No. 19 Ducks Look to Boost Resume in Final Week of Regular Season

Wednesday, November 23

Stanford, Calif.

7:00 PM

University of Oregon

Stanford

No. 19 Ducks Look to Boost Resume in Final Week of Regular Season

11/22/16 | Women's Volleyball

Weekly Notes - Stanford & OSU

Sitting At No. 21 in the RPI Rankings, Oregon Will Open Final Week at Stanford (No. 9 RPI) on Wednesday

By: Nate Krueger

EUGENE, Ore. - Entering the final two weeks of the regular season, the No. 19 Oregon volleyball team will look to boost its NCAA Tournament resume with a pair of matches at No. 12 Stanford (Wednesday, 7p.m.) and Oregon State (Friday, 12 p.m.) before making its sixth straight NCAA appearance and 14th overall.

Sitting at No. 21 in the NCAA RPI rankings, the Ducks (19-8, 12-6 Pac-12) have a chance to add to its impressive season and possibly move into the top 16 in the RPI, which would give them a hosting bid in the tournament, with a win over the Cardinal (No. 9 RPI).

The NCAA Tournament field will be announced on Sunday at 6 p.m. PT on ESPNU, with the top 16 teams in the final RPI rankings earning the chance to host in the first two rounds.

THIS WEEK

#19 OREGON (19-8, 12-6) at #12 STANFORD (19-7, 13-5)
Wednesday, Nov. 23
7 p.m. | Stanford, Calif. | Maples Pavilion
Watch: Pac-12 Network
Stats: gostanford.com

#19 OREGON (19-8, 12-6) at OREGON STATE (11-18, 4-14)
Friday, Nov. 25
12 p.m. | Corvallis, Ore. | Gill Coliseum
Watch: Pac-12 Network
Stats: osubeavers.com

WEEKLY NOTES

Ducks Split With UCLA and USC in Los Angeles
Trying to gain ground in the Pac-12 race, the Ducks came away from their Los Angeles trip with a 1-1 mark after rebounding to beat USC following a tough loss at then-No. 9 UCLA. On Friday against the Bruins, the Ducks struggled to contain long UCLA scoring runs and dropped the first two sets. After rebounding to win the third, big runs by the Bruins in the fourth ended the comeback bid. Ronika Stone led the Ducks with 12 kills on .333 hitting.

Looking to rebound on Friday at USC, the Ducks lost the opening set before rebounding in a big way. Oregon outlasted the Trojans in the second set to pull even and then dominated the final two sets, 25-13, 25-14, to leave Los Angeles with a win. The Ducks hit an astounding .406 as a team, their second-highest mark of the year, with four players finishing with double-digit kills. Stone led the way with 14 (.458), Taylor Agost put down 13 (.433), Jolie Rasmussen had 12 (.296) and Lindsey Vander Weide finished with 11 (.429).

Oregon by the Numbers: Ducks Rank Among Nation's Elite
Oregon's offense has been stellar this season, evident by the Ducks' standing in multiple national statistic categories. The Ducks rank ninth nationally in assists per set (13.55), 15th in hitting percentage (.275) and 17th in kills per set (14.32), while leading the Pac-12 in all three categories.

Individually, Amanda Benson is second in the Pac-12 and 28th in the country in digs per set with 5.07. Lindsey Vander Weide is third in the Pac-12 in aces per set (0.29) and eighth in kills per set (3.28). Ronika Stone is fifth in the conference with a .350 hitting percentage, Taylor Agost slots right behind at sixth on that list with a mark of .340, and Kacey Nady is 10th at .319. Jolie Rasmussen is sixth in the conference with 0.26 aces per set, and Maggie Scott is ninth with 6.71 assists per set.

Road Warriors
While the Ducks have played 18 of 27 matches at home this season, they have found the most success on the road, where they'll finish out the regular season, with an impressive 8-1 record. Oregon has three road wins over AVCA top-25 teams, and is 6-1 on the road in conference play with only a loss at then-No. 9 UCLA (Nov. 18) keeping the Ducks from an unbeaten road record. The Ducks have hit .277 away from Matthew Knight Arena while holding opponents to a mark of just .177. Taylor Agost has been a beast on the road with a .383 hitting percentage, and Ronika Stone is right behind at .374. Lindsey Vander Weide has also been very effective with a team-best 3.21 kills per set and a .287 hitting percentage.

Benson Joins Swoboda in 2,000-Dig Club
Playing at Washington State on Nov. 6, Amanda Benson moved her career dig total to 2,005 joining Katie Swoboda (2005-08) as the only two players in UO history to surpass the 2,000-dig mark. Benson currently trails Swoboda by 110 digs for the all-time record (2,198), but has joined her in the 2K club despite playing in significantly fewer sets in her career.

Oregon Enjoying Another Successful Season
A year after finishing 16-14 and 10-10 in Pac-12 and reaching the first round of the NCAA Tournament, the Ducks are just one win shy of 20 for the season with two matches to play and have already exceeded last season's conference win total with 12. If Oregon can win at least one of its final two matches, it will mark the eighth season under Jim Moore with at least 20 wins and 18th in program history. The Ducks are prepared to appear in their sixth straight NCAA Tournament and 14th overall, where they hold a 14-13 (.519) record after falling to Wisconsin in the first round last season.

Ducks Thriving in 6-2 Offensive Attack
The potent attack that has been the Oregon offense this season has been a somewhat unconventional sight for the conventional volleyball viewer, with Jim Moore rotating through as astounding number of players in a highly-effective offense. Led by Lindsey Vander Weide's 3.28 kills per set, the Ducks have seven different players that are averaging more than 1.00 kill per set, and five players hitting better than .275. Setters Maggie Scott and August Raskie have both been very effective while rotating through the offense, with Scott averaging 6.71 assists per set and Raskie adding 5.34 assists per set.

