EUGENE, Ore.
? For the third consecutive year under head coach Jim Moore, the Ducks were
crowned the champions of their annual season-opening tournament, the Oregon
Kickoff Classic, on Saturday night.
Oregon won its
home tourney by dispatching Kansas
in three games (30-20, 30-20, 30-20) in the sixth and final match, after both
teams entered the finale with records of 2-0.
The Ducks did not drop a game the entire tournament, and in
the championship match hit .344 led by Tournament MVP Sonja Newcombe's 12 kills
and .476 hitting percentage. She also added six digs and four block assists,
totaling 14.0 points on the evening.
It was the first time in the last four years of the
tournament that the Ducks did not drop a single game.
Also in double figures was junior Gorana Maricic, also named
to the all-tourney team. The six-foot-three outside hitter added 12 kills and six digs, and currently leads the team averaging 4.89 points per game over the first three matches.
Another newcomer, junior Kristen Forristall had
seven total blocks in the championship match, and currently leads the team with 1.67 blocks per game.
Third-year starting libero Katie Swoboda earned all tourney
honors after averaging 5.33 digs over the three matches, along with freshman left-handed outside hitter Heather Meyers. The Temecula,
Calif., native averaged 3.67
points per game during the tournament, with a .413 hitting percentage and four
service aces.
Oregon will
play at the Baylor Clarion Invitational next week in Waco,
Texas - again facing some top-notch
competition. The Ducks will first play Mississippi
State at 2 p.m. on Friday, and then match up with defending
Southland Conference champion Stephen F. Austin on Saturday at 11 a.m. Oregon's
final match will be with Baylor at 5 p.m.
on Saturday.
Kansas
finished the tournament 2-1, followed by Cal State Bakersfield (1-2), and Idaho
State (0-3).
Flavia Lina da Silva and Natalie Whart were named to the all
tournament team from Kansas,
while Cal State Bakersfield's Sarah Norman, who averaged 5.95 points per game
received the honor as well.
TOURNAMENT ROUND-UP
Match 1: Kansas
3, Cal State
Bakersfield 1 (30-23, 0-27, 25-30,
31-29)
Match 2: Oregon
3, Idaho State
0 (30-7, 30-19, 30-13)
Match 3: Oregon
3, Cal State
Bakersfield 0 (30-15, 30-20, 30-28)
Match 4: Kansas
3, Idaho State
0 (30-20, 30-21, 30-25)
Match 5: Cal State
Bakersfield 3, Idaho
State 0 (30-28, 30-27, 30-22)
Match 6: Oregon
3, Kansas 0 (30-20, 30-20, 30-20)
QUICK QUACKS: Oregon set a new program record on Friday night
against Idaho State...the Ducks held the Bengals to seven points in the first
game, a new program record low since the start of rally scoring in 2001...six newcomers
made their first appearance in an Oregon uniform at the tournament including,
Kristen Forristall, Gorana Maricic, Marija Milosevic, Rachel Morris, Coco
Yokoyama and Heather Meyers...head coach Jim Moore is now 24-1 (.960) at Oregon
in non-conference matches...against Idaho State, sophomore Neticia Enesi matched
her career high with four service aces...the 6-foot-1 middle blocker totaled a
team-leading seven aces through the tournament...despite making her first
appearances in an Oregon uniform junior Kristen Forristall led the team in
attacking percentage (.474) and blocks per game (1.67) during the tournament...Gorana Maricic, also in
her first matches for Oregon led the team with 4.89 points per game.
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