University of Oregon
5-1
Utah Valley
0-5
UO Tops Utah Valley to Win KU Tourney
09/06/08 | Women's Volleyball
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LAWRENCE, Kan. ? The No. 13 University of Oregon volleyball team won the Kansas Invitational Saturday morning, thanks to a sweep of Utah Valley at the University of Kansas' Horejsi Family Athletic Center.
The Ducks (5-1) won by scores of 25-12, 25-18, 25-18 for their third sweep of the tournament and fourth of the season.
Oregon's hitting attack combined for a .338 hitting mark, and was led by senior Gorana Maricic who claimed 11 kills (and a .600 hitting mark), and junior Sonja Newcombe who added seven kills and a team best .778 mark.
On defense, UO limited the Wolverines to a .013 hitting mark as senior Kristen Forristall and junior Neticia Enesi had five and four blocks, respectively. Four players had at least three or more digs ? senior Katie Swoboda (5), juniors Marija Milosevic and Sonja Newcombe (4) and sophomore Heather Meyers (3) ? and junior Nevena Djordjevic claimed 16 assists.
“We got what we needed in many ways,” Oregon head coach Jim Moore said, “so overall it was a good tournament. It was great to get an opportunity to play everyone and have them contribute. I was really happy for Neticia and Kristen who haven't gotten a lot of recognition in the past and are now getting that. As a team, we still have a long ways to go, but there were several positive steps. I was really happy when Rhiannon (Tooker) came in and had some nice blocks. Heather responded well when we had her set more at the end. It was also fun to watch Gorana and Sonja really have good matches Saturday ? they finally had a chance to play at the level they're capable of and that will help their confidence.”
For Utah Valley (0-5), Kristen Anderson had eight kills (.200), and Jaicee Kuresa posted its best hitting mark (.222, 3 kills). Chelsea Fa'alogo had 15 assists, and Allyce Wilson came up with five digs.
After the match, Duck junior Neticia Enesi was honored as the Tournament MVP after she led the team In kills (24) and hitting percentage (.514). The native of The Dalles, Ore., had eight or more kills in all three, three-set matches, had at least three blocks in each contest, and averaged 2.67 kills per set ? the second-highest Duck mark of the tourney.
“It was fun to win all three matches and be able to take first place,” Enesi said. "As a team we did a good job of playing in control, having discipline to get each of our jobs done and still having fun. We have a lot of experience on this team, but it's also good to have the younger players around since they infuse a lot of energy which also helps us from getting too comfortable. I've been able to see the blockers better. I guess that comes from experience and putting less much pressure on myself.”
Also named to the All-Tournament team were senior Kristen Forristall (20 kills, 2.22 kpg, .368 avg., 17 block assists, 1.89 bps) and sophomore Heather Meyers (19 kills, 2.38 kps, .389 abg., 4 assists, 2 service aces, 13 digs, 5 blocks, 0.62 bps).
“We were able to stay aggressive and play our game,” Forristall said. “The team had great distribution, and everyone was getting even numbers of kills. Nevena was a big part of that with her setting, and so was our digging. We've also been able to hit from different places and to different parts of the court, and that helps us effect the other teams' rhythm.”
UO opened the match with a 5-1 run that was extended to 10-4 on a kill by Maricic. The Ducks extended their lead to 18-9 en route to a 25-12 win that was capped by two more late kills by Maricic. In the first game, the returning All-American logged the team's best kill total (5), and Newcombe hit a perfect 1.000 with four kills on her four attempts. Nevena Djordjevic had five assists, four players had block assists, and three Ducks had single digs.
In the second set, Utah Valley led the early going and even got out to an 8-3 lead early before the Ducks came back to tie the match, 11-11, in the middle of six straight kills by Enesi (4) and Maricic (2). UO ended the match on a 14-7 run to win the match 25-18 with the final kill by Maricic who had six kills in the set and hit .625. Enesi added four kills and a perfect 1.000 hitting mark; Djordjevic racked up all 11 of UO assists; Swoboda had four digs; and Forristall claimed four blocks.
In the third set, the two teams stayed within three points of each other until UO went up 14-10 in the middle of three straight blocks by Enesi, Meyers and/or Newcombe. UO ended the set on an 11-8 run.
Earlier in the tournament, UO swept Central Florida and Kansas Friday, and the three wins raised head coach Jim Moore's four-year non-conference record with the Ducks to 37-3.
“We wanted to work on staying aggressive and focused even when we're winning, especially coming out for a third set,” Meyers said. “It was fun that they had me set for several rotations in game three. They showed confidence in me by putting me in that position, and it was also fun because it was something different. My serving is coming around, too. This year, I'm serving a little different and working on getting my rhythm first each match instead of going for aces from the start. One of the best parts of the weekend was seeing all my teammates play, especially the freshmen who were so excited. Playing next to Rhiannon and Betsy was fun, and it was equally neat to see Dana come in and take my place because she's been working equally hard. I was was proud of them.”
Looking ahead, the Ducks return to the friendly confines of McArthur Court in Eugene for the two-day Oregon Classic next weekend. The Ducks open against returning NCAA qualifier UNLV on Friday, September 12 at 7 p.m., while Baylor and Eastern Washington play immediately beforehand at 4:30 p.m.
On Saturday, September 13, the Ducks face Eastern Washington at 12:30 p.m. and Baylor at 7 p.m. Other matches scheduled for Saturday include UNLV vs. Baylor at 10 a.m. and UNLV vs. Eastern Washington at 4:30 p.m.
Live stats will be available via the www.GoDucks.com website and an online video feed will be available to the website's Ozone subscribers.
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