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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 13, 1996)
Emerald FRIDAY November 13,1996 Ducks should make a run for Pac-10 titles With any luck, Oregon is head ed to post-season play. No, I’m not talking about the football team. What I am talking about is the basketball team — actu ally both basketball teams. Sure the women have only played one game, and it was against a bunch of 30 year-old Slovakian women who ended up forfeiting the game. And sure the men haven’t even played a single minute yet. But there is more than one reason to be op timistic. The women have gone to the NCAA Tournament for the last three years. There’s no coincidence that the span began when Jody Runge be came head coach. And she seems to be building the program stronger every year. DeYoung It began with players such as Jennifer Schutt, Sally Crowe, Sara Wil son and Debbie Sporci ch, and now has Ari anne Boyer, Betty Ann Boeving, Jenny Mowe and a quartet of Australians, includ ing Renae Fegent. These strong players not only provide success for the present, but also ensure that the program will continue to thrive. After all, Oregon just signed Brianne Meharry of Oregon City High School, a team that has been ranked No. 1 in the country for two seasons and a team that hasn’t seen any of its players choose to come to Oregon in re cent years because out-of-state schools’ programs have more to offer. And then there’s the men’s team. Not only are the Ducks returning all of their starters from last year, but they get back the services of Henry Madden, who had been sidelined with a knee injury and academic problems. The Ducks also signed two of Oregon’s top prep players in Mike McShane and Tyrone Manlove. So what’s going to stop these two poten tially explosive teams? Perhaps the rest of the Pacific-10 Conference. There are some strong teams, but there are no unbeatable teams. On the women’s side, Stanford was picked by the coaches to finish first in the Turn to DEYOUNG, Paqe 8 Volleyball Oregon middle blocker Alii White has become one of the volleyball team’s true emotional leaders this season. MARK McTYR E/Emerald k ' o •- ... ; , Grabbing the .Spotlight Since her arrival at Oregon a year ago, Alii White has produced above all expectations By Ryan Halvorsen Sports Reporter The Ducks’ volleyball team 1995 rook ie of the year has already made her mark on the team and the league in only her second year of collegiate competition. Sophomore Allison White (who turns 20-years-old today) has proven herself to be one of the Ducks’ most consistent per formers and has already elevated her lev el of play to the top of the Pacific-10 Con ference. Last season as a true freshman, White was thrust into the spotlight early in her collegiate career as she earned a starting role three weeks into the conference sea son. In that game, she proved to everyone that she came to Oregon to make an im pact. In her first start, against then 23rd ranked Washington, White came away with seven kills, 10 digs, three blocks and a pair of service aces to help secure a vic tory. Following that start, White’s im provement continued the rest of the sea son, securing her spot as a starter and a team leader. “I didn’t know really what to expect,” White said. “There are six juniors ahead of me on this team and they’re all really good, really experienced players, so it was a definite fight to compete for posi tions. In every position you have to fight for your spot.” White handled her sudden jump from high school to Division I college volley ball with surprising ease. It was her suc cess at Los Gatos High School that helped Turn to PLAYER, Page 8 Oregon Club crew has strong showing ■ MEET: Despite a coaching change, the men sand women’s teams were happy with performances By Rob Moseley Freelance Sports Reporter Racing against varsity-level crews from around the Northwest, the Oregon Club crew teams showed promise for the spring season at this weekend’s Head of the Lake meet in Seattle. “The rowers are very pleased with them selves, and I am, too,” head coach Phil Holmes said. “They started from scratch af terbeing abandoned last year.” Because of an abrupt coaching change, the team was forced to scramble to assem ble boats for this season. “I figured we’d be lucky to get four good rowers [in each division],” Holmes said. For a smaller program such as the one at Oregon, it’s easier to form boats of four ex ANDREW BRACKENSICK/Emerald Oregon’s Arianne Boyer scored 27 points in the Ducks’ first exhibition game. Oregon women seek second exhibition win ■ PREVIEW: The women’s basketball team competes for the last time before hosting the Pepsi Shootout By Ryan Frank Sports Reporter The Oregon women’s basketball team will play its final exhibition game tonight against the Portland Saints at McArthur Court at 7 p.m. The Ducks are coming off a forfeit win against Slovan Slovakia last Saturday night. The Slovan Slovakia team walked off the court late in the second half with the Ducks ahead 73-59. Before the game was called, forward Ari anne Boyer scored a game-high 27 points, in cluding 23 free-throw attempts, and center Renae Fegent poured in 15. Women’s ■ OPPONENT: Portland Saints ■ TIP-OFF: 7 o'clock ■ WHERE: McArthur Court ■ RADIO: None ■ TV: None
