climb up the chart in the Pac-10, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they get to the middle of the pack next season.”
The 2001 season has been a tough one for all involved in the program. An 0-16 conference record and 9-19 overall record is nothing to look back on and be proud of. The team, however, has stayed positive in the face of adversity.
Closs, for one, had never seen a year like this, having come over from middle-of-the-road Fresno State, but she’s liked what she’s seen so far.
“(Ferreira) has a lot of heart and a drive for us to succeed,” she said. “He’s kept me in the game a lot. He’s made me just want to demolish people. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed playing for him, and he’s brought the fierce competitor out in me.”
Next season, the Ducks will return two-thirds of the “big three” of Martin, Closs and Tobbagi. Tobbagi will graduate after becoming only the fifth Oregon player since 1986 to record more than 1,000 career kills. Along with Martin and Closs, Ferreira will have O’Neil and fellow freshman Lauren Westendorf a year older and a year more experienced, as well as two impressive recruits. Oregon high school star Jodi Bell will wear the Oregon uniform next season, as will Prairie High (Vancouver, Wash.) standout Kelly Russell.
“Every single thing we’ve done in the program we’ve had a bull’s-eye squarely on what it takes (to be successful),” Ferreira said. “Whether it be personnel, offense, defense, development or coaching, it’s all with your eye on the prize. And that prize is success in the Pac-10.”