Sports Editor
Peter Hockaday
peterhockaday@dailyemerald.com
Friday, November 8,2002
— Oregon Daily Emerald
Sports
Best bet
NBA:
LA. Lakers at Washington
7:30 p.m., ESPN
Soccer faces
OSU rivalry
in final game
The Ducks will take on the Beavers at Pape Field
in the final game of the season for both teams
Soccer
Jesse Thomas
Sports Reporter
It has all come down to this moment.
After this, it’s all over. The NCAA tournament isn’t an op
tion for the Oregon women’s soccer team, and the one thing
at stake is pride.
Oregon will face Oregon State tonight in the seventh edi
tion of the Civil War. The Ducks dominate the series with
the Beavers, and have a 4-1-1 record overall. Oregon’s only
loss came last year in Corvallis, but now the Ducks are at
home and have something to prove.
“There is a certain amount of redemption that goes into
the players thinking about this game,” Oregon head coach
Bill Steffen said. “With it being the seniors’ last match, the
players are very excited about the game.”
In 2001, the Beavers rolled over Oregon for an easy 4-1
victory. For Oregon, now-senior goalkeeper Sarah Peters
faced 22 shots and recorded seven saves, while now-seniors
Lindsey Peterson and Robi Thayer also accounted for shots.
Oregon (2-13-2,1-6-1 Pac-10) comes off a rough weekend
in Los Angeles, -
where it took a 1-0
overtime loss to
No. 15 USC and held
No. 2 UCLA to a
scoreless first half be
fore the Bruins went
on to a 2-0 victory.
The Beavers
haven’t fared well, ei
ther, and sit at the
"With it being the
seniors'last match, the
players are very excited
about the game "
Bill Steffen
Oregon soccer head coach
bottom of the Pac-10 at 1-6 and 8-9-2 overall. Oregon State
also took on the Southern California squads on the week
end and walked away with a 2-1 overtime loss to the Tro
jans and a 4-1 loss to UCLA.
“We match up really well, we both play the same style,
and we are both pretty aggressive on the ball,” sophomore
defender Christine Mintz said.
Freshmen Katie Abrahamson, Mele French and Carlie
Ashcraft have all contributed solid efforts to Oregon’s offense.
Peters will take care of goal duties, as she leads the confer
ence with 5.71 saves per game and ranks second with 97 total
Turn to Soccer, page 6A
Fab freshman
Jodi bell has made a difference
wherever she has played,
and this season with Oregon
has been no different
Volleyball
Hank Hager
Sports Reporter
The world of Pacific-10 Conference vol
leyball can be a fickle place sometimes.
Take former Sam Barlow High
School coach Terry Folen’s case, for in
stance. The former mentor to Oregon
freshman Jodi Bell was on the losing
side when the Ducks defeated Oregon
State last Friday. You see, Folen’s
daughter, Nikki Neuburger, is a junior
libero for the Beavers.
Kind of a touch of irony, isn’t it?
“I think (Bell) was definitely a huge
part of the win,” Folen said. “She made
all the difference against Oregon State.”
Without a doubt, Bell, a Boring native,
has had a major impact on the Ducks
this season. One of four freshmen to put
on an Oregon uniform, she has con
tributed to the tune of a team-leading
727 assists and 25 service aces, good for
second on the team.
Yet, Bell’s story is not one of finding
talent when reaching the collegiate
level. She has been one of the most
consistent high school performers in
the state of Oregon for the past four
seasons, helping lead Sam Barlow to
consecutive state runner-up finishes
in 2000 and 2001.
On a personal level, Bell has received
the recognition that naturally follows
the type of talent she possesses. In
2000, as a junior, she was the 4A Player
of the Year. Then, after last season, Vol
leyball Magazine named her one of its
Fab-50 athletes in the nation.
“I thought that without my team
mates, I couldn’t have gotten on that
Fab-50 list,” Bell said. “There’s
no possible way I could have done it
by myself.
“It was reassuring to know that I was
one of the top-11 setters in the country.
Jeremy Forrest Emerald
Oregon head coach Carl Ferreira has called freshman setter Jodi Bell "legit."
That’s always nice to have because I’ve
worked at it for the past nine years.”
Bell’s dominance on the high school
court led to a spot on the Nike NW Ju
niors Volleyball Club last season. While
Bell was there, Jim Hartner, director of
operations for the club, had a chance to
watch her play.
He had nothing but good things to say
about her.
“Physically, she’s just a gifted volley
ball player,” he said. “When the match
gets down to crunch time, she’s a gamer.
During our club season, no matter who
we played, Jodi’s game went up.”
It came as no surprise to Hartner that
Turn to Volleyball, page 6A
Adam Amato Emerald
Sophomore Kedzie Gunderson and the rest of the Ducks are looking to begin their season
with a bang Saturday night at McArthur Court against Horsholm BBC.
Ducks prepare for test
in first exhibition game
Horsholm BBC visits McArthur Court
in this unofficial showing on Saturday as the
Oregon women begin the 2002-03 season
Women’s basketball
Hank Hager
Sports Reporter
The game won’t show up in the standings, official
records won’t be kept, and quite frankly, when all is
said and done, Horsholm BBC probably won’t even
be remembered.
But right now, Oregon women’s basketball is treat
ing its opponent as the next best thing. The Ducks
take on their overseas competition 5 p.m. Saturday
at McArthur Court in the team’s first exhibition of
the season.
First exbihition. Otherwise known as the first test.
“We just want to see where we’re at,” head coach
Bev Smith said. “It’s a great test for a number of rea
sons: to see how our execution is, to see if what
we’re running is good for this team.
“And then we’re just trying to find five people that
play the best together. Not necessarily our best play
ers, but five that play the best together.”
Oregon returns three starters from a team that went
22-13 a year ago. Sophomore Andrea Bills and junior
Cathrine Kraayeveld are expected to form a formida
ble duo down low, while senior Shaquala Williams has
moved back to her natural position at point guard.
A fourth returner — senior Alissa Edwards — is
set to play in the backcourt after splitting time last
season with the since-departed Edniesha Gurry.
That would leave one starting spot open — the
wing. Sophomores Brandi Davis and Kedzie Gun
derson lead the way at the position.
Davis has the hot hand from beyond the 3-point
arc, while Gunderson is better from close range.
Both played strong in the team’s first scrimmage Fri
day — Gunderson had 13 points while Davis pitched
in with eight.
For Davis, the exhibition represents her first game
as a Duck after sitting out last season because of aca
demic reasons.
“We’re just hoping to go in there and do what we
have to do,” Davis said, admitting she will be nerv
ous when she first steps on the court Saturday. “Just
use this for when Pac-10 comes around.”
Davis leads the list of players who will step onto
the court for the first time as a Duck. Freshmen Car
olyn Ganes and Yadili Okwumabua — both from
Turn to Women's, page 6A