In his first season in charge of the Oregon volleyball program, newly-appointed head coach Trent Kersten has overcome the obstacle of replacing 14 of 15 players from last year’s team to achieve a 9-1 record in nonconference play. A key piece of the team’s performance and the most encouraging sign of its room to grow is an unprecedented international recruiting class for the program. Among the 14 new players are outside hitter Ksenija Tomic, from Belgrade, Serbia; outside hitter Maria Tabacuks, from Cannes, France; and middle blocker Iva Šucurovic, from Zrenjanin, Serbia. They make up Oregon’s largest international recruiting class of the 21st century.

When Kersten’s predecessor, Matt Ulmer, signed Estonian outside hitter Jade Sadeiko in 2019, she became the program’s first international recruit in seven years. In his final season before departing for the University of Kansas this past offseason, he made Greek setter Evelina Gerogianni his second international signing.

While Ulmer’s seven-season tenure marked the program’s most consistent run of postseason success, including three of its four Elite Eight appearances, international recruiting was an untapped market.

Jim Moore, who coached the team from 2005 to 2016 and holds the program wins record at 246, was more ac- tive outside the United States, but he never brought in three players in the same recruiting class. Kersten has a track record with international recruiting across his previous stops as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Texas Christian University (2015-2019), head coach at San Jose State University (2020-2022) and Loyola Marymount University (2023-2024). As part of his 2019 TCU class that Prep Volleyball ranked sixth in the nation, he brought in a player from Turkey; at San Jose State, he signed two players from Italy; and at LMU, he signed players from Canada and Argentina.

Recruiting outside of the United States is valuable for any program and produces some of the best players in the NCAA, but it is specifically valuable for programs trying to punch above their weight. While it remains to be seen how the coaching change will impact Oregon’s recruiting ability, expectations can only be so high for a team with 14 new players, so in 2025 Oregon will look to punch above its weight.

International recruits bring experience from their national teams and native professional leagues that can be difficult for smaller programs to find within the United States. The massive roster turnover necessitated that Kersten explore every option available to him, and international recruiting has a proven track record. When talking about his international recruits, Kersten has continually stressed the value of their experience. Tomic and Šucurovic were teammates on Serbian Superleague champion OK Železničar Lajkovac last season, with Tomicn being named the best outside hitter in the league. Tabacuks played three professional seasons for Volero Le Cannet in France before joining the Ducks. All three have also represented their countries in various age groups and tournaments, with Tabacuks representing Germany.

Their experience has translated seamlessly to NCAA play, most notably with Šucurovic leading the Big Ten in blocks going into conference play. Tabacuks and Tomic rank third and fifth on the team in kills per set, respectively, and both ended nonconference play with strong showings against Portland State University. In the five-set win, Tabacuks posted a career-high of 14 kills for the  third time this season, and Tomic achieved her second-best of 10 in three sets.

Michigan transfer Valentina Vaulet has been a key leader, not only for the international recruits but for the team as a whole. Vaulet came to Ann Arbor from Córdoba, Argentina, and made the All-Big Ten Second Team as a sophomore in 2024. Vaulet leads the Ducks in kills (130), total attacks (302) and service aces (22) through nonconference play, and is a valuable role model for the players making the same transition she did to collegiate volleyball.

The Kersten era is underway in Eugene, and he already has the Ducks knocking on the door of the coaches’ top 25, landing third in the “others receiving votes” section as of Sept. 21. A 9-1 record is a remarkable start considering the roster turnover he faced, and the international recruits who were so crucial in solving it should only improve as they continue to adapt to NCAA play.