Wednesday
Best Bet
MLB: N.Y. Mets at San Francisco,
Game 1 ESPN, 1:07 p.m.
SPORTS EDITOR: JEFF SMITH Smittside@aol.com
Ferreira's Ducks aim to end Pac-10 skid
The volleyball
squad looks to
‘take care of
business’
against the
Arizona
schools this
weekend
Now,
when you
look in the
mirror, you
say ‘eek’
and realize
that you
might not
accomplish
the things
you want.
But we are
still in reach
of accom
plishing
some of the
things we
want And
winning is
our goal.
Carl Ferreira
volleyball
coach
_n
By Adam Jude
Oregon Daily Emerald
Losing consecutive match
es on consecutive nights to
two of the best teams in the
nation could be devastating
for many clubs.
But the Oregon volleyball
team is forgetting last week
end’s disappointing trip to
Los Angeles, as well as the
league games before those.
Instead, the Ducks are try
ing to
look
ahead and
disregard
their 0-5
start to the
Pacific-10
Confer
ence season.
“Now, when you look in
the mirror, you say ‘eek’ and
realize that you might not ac
complish the things you
want,” said first-year head
coach Carl Ferreira, who has
led the Ducks to a 7-6 overall
start this season. “But we are
still in reach of accomplish
ing some of the things we
want. And winning is our
first goal.”
After a four-match home
stand, in which the team
went 1-3, Oregon headed
into its meetings in Southern
California knowing it had to
be nearly perfect to beat No.
1USC and No. 5 UCLA.
“Those teams have a high
level of intensity and put
pressure on your execution,
which increases the difficul
ty of play,” Ferreira said.
“And that just makes you
even more irritated that you
let [matches against Stan
ford, California and Oregon
State] slip away at home.”
In their quest for their first
conference win of the sea
son, the Ducks must contend
with Arizona State and No. 6
Arizona this weekend at
VOLLEYBALL
McArthur Court.
“At home, we need to take
care of business,” Ferreira
said.
Set me up
Junior Julie Gerlach and
sophomore Sydney Chute
are leading the complex Ore
gon 4-2 Flex offensive
scheme. The two setters are
the cornerstone of the sys
tem, leading the squad with
a combined 521 assists (near
ly 10.5 per game).
Additionally, the duo ac
counts for one-fourth of the
Ducks’ overall attacks.
Thus far, Gerlach and
Chute have combined for
465 attacks, compared with
last year’s total of just 201 at
tacks.
Ferreira compares the set
ters to the quarterback of a
football team or the point
guard of a basketball squad.
“Julie and Sydney are key
components and critical to
our success,” he said.
“Teams with the best quar
terbacks are hard to beat.
They [Gerlach and Chute]
are doing a great job.”
A bench killer
Sophomore middle block
er Amanda Porter is proving
to be a solid addition to the
Ducks’ lineup and is usually
the first to be called off the
bench.
The Idaho transfer, who
came to Eugene with coach
Ferreira, has recorded 69
kills this season and is third
on the team with a .258 at
tack percentage and third in
total blocks with 34.
A chemical reaction
Despite zero conference
wins, the Ducks still have
confidence in their abilities
and in each other.
“I really like our chem
Turn to Voileybali, page 6
1
Kevin Calame Emerald
Senior Amy Banducci (11) and her teammates have been playing with a new found sense of purpose and have recorded sev
en wins compared to six losses. However, the Ducks are 0-5 in Pac-10 play—a record the Ducks expect to improve.
Ice, ice baby: Its time to fire up the 2000NHL season
I am Dick Vitale.
Right now I am the Philly
Phanatic, the Dallas Cowboy
cheerleaders and Barrelman
all rolled into one.
It’s hockey time, babeeeee!
Yes sir, today marks a very im
portant date on my calendar. To
day, the Dallas Stars and the Col
orado Avalanche will start a
nine-month marathon of hockey
when they drop the puck on
ESPN. Nine months of bliss.
So why should you watch this
game tonight, you ask? Why
shouldn’t you watch, say, the Yan
kees play the A’s?
The answer is: Watch those
teams, but flip over to ESPN every
once in a while. You’ll see a more
exciting game.
Yeah, I called hockey exciting.
Why not? Name an NFL player
that can hit as hard as the Stars’
Darien Hatcher. Name someone in
sports with as many ooh-ahh
moves as Buffalo goalie Dominik
Hasek.
If you think hockey isn’t tough,
ask Anaheim forward Paul Kariya
what it feels like to have more con
cussions than Steve Young and
Troy Aikman combined — and
still be playing.
Ask ex-Bruin Marty McSorley
what it feels like to go on trial for
assault and battery after an almost
routine hockey play. Ask Dallas’
Mike Modano what it feels like to
go face-first into the boards on na
tional television.
More global than basketball,
faster than football and less pre
dictable than baseball, hockey is ...
where it’s at.
And I’ve got two turntables and
a microphone.
So I guess it’s time to make some
fearless predictions for the 82
game season. Fearless.
Western Conference —
Central Division
1. St. Louis Blues. The tide has
turned in the Western Conference.
The speed and sleekness of Detroit
has given way to the toughness
and playmaking of the Blues and
the Dallas Stars. St. Louis has all
the makings of a dynasty: the vet
eran leadership of Al Maclnnis,
the hard-hitting play of Chris
Pronger and the goalkeeping of Ro
man Turek. Look for the Blues to
make it further than last year’s dis
appointing first-round loss to San
Jose.
2. Detroit Red Wings. 3.
Nashville Predators. 4. Columbus
Blue Jackets. 5. Chicago Black
hawks.
Northwest Division
1. Colorado Avalanche. Where
did Ray Borque, one of the best de
fensemen in the game, go when he
wanted to win a championship?
Colorado, of course. The
Avalanche are a no-brainer to win
the Division, and maybe the Con
ference. Colorado has dominating
forwards like Peter Forsberg, one
of the best centers in the game, and
big-name players up and down the
roster. The Avalanche have a
goalie, Patrick Roy, who is four
wins away from breaking the all
time NHL record. Colorado, meet
Lord Stanley.
2. Vancouver Canucks. 3. Cal
gary Flames. 4. Edmonton Oilers.
5. Minnesota Wild.
Pacific Division
1. Dallas Stars. The Stars are still
one of the best teams in the NHL,
despite being embarrassed in a few
playoff games last year. But if Dal
las is going to win a Stanley Cup,
this is the year to do it. Ed Belfour
and Brett Hull are 35 and 36 years
old, respectively, while Mike
Modano, Joe Nieuwendyk and
Sergei Zubov are all in their 30s.
The Stars proved all their doubters
wrong last year by making it to the
finals despite their creakiness, and
could easily do it again in 2000-01.
2. San Jose Sharks. 3. Phoenix
Coyotes. 4. Anaheim Mighty
Ducks. 5. Los Angeles Kings.
Eastern Conference-Atlantic
Division
1. New Jersey Devils. The Devils
will use their superstar firepower
to win the division title this sea
son. Forwards Claude Lemieux
and Patrick Elias, defenders Scott
Turn to Ice, baby, page 6