I
I
Oregon wrestlers begin match play
The Ducks will open then
season against both UC
Davis and the Cardinal
on Saturday
By Joel Hood
Sports Reporter
If road trips are a test of a team’s
strength and character, then head
coach Ron Finley will know Sun
day morning exactly what he can
expect from the Oregon wrestling
team this season.
Oregon begins its match play
Saturday against a pair of Pacific
10 Conference rivals more than a
hundred miles apart.
The Ducks, who open confer
ence play two weeks earlier than
they did last season, will battle
UC Davis in an afternoon match
in Davis, Calif., then travel to Palo
Alto, Calif., for an evening show
down against Stanford.
However, Oregon is confident
considering last season’s sweep of
the two schools.
“It’s never easy opening the
season in your own conference,”
Finley said, “but I think we’ll do
well. Though it’s hard to know
what to expect from conference
opponents early in season. Every
team looks as though they’ve im
proved for this season.”
Oregon could be atop that list.
The Ducks, who finished last
season with one of their highest
national rankings in school histo
WRESTLING
ry iNo. 14), re
turn eight
starters and
have five
wrestlers
ranked among
the top 20 in
tneir respective weight classes.
The headliner is three-year
starter Jeremy Ensrud, who was
one of the Ducks' most consistent
scorers last season. The 134
pound senior had a breakthrough
season that included a first-place
finish at the Pac-10 Champi
onships, a fourth-place finish at
the NCAA Championships and
All-American honors.
"Both UC Davis and Stanford
seem like they’re improved from
last season,” Ensrud said. “But
we're also really improved, and I
expect us to do well this week
end. We are a veteran team and
we are all really confident. I think
this could be one of Oregon's best
teams ever. ”
Other wrestlers are taking a
more cautious approach.
“I think Arizona State has to be
considered the conference fa
vorite,” junior Sean Morgan said.
“But the whole conference is bet
ter than it was last season. If Ari
zona State should fall a little bit, I
think there are a fistful of teams
that could jump up and take it.”
The No. 6 Sun Devils are the
preseason favorite to capture the
conference crown and one of two
Pan-10 teams ranked in the
AWCA Top 20. The No. 18 Ore
gon State Beavers are the second.
But the Ducks aren’t just look
ing for a Pac-10 title; Finley and
Oregon’s wrestlers have even
higher aspirations this season.
"Our goal is to place high in the
conference, but more than that,
I’d like to see all of our guys quali
fy for the NCAA Champi
onships,” Finley said. “I think we
have a team that can pull that off
this season. We’ve had a great off
season, and we’re as deep a team
as I’ve ever had at Oregon.”
Ducks to face USC, UCLA over weekend
Oregon head coach Cathy Nelson feels the
Bruins and the Trojans are teams that the
Ducks can compete with
By Rob Moseley
Sports Reporter
The statistics don’t paint a pretty picture.
An 8-16 record overall, including 0-12 in the Pa
cific-10 Conference, wins in just four of 36 games in
those 12 losses, a ninth-place .188 team hitting per
centage and a conference-worst 12.28 digs per game.
But don’t think the members of the Oregon volley
ball team, which heads to Southern California for
two road matches this weekend, have given up hope.
“Every weekend’s a new start for us,” junior mid
dle blocker Alii White said. “USC and UCLA defi
nitely have their faults, and we’re looking for two
wins to start turning this season around and go out
with a bang.”
Up first for the Ducks is a rematch with USC,
which swept Oregon at McArthur Court on Oct. 9.
The No. 7 Trojans (17-4, 9-4) have lost two of their
last three, with a win over California sandwiched be
tween losses to No. 4 Stanford and No. 18 Washing
ton.
USC is led by its dynamic duo of middle blocker
Jasmina Marinkovic and outside hitter Jennifer
Kessy. Kessy leads the team with 345 kills, 236 digs
and 18 service aces. She ranks third in the Pac-10
with 4.60 kills and 3.15 digs per game.
Marinkovic, who had a match-high 12 kills last
time out against the Ducks, has been named player
of the week twice in the Pac-10 and once nationally
this season.
