There are ivy-covered walls, seats so close to the floor players can hear the fans breathe, and an atmosphere unrivaled in the Pacific-10 Conference.
Those are just a few of the things the Oregon volleyball team will have in mind when it takes on the California Golden Bears tonight at 7. The Ducks (8-14 overall, 0-11 Pac-10) play at McArthur Court for the first time in two weeks and look forward to playing in front of the home crowd.
“We want to create an atmosphere here where it is the most difficult to play at in the conference,” head coach Carl Ferreira said. “This is purely a magical venue and I think our players are ready to grasp the moment.”
Coupled with the fact the match will be tape-delayed and shown on Fox Sports Net on Saturday, the Ducks should have no problem getting up to play.
This is the second match of the season the Ducks will play, with California (7-12, 2-9) coming out on top in the first one at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley, Calif., in early October. The Golden Bears jumped out to a quick 2-0 game lead, but saw the Ducks fight back in the third, only to lose, 32-30. Since then, Cal has 2-7 overall, including an impressive win over then-No. 19 Santa Clara last week. The Golden Bears, however, have not looked strong in conference play.
In addition, the squad has been ravaged by injuries recently. Star freshman Mia Jerkov sat out last week’s matches against the Broncos and Stanford with a strained tendon in her left foot, but should be ready to go against the Ducks. Senior setter Candace McNamee has also been injured of late, but has played with a sprained ankle.
Despite the mounting injuries, the Golden Bears look to have a full but physically depleted squad at McArthur Court. The Ducks will look to take advantage.
“We want to draw blood,” Ferreira said. “We want to be rewarded for our efforts. It’s an enormous weekend for us and an easy weekend for us to be really motivated about what you’re trying to do.”
Senior outside hitter Monique Tobbagi has been one of those players who has been focused on her play recently, and it has begun to show. Her 42 kills and 33 digs last week against Gonzaga, Washington State and Washington paced the squad, and her play of late has improved after a disappointing first half, at least by her standards.
But Tobbagi is only one component of the big three. Juniors Lindsay Closs and Stephanie Martin have also come up big in recent matches and look to continue their strong play against Cal. But it will take a team effort to provide the kind of efficient play needed against Cal.
“It truly takes an exceptional amount of energy, effort, attitude and confidence in order to compete at a certain level,” he said. “We had great mentality and we had great chemistry (last week). The only thing we didn’t do is have efficiency. You’re talking maybe one to three more efficient things per person and I think the outcome would have been different in both matches. Efficiency is going to lead to success.”
Oregon must contain California’s speed. The Bears are not relatively big, but possess a speed the Ducks need to match. In the Ducks favor, however, California runs a basic offense, something that requires little preparation.
“Cal’s offense is not difficult to prepare for,” Ferreira said. “They run the same formations, the same routes, but it’s just that they’re very good at executing. For them, their strength is efficiency. When they get on a good roll, they place with nice speed.”
This is an important weekend for Oregon. After meeting up with Cal tonight, mighty Stanford comes to McArthur Court. The No. 3 team in the nation has visions of a national championship, and looks to steamroll the Ducks on the way to their 20th victory. For that reason alone, the Ducks need to make a statement against the Golden Bears.
“The fans (at McArthur Court) have been really supportive,” Ferreira said. “We’ve grown a lot as a team, and we’re coming off our most definable competitive moment in Pac-10 play since I’ve been here.”