The Oregon volleyball team takes another shot at its first Pac-10 win at 7 p.m. tonight against rival Oregon State (3-8 overall, 0-2 Pac-10) at McArthur Court.
“Everyone is very excited, but it’s just another game,” said sophomore libero Katie Swoboda. “I’m an Oregonian and this is a big rivalry, but you’ve got to just focus on one play at a time and, hopefully, come out with the victory.”
After losing two tough matches last week, the Ducks (10-2 overall, 0-2 Pac-10) are hungry to get back on the court and prove they are still a force to be reckoned with.
“People are still thinking that we are just a typical Oregon team and we’re going to suck it up,” said senior setter Heather Madison. “We’re coming in to change that and show that we’re not that team.”
Swoboda echoed Madison’s comments. “I feel like everyone believes that we’re going to turn this program around,” she said.
To begin that turnaround will mean breaking two of the Beavers’ winning streaks against the Ducks. Oregon State has won the last six meetings, and six straight at Mac Court.
This means that seniors Madison, middle blocker Kristin Bitter and outside hitter Erin Little still have not experienced a win over their rival.
“We’re trying to not focus on the rivalry and everything that goes with it,” Madison said. “We’re focusing on what we need to do to get things done. Everything aside from that is irrelevant.”
Bitter is climbing the ranks of the greatest blockers to ever play for Oregon. She currently sits seventh on the Ducks’ all-time blocks list with 323 total blocks and needs 37 to break into the top five. Oregon coach Jim Moore said that Bitter has emerged as a leader on this season’s team in terms of keeping the team focused and holding everyone accountable.
“This year Kristin has stepped out of her comfort zone more than any player I’ve ever coached,” Moore said. “She’s done a great job of making sure that people are doing what they’re supposed to be doing.”
This season, Oregon State features two of the top players to ever suit up in orange and black in senior co-captains Abby Windell and Brittany Cahoon. Windell is 12th on the Beavers’ all-time blocks list with 220 total blocks and Cahoon is 15th on that list with 216. Cahoon is also 25th on the Oregon State all-time kills list with 623.
The Beavers’ attack has been bolstered this season by the arrival of 6-foot-5 Australian Rachel Rourke. The freshman outside hitter had 12 kills and two aces against
USC last week and tallied 11 kills the next night against UCLA – both team highs.
The Oregon State strategy involves creating some confusion for its opponent by changing players often, Moore said. The Beavers used 15 players in a three-game match against UCLA last week.
“We need to take care of our side of the net and not worry about all of the changes they’re making,” Moore said. “We need to understand them conceptually and then just deal with what we need to deal with on our side.”
Madison said that the Ducks will stay aware of where some of the Beavers’ top players are and try to ignore the rest of the changes.
“Even though they sub in and out a lot, we know who they like to set the most,” she said. “In crunch situations they’re going to go to those players.”