How sweet it would be.
A victory over the Beavers. You gotta love the sound of that.
But, as an educated reader, you must be thinking that it would take a miracle for the Oregon volleyball team to win its first league match against a Beaver squad that is the biggest surprise in the Pacific-10 Conference this season.
Impossible, you say?
Hardly.
In their first meeting of the season, back on Sept. 19 at McArthur Court, the Ducks (7-10 overall, 0-9 Pac-10) nearly defeated their heated rival. First-year head coach Carl Ferreira’s club took a quick 2-0 lead and was confident it was on its way to a successful start to the Pac-10 season.
Then the bottom fell out.
In a tenacious effort, the Beavers (14-6, 5-4) deflated Mac Court and the Ducks in a come-from-behind 3-2 win (12-15, 12-15, 15-11, 15-10, 15-12). The two teams haven’t been the same since.
Oregon State has gone on to win five conference matches, including a win at then-No. 5 UCLA. The Ducks, on the other hand, are still searching for their first Pac-10 win.
“Early conference confidence is crucial,” Ferreira said. “And what we failed to grasp, they snagged.”
What the Beavers grabbed is their best start since 1993 and a fourth-place ticket in the Pac-10, behind three of the nation’s elite — USC, Arizona and UCLA .The Beavers were projected to finish eighth in the conference.
Tonight’s Civil War rematch will be broadcast on Fox Sports Northwest at 7 p.m. The teams have split each season’s series the past two years.
“We are struggling right now,” Ferreira said. “We need an injection of energy. And being live on Fox Sports and going up against our number-one rival should give us some positive emotions.”
In order to come out victorious, Ferreira said his team must disrupt Oregon State’s potent offense with a strong service game.
Oregon State’s Gina Schmidt had a career-high 32 kills and a .569 attack percentage in the Beavers’ win over Washington on Saturday. The 5-foot-11 junior has recorded 20 or more kills 10 times this season, including a 20-kill performance in Eugene. She is fourth in the Pac-10 with 4.59 kills per game.
Additionally, the Beavers have one of the best setters in the country. Senior Brandi Bonnarens’ 13.64 assists per game is 14th best in the nation.
“We didn’t put enough pressure on their offense [in the last match]. We can’t let them stay in their offensive system,” Ferreira said. “It’s like letting the quarterback sit in the pocket. If you do that, they’re going to complete passes and score. So we have to put pressure on them.”
Senior outside hitter Amy Banducci said the Ducks must improve their mental game before they can stock up a win.
“We need to stop thinking and go out and play,” said Banducci, who leads the Ducks with 2.52 digs per game. “We’re trying too hard to think about everything. We need to let loose and play like we can.”
But it’s going to be hard not to think about where the flock could be if they hadn’t dropped the first match to the Beavers.
“I’m sure our players will revisit that thought,” Ferreira said. “But at the same time, we’re trying to implement a plan for the second half of the season, and I think it’s great that we’re playing Oregon State in the first match.”
If the Ducks are fortunate enough to again jump to an early lead, they know they cannot squander it this time.
“We just have to come out strong and not let up against OSU,” sophomore Sydney Chute said. “And if we get a lead we have to maintain our intensity.”
The Ducks will get a much-needed break from Pac-10 play when they host the University of California-Riverside on Sunday. The match is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. The two teams have never faced each other.
“It’s nice to throw in a match where you don’t know anything about the team,” Chute said. “Hopefully our unorthodox system [the 4-2 Flex] with throw them off a little.”
The Highlanders are 2-14 on the season.
“There’s not one player on the team who is happy about a lot of things about this program,” Ferreira said. “But there’s only one thing that will satisfy their self-esteems — and that’s winning. We need to win.”