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THE KIVA
Volleyball
continued from page 7
feel we had a successful season in
terms of our commitment, desire
and leadership. When I got here 10
months ago, 1 can’t say those things
were here.”
The Ducks opened the season by
winning six of their first seven
matches, but were knocked back
after three tough losses to begin
Pac-10 play. All three contests
were decided in the fifth game and
could have gone either way.
“We had those close matches in
the beginning of the year, and un
fortunately they didn’t go our way
for some reason or another,” junior
setter Julie Gerlach said. “Al
though our record may not show it,
we’ve accomplished a lot this year.
Our mentality and how we present
ourselves has changed. We now
have pride in the things we do.”
On occasion, flashes of bril
liance made one wonder why vic
tories came so hard for the Ducks
— such was the case in the team’s
first conference win of the season,
a 3-0 sweep at Oregon State. The
loss to Arizona State on Oct. 6,
however, showed why the Ducks
finished tied-for-ninth place in the
Pac-10. As a unit, the Ducks hit
just .087 in that match.
“We’re like a golfer with a bad
swing,” Ferreira said. “You don’t
hit a 70 with only two buckets of
balls. It takes an unbelievable
amount of reps to be at game
speed.
“Are we going to attack it? Ab
solutely.”
With Ferreira’s 4-2 Flex offen
sive scheme now comfortably in
place, the Ducks can concentrate
their efforts on improving specific
areas. In particular, Ferreira said
that better skill-development
methods must be implemented
during winter and spring sessions
in order for the Ducks to make a
trip to the NCAA Tournament for
the first time since 1989.
“We got to a point where the
skill level was not where it needed
to be to succeed in this confer
ence,” Ferreira said. “We grew
drastically in a lot of areas, and I
feel comfortable and confident in
this team. But I’m not satisfied. We
have a lot of work to do.”
With the focus now7 on develop
ing individual skills, the Ducks are
eager to get to work in the off-sea
son.
“We’re really excited about the
postseason,” Gerlach said. “It’s go
ing to be a little different — we’re
going to focus on volleyball as
pects instead of just conditioning.”
For the 2001 campaign, the
Ducks will have five players with
experience in the starting lineup.
Junior Monique Tobbagi, a Pac-10
honorable mention player who led
the team with 3.81 kills per game,
will be the focal point of the team’s
offensive attack. Gerlach and soph
omore Sydney Chute (who led the
team with 6.41 assists per game)
will get the ever-so-important set
ting duties.
“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.”
To replace the holes in the start
ing lineup created by the departure
of seniors Amy Banducci and
Halie Mazza, Oregon’s young
squad will have to rely heavily on
middle blockers Alisha Stevens
and Amanda Porter. The return of
sophomore Nicole Allen, who
missed nearly the entire season
with a knee injury, will also pro
vide some height and experience at
the net. Lindsay Murphy, one of
five freshmen on the team this sea
son, and sophomore Kristin Ferris
will provide the team with good
ball control as returning starters. ^
With such great chemistry, Fer:
reira said his first year at Oregon J
was the most fun he has had in his ^
seven years of coaching, even
though it is his only losing year.
“There are so many positives at
Oregon and in the volleyball pro
gram — it is on fire,” said the
coach, who has compiled an over
all record of 158-75. “These kids
are stimulated and motivated.
They left their hearts on the floor
and played so hard all year.”
With only one thing — winning
— on their minds for the next nine
months, the Ducks’ dreams of be
coming more than just competitors
may come true.
“We’ve established a strong
foundation for this program ... and
we have to make sure we’re on
track for our three- to five-year
plan,” Ferreira said.
And if the Ducks improve their v
physical play in the next three ^
years as much as they improved
the mental side of their game in the