She is Oregon’s only true four-year senior.
She has 2,057 career assists to her name and has almost perfected the art of the “dump kill,” which has helped her total 349 kills.
Basically, the last thing for Sydney Chute to do is earn one last Pacific-10 Conference victory, a win that has eluded her since 2000. Since she came to the program in 1999, Chute has been on the winning side of a Pac-10 contest three times — against Oregon State and Washington in 2000 and Oregon State in 1999.
“I feel like this year is better than last year in terms of the team and our mentality and how we’re so close, whereas last year was definitely more of a struggle,” Chute said. “So, it’s going on the up and up, and if I have the chance to help this program improve, then that’s enough for me.”
Of active players in the Pac-10, Chute is sixth in assists, just behind USC’s Toni Anderson.
This season, however, has not been a typical year for Chute.
A starter for much of her sophomore and junior seasons, Chute has given way to freshman Jodi Bell. Now, Chute, who hails from Santa Rosa, Calif., has a prominent role off the bench.
She has still played in just 15 fewer games than Bell, but her 234 assists this season are far below Bell’s 691.

But Bell’s future is that much brighter because Chute is there as a stabilizing influence.
“I can’t even talk about how much she has helped me out this season with everything I’ve been doing, just like the mental (game), and all the techniques,” Bell said. “She has helped me out so much.”
Chute is the last player at Oregon to have played under the Cathy Nelson regime while with the Ducks. This is her third season playing for current head coach Carl Ferreira and she has seemingly loved every minute of it.
“I just have to say that Carl has turned this team around 180 degrees, no question,” Chute said. “He’s really made us aware of how important it is to be a student-athlete, to really focus on every little aspect that goes into what we do and our purpose.”

Around the Pac-10
It has become no surprise to see six Pac-10 squads in the USA Today/AVCA top 25 poll. However, to see eight teams from the conference receive at least one vote is definitely impressive.
USC sits atop the nation for the sixth-straight week, while Stanford — which was ranked No. 1 for the first two weeks of the season — is currently sixth. Following up the two California schools are No. 14 Arizona, No. 17 Washington State, 18th ranked UCLA and No. 19 Arizona State.
Also receiving votes were Washington — which received 86 votes — and California, which garnered 52.
The Golden Bears, currently 5-6 in conference play, are tied for fifth in the Pac-10 with UCLA, Washington, and Washington State. From there on up, Arizona State and Arizona are tied for third at 6-4, while Stanford (9-2) is second and USC is the last team undefeated in conference play at 11-0.

A look ahead
The Ducks get a chance to earn their first Pac-10 victory of the season when they take on rival Oregon State on Friday at Gill Coliseum in Corvallis.
The match represents the second and final time the teams will play this season, with the Beavers already having swept Oregon at McArthur Court earlier this month.
Oregon State represents Oregon’s first opponent in its last six matches that will be unranked heading into the contest. The Beavers are 7-13 overall this season and 2-9 in Pac-10 play. Their last victory came Friday in a sweep of California
in Corvallis.
The match is set to begin at 7 p.m. and will be replayed by Fox Sports Net on Saturday.