Oregon Club volleyball set to host tournament
The Student Rec Center
will host volleyball’s Saturday
tournament fundraiser
By Kirsten McEwen
Freelance Reporter
Seven teams will travel to Eugene on
Saturday to compete in the Second An
nual Northwest Collegiate Volleyball
Classic. The tournament will be hosted
by the Oregon men's Club volleyball
team and will feature teams from Ore
-gon, Washing
Club
Sports
ton and Idaho,
as well as Cana
da.
The event will
run all day Sat
urday at the Student Recreation Cen
ter, and eight teams including Oregon
will compete in pool play in the
morning hours and move onto brack
et play in the afternoon.
The Ducks will face two teams in
pool play they have never seen before
— Simon Fraser University and Hum
boldt State — in hopes of gaining a
top seed to start off bracket play.
Volleyball coordinator Kyle Sin
ner said the team is "definitely look
ing to take first place" in this week
end's tournament.
"So far our season has gone well,"
Sinner said. "We have grown a lot
and we should be very seasoned for
nationals."
Nationals will be held in Charlotte,
N.C., April 8-10.
On a roll
Gonzaga caught a glimpse of the
Oregon men's lacrosse team's poten
tial Saturday.
The Ducks defeated the Bulldogs,
24-1, on home turf and have recently
been transformed into a nationally
ranked team.
Men's Club lacrosse captain Jim
O'Neill said he has seen the program
grow from a team that "nobody took
seriously" to a team that is currently
ranked 11th nationally.
O'Neill said the season took anoth
er positive turn when the Ducks beat
No. 8 Simon Fraser, 9-8, on Feb. 22. It
was the first time Simon Fraser had
lost at home, and also the first time
the Ducks had ever defeated the club.
Oregon will travel to Bellingham,
Wash., on Saturday to play Western
Washington, and they will then play
Pacific Lutheran on Sunday in Tacoma.
"Western Washington put up 15
points against Simon Fraser but end
ed up losing," O'Neill said. '"They will
definitely give us a good game."
Oregon's next home game will pit
the Ducks against Colorado State, last
year's national champions. The game
will be played March 12 at 7 p.m. on
Oregon's turf field.
Duck Bill Chill
Hosting its only triathlon of the
year, Oregon's Triathlon Club is
preparing for the Duck Bill Chill,
which features beginning triathletes.
On April 10, triathletes of all skill
levels are invited to participate in the
Club's fifth-annual fundraiser and race
Hie triathlon will take place on the
Oregon campus and will include a
500-yard swim in the Student Recre
ation Center pool, a 12.4 mile bike
course on the Willamette Riverbank
Trail and a 3.1 mile run through the
University's campus.
Participants can register online at
http://www.goodrace.com, and en
try fees are $25 per individual and
$45 per relay team before April 1.
After April 1, entry fees will include a
$5 late fee. The entry fee includes a
race souvenir and post-race food
and refreshments.
Kirsten McEwen is a freelance reporter
for the Emerald.
Adam Amato Senior Photographer
Breanne Sabol is one of three Ducks to improve her batting average from the 2003 season.
MATCHUP
continued from page 13
Arendsen said. "We had to show up to
play in every game and we did. We also
demonstrated some real killer instinct,
getting on top of teams and continuing
to stay with it, not resting on our lau
rels. We finished games well."
There was also early concern
about offensive production. Three
hitters have improved their batting
averages from last season by at least
.150, including infielder Ashley
Richards. Richards is batting .412
this season after ending last season
with a .185 average.
"Right now (our hitting) is pretty
solid." Rirhards said "Por>r>l«> aro Ko.
Oregon is pick
ing up steam from
the beginning of
the season. With
a considerably
younger team
than 2003's squad,
Arendsen had
some early con
cerns about find
ing consistency.
Now the Ducks
are on the attack.
