If the early season is any indication, the Oregon Volleyball team appears to be responding well to its new head coach.
The Ducks began their season, and the Jim Moore era, Friday by hosting the Oregon Kickoff Classic at McArthur Court.
Oregon swept Gonzaga 30-23, 30-26, 30-24 in Friday’s early game and defeated Big Sky powerhouse Eastern Washington 30-19, 30-26, 29-31, 30-26 in the second game.
The Ducks capped the weekend against South Dakota State, winning 30-23, 30-25, 30-23.
“It’s good for us to get the chance to do this,” Moore said, referring to the extra week added at the beginning of the Ducks’ schedule. “It was very exciting. I’m happy we took care of business, and I am pleased with how our players handled themselves.”
Oregon controlled Gonzaga from the opening serve in game one. The Ducks never trailed in the game.
The Bulldogs responded in the second game, however, and held a 22-17 advantage before the Ducks roared back to knot the score at 23.
Two kills by senior Kelly Russell gave the Ducks the lead at 26-25, a lead they would not relinquish. An Oregon block and a Mira Djuric kill put the finishing touches on the 30-26 comeback win.
Russell finished the match with a team-high 19 kills followed by freshman Djuric, who had 12 kills.
“That (comeback) was very important,” Moore said. “It was nice that they fought through and won.”
The Ducks completed the sweep with a 30-24 victory in game three.
In addition to game two’s comeback victory, the Ducks received encouraging signs from two freshmen participating in their first collegiate matches. Libero Katie Swoboda and Djuric, an outside hitter, played like veterans, dazzling the Mac Court crowd on numerous occasions.
Swoboda, a Portland native, finished the weekend with 46 digs, drawing praise from her new coach.
“Katie was unbelievable. She’s pretty special,” Moore said. “She really saved us.”
Djuric, a 6-foot-2 native of Serbia, provided a new element of power to the Oregon attack. She totaled 37 kills in her first three matches.
“She played well,” Moore said. “She brings a new dimension with the velocity she puts on the ball.”
In the second match, Oregon met Eastern Washington, a team that has won at least 20 games in the last four seasons.
Yet the Ducks controlled the first two games, winning 30-19, 30-26. Russell again paced the Oregon attack with 11 kills in the first two games, while Swoboda anchored the defense, garnering 11 digs.
The Ducks tried for consecutive sweeps in the third game, but Eastern Washington had other plans. In a see-saw game that featured 10 ties, including a 29-29 tie, the Eagles received a clutch block down the stretch to pick up their first win of the season, 31-29.
Eastern Washington’s Addie Webster, a Portland native, tallied 7 kills to lead Eastern Washington.
“They are a very good team,” Moore said of EWU. “They will win some games this season.”
Game four featured another thriller; the Ducks received the clutch play this time in the form of senior Kelly Russell. She posted five kills, including consecutive spikes to tie the game and put Oregon in front 26-25.
“I’m a senior so I want the ball every time in crunch situations,” Russell, who averages 5.60 kills per game, said.
A kill by Erin Little eventually gave Oregon the 30-26 victory.
“Out team is well composed and that showed today,” Swoboda said. “We fight back one point at a time.”
The Ducks then took their unblemished record up against South Dakota State in Saturday’s finale.
Before meeting the Ducks, South Dakota State lost a five-game match to Eastern Washington.
Fatigue may have played a role in the first game as well rested Oregon cruised to a 30-23 win. Senior outside hitter Jaclyn Jones was the difference for the Ducks. She recorded five kills and no attack errors.
In game two, despite trailing for the majority of the game, the Ducks again proved their resiliency, winning 30-25. Oregon recorded 10 points off blocks in the game, including two by Jones.
“I don’t think I’ve ever had a team score a third of its points off blocks in one game,” Moore said. “We capitalized on the momentum from Friday and again played with confidence, which is going to be a key for us all season.”
Oregon completed the sweep in the third game, defeating the Jackrabbits 30-23 and improving its season record to 3-0.
“It felt so good. This is exactly how we wanted it to be,” said Russell, who led the team with a .552 hitting percentage and 19 kills against South Dakota State. “This is a big accomplishment and shows our team is changing.”
Though the difficult portion of Oregon’s schedule still looms in the coming months, opening the season with three wins is an encouraging sign for the Oregon Volleyball team given its struggles in the past.
“We just need to get better tomorrow than we were today,” Moore said. “We have to be consistently better.”
Oregon returns to the court Sept. 1 to host Southern Oregon at 7 p.m.

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