In the ultra-competitive world of Pacific-10 Conference volleyball, deciphering a team’s success usually comes via wins and losses.
For Oregon volleyball, a 1-15 conference record is nothing to smile about. Still, the Ducks — who have gone 11-19 overall this season — have improved by leaps and bounds from a team that finished without a Pac-10 victory last season.
At least that’s what one prominent Pac-10 head coach sees in the Ducks.
“All of a sudden, they’re on the verge of being able to beat everyone in the conference,” Stanford head coach John Dunning said. “They’re very motivated.”
The Pac-10 certainly hasn’t helped Oregon’s case for advancement. With six teams regularly ranked in the top 25 in the nation, the Ducks are seemingly playing a ranked opponent every match.
The former head coach at Pacific, Dunning came to Stanford prior to last season and led the Cardinal to a national championship. This season, Stanford is below its level from last season, but is still a contender.
If anyone would have the ability to compare the Pac-10 to the rest of the nation, Dunning would be it.
“The difference in the Pac-10 is that every team, especially on the road, can beat any other team,” he said. “They are much better teams than a lot of teams in the country.
“We have a good coach at every school. These are good jobs.”
Dunning added that Carl Ferreira, Oregon’s head coach, is the one who will lead the Ducks back to a promising record.
“There’s a good person there,” Dunning added.

Recruit, recruit!
Ferreira announced the signing of three high school players
Monday.
Gresham’s Heather Madison, Roseburg’s Kristen Bitter and Sarah Mason — from Ferreira’s hometown of Hilo, Hawaii — all signed letters of intent to join the Ducks for the 2003-04 season.
“Since I got to Oregon, the number one goal has been to recruit the top players within the state of Oregon,” Ferreira said. “These players are very athletic and will make an instant impact next season, much like the freshmen we have this year. I know the top players in Oregon can compete at a top-20 level, and getting these players has been based on relationships we’ve created.”
Madison, a 5-foot-8-inch setter, was recently named Player of the Year in the Mt. Hood Conference. She played for Jim Hartner at Gresham, who helped oversee current Duck Jodi Bell’s play while with the Nike Northwest Juniors Volleyball Club.
Madison also played for the group as a junior last year, but on a different team than Bell.
“This is a Carl Ferreira-type of athlete,” Hartner said. “When the game gets tougher, Heather gets tougher. She’s a warrior.”
Bitter, a 6-foot-4-inch middle blocker, was instrumental in leading Roseburg High School to a second-place finish in the Southern Oregon Conference. She was credited with 157 kills and 324 blocks en route to being named the team’s most valuable player.
Mason, who also attends the same high school that Ferreira once did — St. Joseph’s — was a 2001 All-Star All-State selection. The 6-foot-3-inch middle blocker has helped lead the school to two-straight league titles as St. Joseph’s is currently the No. 1 ranked program in Hawaii.
“I see a lot in Oregon’s future,” Mason said. “I really liked the coaches and the campus was beautiful. I had never really seen anything like it. The team is rebuilding and I want to make an impact and improve the team.”