Her .413 hitting percentage is tops in the Pac-10,
and she ranks fifth in blocks and seventh in kills per
game in the conference.
Oregon’s ability to have a well formed block will
be critical if it hopes to get a win this weekend.
“Blocking was a big factor [in practice] this week,”
White said. “We focused on both their outsides,
Kessy and [UCLA’s Kara Milling].”
The Miliing-led Bruins (10-10, 5-8) beat California
Saturday to snap a five-match losing streak. UCLA
swept Oregon earlier this season.
Milling, who had 18 kills against the Ducks on Oct.
VBLLEYBAU
10, leads the team and the confer
ence in kills with 429, good for 5.80
per game. She is third in the Pac-10
in service aces, and teammate Kim
berly Coleman is first in assists with
more than 15 per game.
Coleman has been an integral
part in UCLA's 17.26 assists per
game, which, if they maintain that
pace, would break the NCAA record of 17.05 set by
Pepperdine in 1996.
USC and UCLA will be facing an Oregon team
that, despite losing, has looked impressive in its last
two matches against California and Oregon State.
The Ducks won their first Pac-10 game in nearly a
month against the Bears and lost game 1 to the
Beavers 15-13, giving Oregon State the momentum it
needed to take the match.
White, whose play was limited in each of those
matches due to a shoulder injury, has made the de
cision to have season-ending surgery, she said. Al
though she declined to comment on the situation,
she did not make the trip to Southern California with
her teammates.
Even without the services of one of her better play
ers, head coach Cathy Nelson remains optimistic
about her team’s chances the rest of the season.
“We’ve got six matches left, and those are six
matches in which we can achieve some things,” Nel
son said. “USC and UCLA are both good teams, but
they are botii teams that we can compete with.”
Men: All but walk-ons will get quality play
* Continued from Page 11A
Kent promises that because
Oregon lias no superstars, he will
play 11 deep. In other words,
every player but the two walk
ons will get some quality playing
time. But there are still some bat
tles being waged for starting
spots at certain positions, such as
point guard. Saturday’s contest is
an opportunity for players to
start to distance themselves from
others.
“We want to show everyone
how the coach Kent era is going
to come in,” Madden said.
"We’re not his first recruiting
class, but we are his first players.
We’re going to be the first ones to
run his offense and his defense.
We’re just looking to play hard
1997 Schedule
Nov. 12 Outback AS 7:05p.m.
Nov. 21 atBYU 7:05 p.m.
Nov. 25 Portland St. 7:05 p.m.
Nov. 29 Santa Clara 1:05 p.m.
Dec. 2 at San Diego St. 7 p.m.
Dec. 6 Nevada 7:05 p.m.
Dec. 13 Loy. Mary. 7:05 p.m.
Dec. 18 Ste.F.Austin 7:05p.m.
Dec. 22 at Vanderbilt 7:35 p.m.
Dec. 28 S. Illinois 1:05 p.m.
Jan. 3 California 5:35 p.m.
Jan. 5 Stanford 7:05 p.m.
Jan. 8 at USC 7 p.m.
Jan. 10
Jan. 15
Jan. 17
Jan. 22
Jan. 24
Jan.31
Feb. 5
Feb. 7
Feb. 12
Feb. 14
Feb. 19
Feb. 21
Feb. 28
Mar. 5
Mar. 7
at UCLA
Washington
WSU
at Arizona
atASU
Oregon State
UCLA
use
at WSU
at Washington
Arizona State
Arizona
atOSU
at Stanford
at California
7:30 p.m.
7:05 p.m.
3:05 p.m.
6:35 p.m.
6:35 p.m.
5:35 p.m.
7:35 p.m.
3:05 p.m.
7 p.m.
3 p.m.
7:05 p.m.
1:35 p.m.
3:05 p.m.
7:30 p.m.
7:30 p.m.
and to play exceptionally well.”
It will be the first of two exhi
bition games the Ducks will play
at Mac Court before opening the
regular season against Brigham
Young in Provo, Utah, on Nov.
21.
The second exhibition game
will be against the Outback All
Stars next Wednesday.
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