After a weekend in the sweltering Arizona sun, the Oregon women were hoping to come back to Eugene and cool down their Washington opponents. However, the Huskies and Cougars beat them to the punch.
After losing to Washington in three games — 30-20, 30-23, and 30-22 — the Ducks (8-5 overall, 0-4 Pac-10 Conference) came back a night later and were again swept, this time to a stronger Cougar team. In another three games, Oregon lost 30-23, 30-21, 30-22.
But it was not an entirely disappointing weekend for the squad. After coming out flat and seemingly uninspired against Washington (8-4, 2-2 Pac-10), head coach Carl Ferreira’s team jumped out to a fast start against the Cougars.
A kill by senior Monique Tobbagi gave the Ducks their first lead of the weekend, 5-4, in the first game. While holding Washington State (7-4, 2-2) off for eight more points, the Ducks trailed 9-8 before succumbing to the strong Cougar defense. Oregon would get as close as 19-20 before falling to Washington State in the first game.
Two games later, the Ducks had their fourth loss of the Pac-10 Conference season, but not before putting up a fight.
Tobbagi led the Ducks with 10 kills, but hit just .094 from the floor. Junior Lindsay Closs anchored the Oregon offense, backing up Tobbagi’s 10 kills with eight of her own, and hit .286 for the match. Junior Stephanie Martin also looked strong in the Oregon loss while victimizing the Cougar defense with five kills, but her -.059 hitting percentage was worst on the Ducks’ squad.
Ferreira had nothing but praise for the Ducks’ two newest players.
“Lindsay and Stephanie are both legit,” he said. “In my estimation, we don’t give them the ball enough because of our ball control. Lindsay is very quick, agile, and swift and she’s much different than Stephanie, but she can cause just as many problems because she is versatile.”
As a team, Ferreira’s squad hit for a combined .149, had 37 kills to Washington State’s 48, and combined for 29 assists compared to the Cougars’ 43.
But the Oregon defense was stellar. Led by Martin’s 10 digs, the Ducks had 37 as a team, only five fewer than Washington State’s 42. They outblocked Washington State 8-4, including a team block late in the first game that kept them close behind at 24-22.
After the match, Ferreira was disappointed, but saw a silver lining in the Ducks’ play. Despite losing in three straight games, he believes the team has played better than before.
“I thought we competed,” the coach said after the Ducks lost to the Cougars for the 23rd consecutive time. “In the first three Pac-10 matches we looked like the other team had the edge. We disrupted their side-out offense with our serving, and we blocked well in spurts.”
In the first match of the weekend, the Ducks came out flat against the Huskies. The Ducks never led, and could get only as close as 6-5 in the second game before bowing out in three straight to an underrated Washington offense.
Tobbagi led an anemic offense with 12 kills, but again hit only .114 for the match. Martin opened the weekend strong with 11 kills, but also hit an outstanding .429. Also a strong point for the Ducks was senior Julie Gerlach, who finished with 27 assists and three kills.
After the match, a somber Tobbagi talked about the team’s poor showing.
“I just think the past couple of matches we haven’t been able to show up,” she said. “The scoring system makes it easier for any team to get runs off points. We just have to be stronger mentally and have more confidence.”
Tobbagi alluded to the Ducks’ inability to keep a streak going in either match. Whenever Oregon had a chance to get back in the game, the Cougars and Huskies responded with a powerful drive, essentially killing any opportunities the Ducks had at coming back. At one point in the third game against Washington State, the Cougars had a seven-point run that sealed Oregon’s fate.
After the match against Washington State, the team’s mood was somber, but there was also a little bit of magic in the air. For the first time in a Pac-10 match this season, the Ducks looked strong and had an energy level to counter with.
“It’s a disappointing feeling,” Closs said. “No one likes to lose no matter the circumstances. But we had the energy in the beginning and we just have to sustain it through the whole game.”