Ducks’ home finale ends in heartbreak
Uregon tails to 016 this
season in the Pac-10; the
Ducks lost to Arizona State
Friday in a close match
By Jon Roetman
Sports Reporter
Oregon's youthful exuberance
was on display during Friday's vol
leyball match with Arizona State.
Unfortunately for the Ducks, their
youthful inexperience crept into the
equation as well.
Oregon was in position to win
each game Friday but fell to the Sun
Devils, 3-1 (30-28, 27-30, 30-28,
30-28) in front of 1,127 fans in the
Ducks' 2003
home finale at
McArthur
Court.
After being
edged in game
one, Oregon captured momen
tum by securing game two when
DUCK
VOLLEYBALL
freshmen Kristen Bitter and Sarah
Mason blocked a Sarah Watkins
attack for the game-winning
point. The Mac Court crowd
erupted as Oregon headed to the
locker room tied, 1-1, a situation
the team had been in only once
all season.
The momentum would carry into
the late stages of game three when
Oregon built a 27-25 lead. Arizona
State, however, put the game away
with a 5-1 run coming out of a
timeout.
Game four looked like a repeat of
game three. After Oregon (3-22 over
all, 0-16 Pacific-10 Conference) took
a 28-26 lead, Arizona State head
coach Brad Saindon called a timeout.
The Sun Devils (9-16, 4-12) returned
to the court as the more focused
team and scored the next four points.
Senior Courtney Blocher, who fin
ished with 10 kills and 19 digs,
ended the match with a kill.
As the Ducks walked off the floor
they looked like a team that knew
they let one slip away.
"We can't ask any more of our
selves than to give 100 percent,"
Mason said. "We deserved to have
that win."
Overshadowed by the Oregon
loss was a excellent individual per
formance by Bitter. The 6-foot-4
inch middle blocker finished with a
double-double, including 10 total
blocks and a career-high 11 kills.
Bitter finished the match with a
.368 hitting percentage and provid
ed the Mac Court crowd with plen
ty to cheer about.
"She was awesome," head coach
Carl Ferreira said. "She showed
herself, her teammates and the
fans the kind of potential she has.
That kid has got All-Pac-10, All
American potential."
After the match, Bitter chose not
to focus on personal accolades,
instead wanting to focus on how
Oregon could get better.
"Losing sucks," Bitter said. "It's
frustrating because we're so close.
We just need to finish."
Oregon also received a double
double from sophomore middle
blocker Kelly Russell, who finished
with 14 kills and 10 digs. Mason
tied for the team lead with 14 kills,
while junior libero Katie O'Neil
hammered out a team-high 16 digs.
Another positive for Oregon was
the play of freshman setter Heather
Madison, who started her second
match in place of the injured Jodi
Bell. Madison ran the Duck offense
with the focus of a three-year veter
an, dishing out 53 assists. The for
mer high school All-American was
able to spread the ball around to
outside hitters and middle blockers
alike, keeping the offense in
rhythm.
Ferreira said he is pleased with
the way the Ducks competed.
"Personally, I think (the players)
are remarkable," Ferreira said.
"Their resiliency; their persistency;
their toughness. They have unbe
lievable character, and it's always
Danielle Hickey Senior Photographer
Kristen Bitter finished with 11 kills Friday in
Oregon’s loss at McArthur Court.
on display. I'm real proud of them."
Contact the sports reporter
at jonroetman@dailyemerald.com.
Oregon’s final tune-up expected to have more bite
The Ducks face a tougher,
more experienced opponent
in their second exhibition
game tonight at McArthur
By Hank Hager
Sports Editor
In Oregon's first exhibition of the
2003-04 season, it took on an un
known team from the Ukraine.
Tonight's
- game against
MEN'S the EA Sports
BASKETBALL ^h»“
Court will af
ford the Ducks
the chance to see some familiar faces.
Well, at least Duck fans will recognize
some of those players that step on the
court for the visiting team.
Former UCLA stars Ed O'Bannon
and Ray Young and former Arizona
Wildcat Rick Anderson will be in at
tendance at the game, which starts at
7 p.m. The trio is just a small portion
of the EA Sports roster that includes
former collegiate stars and will give
the Ducks a more competitive game
than the one they played last week
from MBC Nikolaev.
"EA Sports will be a stronger, more
physical team, * Oregon head coach
Ernie Kent said. "It is a better talented
team with several ex-UCLA guys, a
couple of ex-pro guys."
Oregon looked like the team that
Kent hypes as fast and physical down
low in its 96-76 win over MBC Niko
laev. Senior Luke Jackson had a dou
ble-double in the win and freshmen
Aaron Brooks and Mitch Platt played
well in their first games with the Ducks.
"I thought it was a good game over
all," Platt said. "We've got a lot of
room for improvement, as always."
The game against EA Sports will be
a good indication of where the Ducks
stand. EA Sports has gone 1 -9 so far in
exhibition games, losing recently to
California on Friday and Washington
State on Saturday.
The group has beaten only Col
orado State, but lost by seven to UCLA
on Wednesday. A night later, it lost by
eight to Fresno State, which happens
to be Oregon's season-opening oppo
nent Friday.
The Ducks expect to be ready for EA
Sports, despite the fact that Jordan
Kent and Matt Short still remain out
with injuries.
"Every year it takes the new guys a
little time to adjust to the system and
understand how they fit," Jackson
said. "It takes them a little time to un
derstand their roles. I think it's been
exciting how fast Mitch Platt, Ray
Schafer and Aaron Brooks have come
along this season. I definitely think it's
going to help our team the faster they
can learn and grow."
Few tickets remain
Fewer than 20 tickets remain for
Oregon's game against Fresno State
on Friday. The same is true for Ore
gon's first Pacific-10 Conference game
at McArthur Court on Ian. 15, when
the Ducks take on Washington.
The game against Portland State on
Dec. 2 at The Pit has approximately
225 tickets still available.
The only game this season at
McArthur Court that has an abun
dance of tickets still available is the
Dec. 17 game against Santa Clara. Be
cause it is winter break, tickets that
normally go to Oregon students will
be sold to the public. Fewer than
1,000 tickets remain for that game.
Contactthe sports editor
at hankhager@dailyemerald.com.
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