Moore Closing in on 600 Career Wins
In his 12th season with the Ducks and 28th overall, head coach Jim Moore is just four victories away from reaching the 600 mark as a head coach. 244 of those 596 wins have come while at the helm at Oregon, where he has boasted a .677 winning percentage over his 11-plus years. Moore collected a combined 84 wins over four years between Chico State and Northern Michigan before arriving in Eugene, and 84 over four years at Texas, Friday's opponent. Moore started his coaching career at Northern Michigan where he accumulated 123 wins in his first stint with the program before moving to Kansas State, where he won 61 matches over three seasons.

Offensive/Defensive Efficiency Key for the Ducks
The Ducks' success or failure this season has often come down to hitting efficiency. Oregon is 19-0 this season when leading in attack percentage and 12-0 when hitting better than .300. On the flip side, the Ducks are 0-8 when trailing in attack percentage and 0-5 when hitting under .200. Oregon is 16-0 when its opponent hits worse than .200, but 3-8 when its opponent hits better than .200. The Ducks have allowed an opposing team to hit better than .300 just one time in 27 matches this season.

Agost Showing Ability to Take Over Matches
When right-side hitter Taylor Agost has been on this season, she's been close to unstoppable. Agost has recorded double-digit kills 13 times this season, including eight of the last 12 matches, and has hit better than .400 11 times. The junior has committed only 52 attack errors on 570 swings this season, hitting her way to a .340 mark. Agost has committed two or fewer errors this season in each of her 11 matches hitting better than .400, highlighted by a career-best .667 mark on Sept. 2 against Murray State in which she put down 12 kills on 16 swings without an error.

Vander Weide Continues to Prove she's an All-Around Player
Often referred to on the outside as an "offensive weapon," sophomore Lindsey Vander Weide has made it clear so far this season that she is much more than just an outside hitter. Vander Weide has rarely come off the court this year, serving as a six-rotation player while passing from the back row on a consistent basis. Vander Weide is ninth in the Pac-12 with 10 double-doubles this season, and has posted double-digit digs in 15 of 27 matches this season. The sophomore also has a service ace in all but nine matches in 2016 with multiple aces in seven different matches, highlighted by a career-high four against Colorado in the home finale.

Benson, Vander Weide Providing Solid Back Line of Defense
The Ducks have largely relied on two players to dig balls this season, with Amanda Benson and Lindsey Vander Weide handiling the majority of those duties. Benson has continued her storied career of digging everything that comes her way, leading the Ducks (2nd in Pac-12) with 5.07 digs per set while recording 517 total digs. Vander Weide is averaging 2.76 digs per set with 282 digs while serving as the only consistent six-rotation player for the Ducks.

Freshmen Fab Four
Oregon's highly-touted freshman class has delivered on expectations thus far in their first season of collegiate volleyball. Ronika Stone has been stellar, leading the team in hitting percentage (.350), total blocks (88) and blocks per set (0.95), while providing the team with a noticeable infusion of energy. Stone's .350 hitting percentage is currently fifth in the Pac-12, and the San Jose, Calif. native has hit better than .300 in 20 of 27 matches this season. Jolie Rasmussen has shown tremendous potential on the offensive end, averaging 2.65 kills per set while hitting .214, and has also shown some ability in receive with 1.14 digs per set. Willow Johnson has provided versatility with her left-handed swing on the right side, hitting .229 with 1.92 kills per set while also averaging 0.55 blocks per set. Brooke Van Sickle, the heir apparent to Benson at libero, has been all over the court in her first season and has averaged 0.72 kills per set and 1.54 digs per set.

Impressive Win Streak Ends at 11
The Ducks' loss to No. 8 Washington on Oct. 7 ended an 11-match winning streak that included eight sweeps and 33 wins in 37 sets. During the streak, Oregon hit an impressive .337 as a team while holding opponents to a combined .141 hitting percentage. The Ducks hit better than .270 in each of the 11 wins, while hitting better than .300 in eight of the wins, and held opponents under .200 in all 11 matches including two matches under .100. Individually, Ronika Stone and Taylor Agost led the Ducks during the streak with hitting percentages of .462 and .442, respectively, while Lindsey Vander Weide led the team with 3.21 kills per set. Amanda Benson paced the defense with an impressive 5.32 digs per set. The Ducks' 11-match winning streak tied for the fifth-longest in program history.

Benson Chasing UO Digs Records in Final Season
In her senior season with the Ducks, libero Amanda Benson has a couple of UO career digs records within her sights. Benson is currently second on the all-time digs per set list at 4.66, trailing only Katie Swoboda (5.11). Benson is also second on the all-time total digs list with 2,088 for her career, joining Swoboda as the only two players in UO history to reach the 2,000 mark. Benson needs 110 digs this season to reach Swoboda's all-time mark of 2,198. Elsewhere in the UO career record book, junior setter Maggie Scott is ninth with 7.64 assists per set and sixth with 2,566 assists. Senior Kacey Nady is currently fifth with a career attack percentage of .314.

Ducks Looking to Earn Sixth Straigh NCAA Berth
Oregon enters 2016 with its sights set on returning to the NCAA Tournament for the sixth straight season. The Ducks faced off with Wisconsin in the first round of the dance last season, and reached the NCAA Regional round in 2014 after serving as a host school in the first two rounds. The Ducks battled with Nebraska in the second round of the tournament in 2013, a year after the program's most successful season in history in 2012 when it reached the national championship game against Texas. The Ducks started the five-year run in the tournament in 2011 in the first round against Colorado State.