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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 18, 2000)
A win in Corvallis would boost UO ■A struggling Oregon volleyball squad is confident and wants to make noise in the second half of Pac-10play By Adam Jude Oregon Daily Emerald Less than a month ago, the Ore gon volleyball team was riding high after taking its first three Pa cific-10 Conference opponents into the fifth game of the match — something the team failed to do even once last season. Since Sept. 19, though, the wings have essentially stopped flapping. The Ducks’ only win in their last 10 matches came against a win less Portland State squad. “It’s been extremely frustrating,” senior outside hitter Amy Banducci said. “But we need to look ahead at what we can control. We’ve got nothing to lose now. We just have to rise above it.” After this Thursday’s match at Oregon State — a team that Oregon narrowly lost to earlier this season — the Ducks will get a break from brutal Pac-10 competition and host the University of California-River side on Sunday. “It’s definitely disappointing that we haven’t won,” sophomore setter Sydney Chute said. “But we’re not dwelling on the past. We’re only looking to improve from here.” In comparison to recent years, the players know they have made improvements under first-year head coach Carl Ferreira. In their 3-1 match loss at Washington, the Ducks won their seventh individ ual game in the Pac-10 — two more wins than they had all of last season. “We’ve had some key aspects of our game come together that weren’t clicking before,” Chute said. Confidence is magic Although they have yet to win a Pac-10 match, the Ducks are still remaining optimistic about the second half of the season. “We know we can do it,” Chute said. “We have confidence in the coaching staff and each other. We just have to prove what we can do.” A win this week could give the team a much-needed boost. “We are hurtin’ a little bit,” Banducci said. “But we have been in a lot of close matches and showed that we can compete in this conference.” Setting the stage Setter Julie Gerlach was on a mission Friday at Washington. The 6-foot junior from Scottsdale, Ariz., recorded 13 kills and hit .480, both career highs. The per formance came after Gerlach was benched for a match against Ari zona the previous week. 4 4 We know we can do it. We have confidence in the coaching staff and each other. We just have to prove what we can do. Sydney Chute Oregon setter Her 2,193 career assists rank fifth all-time in school history. Ger lach and Chute are both benefiting from more touches with Ferreira’s new offensive system. Together, the duo is averaging 10.3 assists per game. In the leaderboard A school record 7,298 fans watched the No. 5 Arizona Wild cats (15-2, 8-1) sweep Pac-10 pow erhouse USC (14-1, 8-1) last Fri day. The Women of Troy, the nation’s top hitting team, were held to a mere .139 attack percent age in Tucson. As the nation’s sec ond-best attacking team, the Wild cats also hit a below-average .219 from the floor. The lOth-ranked UCLA Bruins (12-5, 7-2) beat Arizona to give the Wildcats their first loss of the season Thursday night. The Bru ins trail USC and Arizona by just one game atop the Pac-10 stand ings. All three teams swept Oregon in their first meetings of the year Soccer continued from page 7 both Arizona and Arizona State last weekend by beating both teams. Crystal phone home Junior forward Crystal David’s torn knee ligament must be worse than she originally thought. The team’s second leading scorer has now missed four games because of the injury. She was sup posed to play last weekend against UCLA and USC but BOWLER sat out both ■ .games.-'She- is listed as probable to play on Fri day, Steffen said.Versatile senior T.J. Johnson was also supposed to play this weekend and didn’t. Beth Bowler, the team’s third leading scorer, also missed last weekend’s action, but Steffen said that she should return to the Ducks’ lineup this Friday. Breathing easier This weekend will mark one of the few times this season that the Ducks will play a soccer game without facing a ranked opponent. Since the Tennessee Tournament in September, the Ducks have faced at least one top-25 team every weekend. Steffen insists the game still has as much importance as a top-25 game because it has as much intensity. But past history would suggest this Civil War is a little less than intense. The Ducks will take on Oregon State Friday at 3 p.m. on Pap§ Field. CONCERNED ABOUT OREGON’S 'WATER QUALITY? Agriculture and Water Quality in the Pacific Northwest October 24-25, 2000 Valley River Inn Eugene, OR Special student rates at the door This conference is designed to improve communication, build understanding, and foster cooperation between people in agriculture, environmental organizations, and government. For registration information, visit our Web site at www.agwaterqualitynw.org or email pete(S>fwaa.org Understanding each other and working for a better future. i Recycle this paper
