A volleyball team is only as good as its nucleus, and the Ducks clearly have a big part of their foreseeable future locked in with outside hitter Valentina Vaulet. 

Vaulet tallied 19 total kills in the Ducks’ win over Iowa, including two during the three-point Oregon run that ended the match. She then followed up her stellar performance with an 8 point showing in the Ducks’ 3-0 win over Ohio State. 

“We talked as a team about (it), (and) we want those moments,” Oregon head coach Trent Kersten said after the Iowa game. “We want to be in some of those moments, and you’ve earned the right to go for it in some of those moments. We’re going to have ups and downs through the season, but we’re going to come back to the gym and keep believing, and believing that we can be ready for the next opportunity that we get.”

Vaulet, coupled with setter and offensive engine Cora Taylor (44 assists against Iowa), helped drive an Oregon offense that needed every point it could get. 

However, the most important stat for both of those contests came in the win column, as the Ducks (11-3) improved their conference record to 2-2 after starting with two away losses. 

Another benefactor for the Ducks was a lively, student-filled Matthew Knight Arena that eagerly waited for each Oregon kill or Hawkeye blunder. 

“Gosh, that was so awesome,” Kersten said. “We needed every single one of them that were here — and thank you for staying for the fifth set. It was just such a great volleyball environment.”

Vaulet echoed a similar sentiment.

“Our first game with all the students back, it was pretty noticeable how much they cheered for us, how much they yelled (and) how much they liked the game,” Vaulet said. “Whether we were up or down, it felt like they were really engaged with the game, so that was cool.”

“The thing we talk about as a team is that we want those (high pressure) moments,” Kersten said. “You’ve earned the right to go for it in those moments, and if you miss, we’re still going to feed you, we’re still gonna take care of you, we’re still gonna love on you, we’re just gonna figure out how to be more ready the next time we get to those moments.” 

It hasn’t been all perfect in Kersten’s (and basically every other player’s) first year in Eugene, and much tougher foes await shortly. For a weekend, however, the Ducks could enjoy a pair of victories — and perhaps the start of something more.

Oregon, which lost to its first ranked opponent of the year (No. 22 USC) in straight sets in Los Angeles on Oct. 9, is now midway through its second season in the Big Ten. The Ducks will face Minnesota and Penn State in conference play at Matthew Knight Arena on Oct. 17 and 18, respectively.