After two impressive wins last weekend, the Oregon women’s volleyball players will head to sunny Southern California with smiles on their faces. Still, by no means have they lost their focus.
If anything, last week’s victories showed the Ducks exactly what they are capable of if they put their minds to it.
“It was a big weekend, so I think we came in (to practice) with a lot of confidence,” said senior middle blocker Neticia Enesi. “We’re just working on focusing on the next play at UCLA and not worrying too much about the win (over Stanford).”
“The next play” has become a clear focal point for the Ducks. Head coach Jim Moore believes the team has been looking too far ahead during matches, and that these lapses in concentration were the primary cause of the Ducks’ struggles in past weeks.
“It’s just about getting your head in the right place,” said senior outside hitter Sonja Newcombe. “It’s about staying in the moment, enjoying where you are and working together to improve with the time we have right now.”
This approach clearly worked a week ago, and the Ducks will have to sustain their focus to defeat two tough squads in UCLA and USC.
UCLA
Oregon will travel first to Pauley Pavilion to face off with the Bruins. UCLA is renowned for its tough defensive approach, and it has shown in its statistics so far this season. The Bruins are second in the Pac-10 in opponent hitting percentage (.165), third in blocks (2.7 per set) and first in digs (16.07 per set).
“They are a good defensive team,” Enesi said. “They’ve always been known to have good defensive teams. What we need to do is what we always do: run a fast offense and just put the ball on the floor.”
Bruins’ key players:
Middle blocker Amanda Gil: The 6-foot-6-inch sophomore leads the Pac-10 in blocks per set (1.58) and will look to cause problems for hitters like Newcombe and Enesi at the net. Gil is also fifth in the Pac-10 in hitting percentage (.373) and has 153 kills on the season.
Libero Lainey Gera: Gera is another defensive specialist. The sophomore stands fourth in the Pac-10 with 4.42 digs per set and a total of 314 so far
this season.
Ducks’ key players:
Middle blocker Neticia Enesi: Enesi is second in the Pac-10 with a .475 hitting percentage. She also has 185 kills and is fresh off impressive showing against California and Stanford. Her quick hitting will be imperative in navigating around UCLA’s solid defense. In the Ducks last matchup with the Bruins on Nov. 1, 2008, Enesi hit .452 with 17 kills in a five set Oregon victory.
Outside hitter Sonja Newcombe: Newcombe, recently named the AVCA Division I National Player of the Week, is fifth in the Pac-10 with 4.02 kills and 4.63 points per set and her 241 kills lead the team. Her dominant play last weekend keyed the team’s success, and her contributions will be very important against UCLA’s defense. Last November against the Bruins, Newcombe hit .327 with 22 kills.
USC
The Trojans are awash in contrasts to their cross-town counterparts. Their game is tailored more toward the offensive side of the ball, as can be seen by glancing at statistics. The Trojans stand fifth in the Pac-10 in hitting (.257), first in assists (14.0 per set) and first in kills (14.9 per set).
“Everybody’s working on what they’re doing blocking and playing defense, and we’re implementing more defenses,” Moore said.
Trojans’ key players:
Outside hitter Alex Jupiter: The sophomore stands at fourth in the Pac-10 with 4.38 kills per set, third in service aces (.38 per set) and tied for third in points per set with 5.17. Jupiter recorded 15 kills in the Trojans’ five-set victory over the Ducks on Oct. 31, 2008.
Outside hitter Kimmee Roleder: Roleder is off to a strong start in her junior season. She is second on the team with 181 kills, and should come into this match with confidence after her last performance against Oregon. Last October, she led the Trojans to victory with a team high 17 kills and a .382 hitting percentage.
Ducks’ key players:
Libero Kellie Kawasaki: The freshman has quickly become an integral part of the Ducks’ defense. Over her last five matches she is averaging 14.4 digs, and her 19 digs last Saturday were critical in a win over Stanford.
Outside hitter Dana Stephenson: Blocking will be key against the Trojans’ talented hitters, and Stephenson should be up to the challenge. She has averaged 4.2 blocks in her last 5 matches, and her .339 hitting percentage proves that she is also an offensive threat.
Neither of these matches will be easy, and the Ducks know this. UCLA is coming off a 3-0 win at Washington State, while USC barely lost to Washington in five sets. The Bruins and Trojans also present a unique challenge in that they are such different teams. In that regard, Moore feels confident because his team has proven adept at adjusting to different circumstances.
“That’s one advantage that we have,” Moore said. “We could change what we do for every team because that’s what we do offensively. Where most everybody basically runs the same thing, we’re different for every team.”
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Ducks face weekend in LA
Daily Emerald
October 22, 2009
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