In the Aggie Invi
tational, they
outscored their
opponents 35-5
in the five victo
ries. After posting
an impressive
"It's a chance for us to
kind of see where we
measure up. We ll actually
be a valuable team for
Team USA as far as a
scouting report for Team
Canada. For our players,
it's a dream come true
to play against these
national powers."
Kathy Arendsen
Oregon head coach
ing pretty consis
tent and that's all
we can ask for."
Team USA is
the first of two
Olympic teams
that Oregon will
play this presea
son. The Ducks
open play at
Howe Field on
Wednesday when
they host Team
Canada.
"It's a chance for
us to kind of see
where we measure
up," Arendsen
said. "We'll actual
fielding percentage last season, Ore
gon is fielding .972 right now.
"That (percentage) puts you as
one of the best defensive teams in
the country,' Arendsen said. "It's an
other big step up. We're awfully
proud of that."
ly ue a vaiuaDie
team for Team USA as far as a scouting
report for Team Canada. For our play
ers, it's a dream come true to play
against these national powers."
Contact the senior sports reporter
at mindirice@dailyemeratd.com.
ROETMAN
continued from page 13
possession of the 2003-04 Pac-10 title
as the Cardinal settled for a split
championship with Arizona.
Even though it seems Oregon's
chances would be slim to none in a
potential second-round matchup
with Stanford, a Duck victory isn't
that far-fetched.
As Oregon showed in last week's
upset of mighty Stanford, the key to
beating the Cardinal is shutting
down senior All-American forward
Nicole Powell.
Taking Powell out of her game is
easier said than done, but Oregon
forward Kedzie Gunderson did a
phenomenal job Feb. 26.
Gunderson's not the quickest or
strongest defender, but what she
lacks in physical tools she makes up
for in mental muscle.
The 6-foot junior found a way to
get inside Powell's head by using
veteran defensive tactics. Along with
a quality overall defensive effort,
Gunderson pulled, bumped and
pushed on Powell when she got the
chance, frustrating the National
Player of the Year candidate.
When it came down to crunch
time, Powell — who was held with
out a field goal in the first half —
was complaining to officials instead
of focusing on the game.
If Gunderson can rattle Powell for
a second time, anything is possible.
If Oregon somehow advances to
the semi-final round, it would face
the winner of the game between No.
4 UCLA and No. 5 Arizona State.
The Ducks have beaten the Bruins
once and should have beaten the
Sun Devils in a meeting at McArthur
Court on Jan 24.
From there it's on to the cham
pionship game and a likely date
with No. 2 Arizona. The Ducks
were a couple of made free throws
away from upsetting the Wildcats
on Jan. 22.
Is a Pac-10 Tournament champi
onship and an automatic berth
into the NCAA Tournament likely
for the Ducks?
No.
But they can certainly make life
difficult for others.
Contact the sports reporter
at jonroetman@dailyemerald.coni.
His opinions do not necessarily
represent those of the Emerald.
FIGHTING
continued from page 14
let Oregon State get a couple of wins
or Washington State get a couple of
wins and then us lose a game and not
be guaranteed of getting in," Jackson
said. "These games and every game
I've ever played in has been impor
tant especially at home."
Although Oregon's seniors will
take to the McArthur Court floor for
the last time Saturday, they aren't
concentrating on the festivities. The
Trojans (12-13, 7-9) are the Ducks'
focus tonight.
"When we play in this building,
we tend to play with a lot of confi
dence, even though we let two
games get away from us last week
end, " Oregon head coach Ernie Kent
said. "With the seniors' last games
coming up this weekend, I expect
this team to be fully confident."
If history has anything to say, the
Ducks will be confident against the
Trojans. On Jan. 2 in Los Angeles,
Oregon defeated USC, 92-74. The
Ducks led by 16 at halftime and
coasted to the victory.
"We were playing really well as a
team, passing the ball, giving it up,
finding the open man, and every
body was on their game at that
point" Anderson said. "We played a
really good game. The main thing is
we were giving the ball up and play
ing as a team."
