Oregon’s volleyball team will to look to extend one streak and break another when they host Washington and Washington State this weekend.
The Ducks have won 11 straight matches against their Friday opponent, Washington State, but have lost 11 straight against Pac-12 foes ranked in the top 10, like the No. 7 Huskies.@@http://www.kval.com/sports/131030128.html@@ @@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=4287&SPID=234&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=205318870&DB_OEM_ID=500@@
That adds an additional level of intrigue to yet another key conference series for the Ducks who, despite a four-match losing streak, are still well positioned to finish in the upper-half of the Pac-12 standings.
When the Ducks traveled north to play the Cougars and Huskies earlier this season, they returned home with a series split. Even in Oregon’s 3-1 win over the Cougars, the Ducks were tested. Oregon doesn’t expect anything less from Washington State this time around.@@http://www.goducks.com/SportSelect.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=500&SPID=234&SPSID=4284@@
“They played fabulous against us last time,” Oregon head coach Jim Moore said of Washington State. “They probably played as well as they can play. We have to expect the same level.”
Although they may not have the depth and all-around talent many Pac-12 schools possess, Washington State has one weapon that is problematic for many of its opponents — outside hitter Meagan Ganzer.
A senior from Black Diamond, Wash., Ganzer is far and away the Cougars’ best player. She leads the team in hitting percentage at .256 and kills with 365. Last time Oregon and Washington State met, Ganzer notched 26 kills and hit .279 as the Cougars came close to an upset.@@http://www.wsucougars.com/sports/w-volley/mtt/ganzer_meagan00.html@@ @@http://www.pac-12.org/Portals/7/images/wvolleyball/2011-Stats/HTML/WSU.HTM@@
Oregon knows that if it is able to limit Washington State’s other weapons, it will have a strong chance at earning a victory, even if Ganzer has a big night.
“She’s a good player; she’s going to score,” Duck outside hitter Alaina Bergsma said. “But I think that she scored last time and we still won, so I think we’ll be OK.”
Washington (15-3, 7-3 Pac-12) on the other hand, is a much deeper and more talented squad, as evidenced by their high ranking and strong record. The Huskies topped Oregon 3-0 when the teams played in Seattle last month. Washington dominated nearly every facet of the game, outhitting Oregon .273-.189, and outblocking the Ducks 14.0.@@http://www.pac-12.org/Portals/7/images/wvolleyball/2011-Stats/HTML/WASH.HTM@@ @@http://www.goducks.com/SportSelect.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=500&SPID=234&SPSID=4284@@
If that wasn’t enough to overcome, the Ducks’ serving was uncharacteristically poor. Oregon traditionally a strong serving team, committed seven service errors, which might have negated any shot the Ducks had at pulling the upset. The Ducks were also dissatisfied with their passing, which helped contribute to 24 hitting errors.@@http://www.pac-12.org/Portals/7/images/wvolleyball/2011-Stats/HTML/0930wash.htm@@
Oregon knows it must improve in both of those areas to have a chance at upsetting their rivals.
“Washington, they’re big, they have a pretty big system, but I think we really struggled serving and passing up there,” Bergsma said. “I think if we really serve and pass well our offense will be there.”
Playing before what should be a lively Matthew Knight Arena crowd (unlike many Saturday night matches, there will be no time conflict with football), Oregon is confident its offense will be better.
“(We need to) mainly just play better and pass and serve, which was our main problem up there,” Duck outside hitter Katherine Fischer said. “We should be able to in our gym for sure.”
It will be equally important for Oregon’s defense to rise to the occasion. Washington has an efficient offense that ranks first in service aces per set and third in hitting percentage in the Pac-12. The Huskies feature a balanced offensive attack, with four players credited with at least 100 kills.@@http://www.pac-12.org/Portals/7/images/wvolleyball/2011-Stats/HTML/WASH.HTM#team.ind@@
Freshman Krista Vansant may be the best of a bunch. She hits .257 and has a team-leading 194 kills. 6-foot-5 middle blocker Lauren Barfield has the team’s best hitting percentage at .326.@@same@@
It all adds up to a tough — but winnable — match for the Ducks.
“They’re one of those teams that are above us that we’re going to have knock off,” Moore said.