You hope for the best for athletes like Lauren Westendorf.
You hope Oregon volleyball can overcome a 28-match Pacific-10 Conference losing streak. Because, you know, wins and losses, no matter how close or far apart, tend to play with the mind.
When an athlete like Westendorf chooses Oregon over schools like Duke, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech and Washington State, it means the program has potential. But that potential, still ripe for the picking, has not been realized lately.
Still, Westendorf, who visited Oregon to “humor” head coach Carl Ferreira, loved the school and the program so much she decided her senior year at Centinnial High School in Bakersfield, Calif., that she wanted to spend four years in Eugene.
In two seasons of Pac-10 play, the sophomore has yet to win a conference match. But that hasn’t made her regret her decision.

“I love Oregon,” Westendorf said. “I knew when I came on my recruiting trip I was going to be so happy here. It extends past volleyball. I couldn’t have picked a better university.
“Volleyball has had its rough times and we’re struggling, but we’re bouncing back and working hard.”
 
As a senior at Centinnial, Westendorf was recruited by a number of schools on the East Coast as well as a wild card from the Northwest.
Washington State emerged as a potential suitor for the star from Southern California, a former all-area pick in 1999.
Her father, Phil Westendorf, was an All-American honorable mention selection in baseball as a designated hitter for the Cougars in 1975. Her mother, Mary, also attended school in Pullman.
So the onus to attend Washington State was clearly there. Because of their allegiance to the WSU, her parents had decorated their Bakersfield residence with Cougar memorabilia.
Yet, when Ferreira came calling, Westendorf listened.
“I’ve known Carl since I was 10 years old,” Westendorf said. “He and my family are good friends. Carl is kind of the reason I came on my visit here. I had been recruited by Oregon and was interested, but had some other schools I was a little more interested in.
“Carl said, ‘Just humor me and come on a visit. Just humor me and if you don’t like it, that’s fine, but just come and see me.’ I did and I loved it, and I knew that Carl was an amazing coach and would take care of me.”
 
Westendorf’s first season as a Duck could be described as anything but successful. On an individual level, she had a typical freshman campaign: start on the bench, then as the season moves along, earn more and more playing time until a starting spot opens up.
The only problem is, she didn’t play in a Pac-10 match that produced a win. So far this season, she has gone seven conference matches without a victory.
In two seasons with Oregon, the 6-foot outside hitter has experienced a 25-match losing streak in Pac-10 play. That’s tough.
“I haven’t won a Pac-10 match yet but neither has Katie (O’Neil) or Lindsay Closs, and we’re really not focused on that,” Westendorf said. “We’re really just, day in and day out, working hard, and we know we are an amazing team with amazing potential. We’re really optimistic and really keeping our eyes on a win and playing hard and playing Oregon volleyball.”
As a freshman, Westendorf played in 56 games for the Ducks and averaged .70 kills per game. Overall, she ended the season with 39 kills in 136 attempts with 38 errors for a .007 hitting percentage.
Those aren’t exactly All-American figures.
So, during the summer, after her job at a law firm, Westendorf strived to improve. She made the weight room her second home and undertook an extensive training program.
“She’s probably the most improved returner we have,” Ferreira said. “She also deserves credit for an amazing amount of sacrifice she put in from a work-ethic standpoint. She spent the whole last winter, five days a week, riding her bike to the Moshofsky Center, and — we’ve got a net set up in there — working on her game.”
On the summer weekends, she drove to Manhattan Beach, a popular hangout in the Los Angeles area. While there, she worked out with Krystal McFarland, a stalwart with UCLA, and took on competitors in beach volleyball.
“That was fun,” Westendorf said of her summer. “I just tried to work out and my goal was to come back stronger and faster.”
That’s been noticed.
“She has a perfectionist attitude, so she’s always working hard,” senior Sydney Chute said. “She’s always in the gym before practice and after practice. She always goes the extra mile and has a great work ethic. She also has a really good attitude on the court.”
Improvement means inevitable comparisons to former Ducks. For Westendorf, that former Oregon star is current graduate assistant coach Monique Tobbagi.
The two shared the same court last season as teammates, and this year, Westendorf has swallowed Tobbagi’s advice with vigor.
“Monique is probably my biggest role model,” Westendorf said. “I love Monique and cried for two weeks after her last match. She’s the one we all want to be and look up to.
“So just hearing (myself compared to her) is so humbling and just such an amazing compliment and something that I hope I can strive to be. I would work hard every day to be just half the player she was.”
That tireless work ethic has paid off so far, but Westendorf understands the necessity of listening and learning. Still just 18 years of age, she has a long way to go.
“Carl reminds me daily that I need to have an empty cup,” she said. “Every day I’m just reminded I need to keep growing and improving on a daily basis.”
 
To be successful, the typical college athlete needs to be intense on the court. But off the court, it is a whole other story.
“I do tend to make a fool out of myself on a daily basis,” Westendorf said with a laugh. “My teammates love the fact that I relate everything in life to ‘Saved By the Bell’ or ‘(Beverly Hills) 90210.’ I’m such a teeny-bopper and I’ve grown up on those shows. So pretty much, they love to make fun of me on that.”
Apparently, Westendorf loved being a freshman so much that she can’t get over the fact she is now a sophomore.
“Lauren can’t let go of being a freshman,” Chute said. “A couple of times this season she has introduced herself as a freshman when we have to introduce ourselves
to different people. She says, ‘Hi, I’m a freshman. Oh, wait, wait, sophomore.’
“Definitely, she has some growing up to do in that regard, remembering what year she is,” Chute added with a smile.
 
A little more than two years remain for Westendorf at Oregon. First and foremost, she has her eyes on a Pac-10 victory. But after that, it’s all about improving and making her mark on the Duck program.
“I’m ready for any role that is open for me,” she said. “I can’t wait for next year, but right now, I’m focused on this year and doing whatever I can this year to improve.”
If anything, consensus is that Westendorf will become a positive fixture in the Oregon program.
“She’s always had an extremely infectious personality that is so engaging,” Ferreira said. “She makes other people better just by being around her. Not just as an athlete, but a person as well. You didn’t know how good she was going to be, but you always liked being around her.”