Volleyball Notes

Friday’s match between then-No. 21 Arizona State and Oregon at McArthur Court provided a glimpse of what the future may hold for the Ducks.
But for Arizona State, the five-game, come-from-behind victory was a nailbiter — which shouldn’t have lasted beyond three sets.
Oregon played at its highest intensity all season but wasn’t able to pull off the upset. The Sun Devils, on the other hand, felt they were a bit behind the curve all night.
“Oregon is just looking for a glimpse of anything positive,” Arizona State head coach Patti Snyder-Park told the State Press. “We just aren’t passing well at all, and we’re playing not to lose, while they are playing with nothing to lose.”
Against Oregon, junior Juliana Escobar had a double-double in kills and digs, while Jodi Smith had 15 kills. However, it was senior Julia Leddy who gets the credit for the win from Snyder-Park.
“Thank God for Julia Leddy,” she said. “She was the difference. She’s our senior leader, and she’s been doing it all year for us. Had we not had Julia, that would likely have been a two-game road loss for us.”
The Sun Devils have maintained a top position in the Pacific-10 Conference standings, holding down third place with a 6-3 record in conference play, one win behind Stanford.
For Oregon, the loss means a fourth-straight season in which the team has failed to win a Pac-10 match in the first half of conference play. The Ducks’ last win before the midway point of the Pac-10 season came in 1998, when Oregon defeated Oregon State, 3-0.
Still, it is an Oregon team that has played tough in spite of adversity. Of the Ducks’ nine first-half matches last season, only one
— against Oregon State — lasted more than three games.
This season, the Ducks have pushed California and the Sun Devils to a full five games, narrowly losing each time.
“We have had just about 14 players on our team play at the upper 90th percentile of their abilities,” Oregon head coach Carl Ferreira said. “If someone can find for me the disappointment when human beings perform at the upper limits, then I’m in the wrong profession.
“It’s all about your definition of what you’re doing. On a consistent night-in, night-out basis, day-in, day-out basis, these 14 players have been truly phenomenal.”

Mid-season report card
The halfway mark of the Pac-10 season has come for the Ducks, and even though the squad has yet to win a conference match, it is a group that has been improving each week.
Offense: Senior Lindsay Closs has been stellar as usual, but it is freshmen Kelly Russell and Dariam Acevedo that have provided the spark. Sophomore Lauren Westendorfhas provided a solid presence and junior Heather Gilmore has filled a role off the bench that is needed for an above-average offense. Grade: B-.
Defense: As the Ducks have said all season, a good defense leads to a good offense. Junior Lindsay Murphy has been a rock as the libero, as evidenced by her dig totals. Sophomore Katie O’Neil has been valuable off the bench and overall as a team, Oregon is more consistent than last season. Grade: C+.
Intensity: If the Ducks didn’t have it, they wouldn’t have even come close to defeating California and Arizona State. Oregon seemingly plays each match as if it didn’t have a record, and each point scored brings screams and shouts from the court and the bench. Grade: A-.
Experience: This is where it gets touchy for the Ducks. With four freshman playing significant roles on the team — Acevedo, Russell, Jodi Bell and Jaclyn Jones — it would be hard to have a wealth of significant experience.
The group has provided a great spark, especially Russell and Bell, but a little more experience — as Ferreira and the team have alluded to — and Oregon may have come up with a victory. Yet, the Ducks are getting better and are showing it each match. Grade: C.

A look ahead
Oregon visits No. 6 Stanford Friday in Palo Alto. The Cardinal leads the all-time series, 36-2, as Oregon has not defeated Stanford since 1989 when the Ducks won in five games.
Saturday, Oregon travels across the bay to take on California. The Ducks have fared better against the Golden Bears, although Oregon has not come out on top since 1998. Cal leads the all-time series, 35-12.