A group of hard-working volleyball players playing their hearts out in front of their faithful fans is always nice to see.
But feeling the energy that bounced off the rafters from the 872 fans (it felt like more) down to the Ducks on the floor was something else.
The game sure didn’t look like a match between two Pacific-10 Conference cellar dwellers.
On one side were the Washington Huskies, who battled back from behind in the first game to win 15-11 and take the 1-0 lead.
On the other, there were the always-fighting Ducks, who have persevered through a season in which it would have been easy to roll over and die.
But the only killing taking place on this night came at the hands of Oregon’s spike-sensation Monique Tobbagi. Tobbagi was, as ESPN’s Dan Patrick would say, “en fuego.” Sometimes she can get a little too excited and send her spikes into the crowd. But on this night, she was money. So money, in fact, that she recorded a career-high 28 kills.
When she gets in that zone, it is recommended to get out of the way as fast as you can.
Tobbagi’s kills helped fuel the Ducks to a 15-12 victory in the second game. Then came the always-important third game, in which the teams traded points for awhile before the Huskies took the 14-12 lead.
Timeout, Oregon.
Head coach Carl Ferreira must have said just the right thing, because his Ducks tied it up, took the lead and held on for the 16-14 win and the crucial 2-1 lead.
From there, the spirit of the moment helped carry Oregon past its Northwest rival in the fourth game, ensuring its first Pac-10 home victory on the year.
“We knew we should have won when we played them at Washington and we wanted to show that tonight,” Tobbagi said.
The Ducks certainly did that, and now they get the opportunity to close out their 2000 home season with a second consecutive win tonight against Washington State.
As you watched the players hug each other after the game, you had to feel good for them. Their record may still only be 10-14 overall, and 2-13 in the Pac-10, but on this one night, none of that mattered.
The Ducks beat the Huskies. The fans, who had been there all season, were rewarded with a win.
And the Oregon volleyball program was given a big confidence boost that it can take with them through the remainder of this season and into the next, as coach Ferreira’s journey toward success keeps rolling along.