The win came before the Trojans
lost the services of junior guard
Errick Craven. The Carson, Calif.,
native was suspended last week for
the upcoming game against Oregon
by the Pac-10. The suspension was
issued for his part in one of two sep
arate incidents during the Trojans'
game against California on Feb. 21.
Craven's twin brother, Derrick,
was also suspended for his part in
the incidents and will sit out Satur
day' s game against Oregon State.
Errick Craven has averaged 10.8
points this season and scored 10 in
22 minutes against the Ducks.
"When you lose one of those kids,
you take a big part of what you've
been doing out of the lineup," USC
head coach Henry Bibby said. "But,
it's a great opportunity for other kids
to step up and play."
Oregon won't necessarily make
any amendments to its game plan
because of Errick Craven's absence.
After all, as Kent said at Tuesday's
practice, the Trojans are a fast team
in general.
"The only difference it will make
is it will allow somebody else to step
up and take his minutes, * Kent said.
"Somebody will step into that role
and realize they need to have a spe
cial game and a big game. We need
to make sure to counter whoever
that person is for them."
The same goes for Oregon, which
needs a reliable scorer behind Jackson,
who is averaging 21.7 points per game
this season. Aaron Brooks averaged
16.5 points in losses to California and
Stanford last week, but he is only four
games off a broken right wrist.
Ian Crosswhite ... Joseph ...
Davis? They're all capable and have
proved during this season they can
carry that secondary load.
Regardless of who steps into that
role, the Ducks say they all need to
focus on the Trojans.
Then they can get down to Satur
day's festivities.
Contact the sports editor
at hankhager@dailyemerald.com.
SPORTS BRIEFS
Duke dropped at home
for first time in 41 games
DURHAM, N.C. — Maybe Paul
Hewitt has been right all along.
Maybe his 19th-ranked Yellow
Jackets didn't reach their peak in
the Preseason National Invitation
al Tournament. Maybe their best
ball is still ahead of them.
Georgia Tech provided com
pelling evidence to back up He
witt's assertions on Wednesday
night beating No. 3 Duke, 76-68,
at Cameron Indoor Stadium,
where the Blue Devils had not lost
in 41 consecutive games.
"This validates what I've been
thinking as I watch tape that we're
playing better. We're getting bet
ter, " Hewitt said. "Right now it just
validates my mind that we're play
ing just as well as anybody in the
country."
The victory proved especially
sweet to Tech seniors Marvin Lewis
and Clarence Moore, who had lost
during their previous three trips to
Cameron. No current Yellow Jack
ets had ever beaten the Blue Dev
ils, as Tech snapped a 15-game los
ing streak against Duke dating
back to 1996. Hewitt earned his
first victory in eight tries against
the Blue Devils.
"I've been a part of a lot of big
wins, but I don't think I've ever
been as happy for a group of play
ers as I am tonight," Hewitt said.
"This is a nice moment for those
players."
— Brian Murphy
Knight Ridder Newspapers
Philadelphia Eagles
make free agent splash
with Kearse signing
PHILADELPHIA — The gate to
free agency opened on Wednes
day, and the Philadelphia Eagles
pounced on the player regarded
by many inside the NFL as the
best on the market.
All that stands between Jevon
Kearse and an eight-year, $66 mil
lion contract with the Eagles is
the thorough physical examina
tion he'll undergo this morning.
Hie Eagles released a statement
saying they had agreed to the
terms of a deal, but that no team
officials would have any com
ments until after Kearse takes
Wednesday's physical.
If Kearse passes his physical,
the Eagles will have themselves
one of the league's most feared
pass rushers and a wealth of
depth at defensive end. It's not a
guarantee, however, that Kearse
will pass the physical. He has
been slowed by injuries in each
of the last two seasons with the
Tennessee Titans.
Negotiations between the Ti
tans and Kearse broke down late
last week.
— Bob Brookover
Knight Ridder Newspapers