The end of the first half of Pacific-10 Conference play has finally come, and for the Oregon volleyball team, it could not have come at a better time.
Friday’s defeat at the hands of the Arizona Wildcats left the Ducks 0-9 in the Pac-10 season for the fourth time in five years. In addition, the loss in three games (30-20, 30-21, 30-14) has put head coach Carl Ferreira’s squad in a virtual tailspin, having lost their last 10 games in a row. After 19 matches, Oregon is 8-11 overall.
Against Arizona, the Ducks had almost no chance from the outset. The Wildcats’ (13-3, 8-3) stingy defense led the way as Oregon hit for only a .219 percentage in the first game, including what would be a team-high 12 kills in the set.
After the Ducks came back to take the lead at 18-17, the Wildcats won the next four points, putting them in a commanding position at 21-18. That wouldn’t be the last run Arizona made, as two kills by Erin Sebbas led to the Wildcats’ six-point run that put them ahead for good at 27-19. Four plays later, the Ducks had lost the game, 30-20.
Senior Monique Tobbagi led the way for Oregon in game one. After seeing her play suffer through the first half of the year, one that even saw her benched at the start of the Oregon State match, Tobbagi has come back strong. Her five kills in the first game paved the way for her strong overall play on the night, and eventually reached a team high 10 kills.
“I thought tonight was probably her best match since the last time we played Arizona,” Ferreira said about the team’s leader. “How do you get out of the box? Well, you start hitting your way out.
“In the middle of game one, I called her over and said ‘Welcome back.’”
But from that point on, it all went downhill for Oregon.
The Ducks stood even less of chance against the No. 7 team in the country, falling behind early, 10-5. Arizona junior Shannon Torregrosa victimized the Ducks in the second, leading the team with six kills in the second, en route to a nine-point win. Twice in the game, head coach David Rubio’s team ran the gambit on the Ducks, sealing Oregon’s fate. Two four-point runs stopped the Ducks’ momentum, and led them to lose their fifth straight game in two days.
Despite the score, the energy and the confidence the Ducks showed on the court has been unparalleled this season.
“Tonight, we played Arizona, and I really thought we played and fought hard to the end,” freshman Lauren Westendorf said. “It’s something we’ve been working on. (We’re) playing hard throughout the whole game and sustaining our level of competitiveness, as well as our mental toughness. I think we really showed that tonight.”
In game three, the Ducks didn’t play hard enough to stay with Arizona. The Ducks could get only as close as 6-4 in the final set, before losing by 14. For the fifth time in the match, Arizona had a run of more than four points, with a nine-point outburst after already taking the lead 4-2. Five points later, the Ducks were again victim of a major run of points by Arizona, this time a four-pointer that put Rubio’s squad ahead, 18-6.
“Game three, we had a hard time getting going, but once we got going I really liked how we played,” Westendorf said. “Arizona had a great game, they played well tonight, and we did too, but they sustained it longer.”
The Ducks sported nine kills in the third game, but with nine errors as well. For the second night in a row, a .000 hitting percentage would hound them and send them to their winless grave. In each game, their percentage wound down until it became nothing.
“(Arizona) just wears you down, and that’s what a nationally ranked opponent does,” Ferreira said. “You’re consistently trying to execute, but they just execute better and get a rhythm going. It’s really more of what they did than what we did, but that’s what will happen when you have that kind of a matchup.”
On the night, the Ducks were outkilled (50-32) by the Wildcats, outdigged (36-13) and their hitting percentage of .125 was almost 300 points worse than Arizona’s .420. For the second night in a row, Oregon was dominated offensively.
It was, however, a seemingly different Oregon team on the floor. Redshirt freshman Alisa Nelson earned her first collegiate start against Arizona, had three kills, and kept the Ducks fresh with a new sense of energy on the hardcourt. Junior Lindsay Closs moved from the middle blocker position to outside hitter, and although her four kills were below average for her, the move could pay off in dividends. And Westendorf played a large portion of Friday’s match, coming up with five kills.
“I made some adjustments in the lineup tonight because I though we needed to score more points,” Ferreira said. “I took Closs from the middle position, and put her in an outside position. She had been doing so well in the middle, but we just can’t get (the opponent) from one or two positions, so we have to be more balanced.
“Lauren is an extremely gifted player that doesn’t even understand yet what she can do at the collegiate level,” he added. “It’s just her getting repetitions, and little by little, she’s getting a little bit more comfortable.”
The Ducks travel to Spokane, Wash., on Tuesday to take on the Gonzaga Bulldogs. First serve is at 7 p.m.
Oregon ends first half 0-9
Daily Emerald
October 21, 2001
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