Friday, October 20
Eugene, OR
8:00 PM
University of Oregon
vs
Arizona
Ducks Begin Home Stand With Long-Term Goals in Mind
10/19/17 | Women's Volleyball
The No. 15 Ducks return to MKA this weekend to open a four-match home stand Friday against Arizona (8 p.m., Pac-12 Networks) as they look to begin their march to the postseason on a sustained upward trajectory
After a roller-coaster start to Pac-12 play, Oregon volleyball wants to enter the postseason on a sustained upward trajectory.
There's no better place to begin that drive than in Matthew Knight Arena.
The Ducks take a 4-4 conference record into a four-match homestand that begins against Arizona on Friday (8 p.m., Pac-12 Network). The first half of conference play wraps up when the UO women host Arizona State on Saturday night at 7 p.m., leaving a month left to solidify things before the NCAA Tournament.
"We're fighting point for point with every team we play," first-year UO coach Matt Ulmer said. "We're in a good position, and the more comfortable we can get as we get healthy, we can start to separate ourselves."
The Ducks (11-5) have played in recent weeks without sophomores Brooke Van Sickle, who is out for the season, and Jolie Rasmussen, who suffered a concussion at UCLA on Sept. 22. Ulmer is hopeful Rasmussen can return as soon as this weekend, against the Wildcats (8-10, 2-7) and Sun Devils (10-10, 0-8).
As with Oregon's progress to this point in the season, Ulmer has taken the long view with Rasmussen's recovery. He's more focused on getting into position for an extended postseason run than on the Pac-12 standings, and to that end he's more focused on having Rasmussen return to full strength than hurry back.
"She looks a lot better to me," Ulmer said of the sophomore hitter, who averages 2.33 kills per set. "I haven't wanted to rush her back; my goal is to have her for a long, extended period of time. So far while she's been at Oregon, it's been off, on, off, on. So I'm trying to get her as healthy as she can be. …
"I want to play our best ball in the end, and I feel like we're in the process of doing that; a big part of that is Jolie."
Rasmussen's return would be a boon for a team that's employed major position switches at midseason to weather the injuries. Senior Taylor Agost has moved into a six-rotation role, and middle blockers Ronika Stone and Lauren Page have helped fill in as hitters.
Agost is thriving in the expanded role, averaging 3.94 kills and 2.00 digs per set over the last two weeks.
"Adding all these things is so much fun," she said. "It just opens up a whole new world of volleyball."
This weekend's matchups wrap up a first round of conference play that for now looks like a tougher slate than the second half. Oregon played ranked teams on the road at UCLA, Utah and Washington over the last month; the only road match left against a current top-25 team is at Stanford, on Nov. 5.
Next week, the Ducks remain at home, to face Utah and Colorado. Thus, players will have two weeks of sleeping in their own beds, attending classes rather than study hall on the road, and recharging their batteries for the home stretch.
"Not only do we love playing in front of our fans in Eugene, but it's easier on us with classes," setter Maggie Scott said. "Travel can wear you down. So hopefully that'll help us out down the road."
Entering this weekend, the Ducks are No. 9 in the RPI, primed to host early rounds of postseason play. Protecting that ranking will be the first order of business over the rest of the regular season, beginning Friday at home against Arizona.
"I'm proud of where we are," Agost said. "Obviously we'd like our record to be better, but I think where we're sitting is a good position."
There's no better place to begin that drive than in Matthew Knight Arena.
The Ducks take a 4-4 conference record into a four-match homestand that begins against Arizona on Friday (8 p.m., Pac-12 Network). The first half of conference play wraps up when the UO women host Arizona State on Saturday night at 7 p.m., leaving a month left to solidify things before the NCAA Tournament.
"We're fighting point for point with every team we play," first-year UO coach Matt Ulmer said. "We're in a good position, and the more comfortable we can get as we get healthy, we can start to separate ourselves."
The Ducks (11-5) have played in recent weeks without sophomores Brooke Van Sickle, who is out for the season, and Jolie Rasmussen, who suffered a concussion at UCLA on Sept. 22. Ulmer is hopeful Rasmussen can return as soon as this weekend, against the Wildcats (8-10, 2-7) and Sun Devils (10-10, 0-8).
As with Oregon's progress to this point in the season, Ulmer has taken the long view with Rasmussen's recovery. He's more focused on getting into position for an extended postseason run than on the Pac-12 standings, and to that end he's more focused on having Rasmussen return to full strength than hurry back.
"She looks a lot better to me," Ulmer said of the sophomore hitter, who averages 2.33 kills per set. "I haven't wanted to rush her back; my goal is to have her for a long, extended period of time. So far while she's been at Oregon, it's been off, on, off, on. So I'm trying to get her as healthy as she can be. …
"I want to play our best ball in the end, and I feel like we're in the process of doing that; a big part of that is Jolie."
Rasmussen's return would be a boon for a team that's employed major position switches at midseason to weather the injuries. Senior Taylor Agost has moved into a six-rotation role, and middle blockers Ronika Stone and Lauren Page have helped fill in as hitters.
Agost is thriving in the expanded role, averaging 3.94 kills and 2.00 digs per set over the last two weeks.
"Adding all these things is so much fun," she said. "It just opens up a whole new world of volleyball."
This weekend's matchups wrap up a first round of conference play that for now looks like a tougher slate than the second half. Oregon played ranked teams on the road at UCLA, Utah and Washington over the last month; the only road match left against a current top-25 team is at Stanford, on Nov. 5.
Next week, the Ducks remain at home, to face Utah and Colorado. Thus, players will have two weeks of sleeping in their own beds, attending classes rather than study hall on the road, and recharging their batteries for the home stretch.
"Not only do we love playing in front of our fans in Eugene, but it's easier on us with classes," setter Maggie Scott said. "Travel can wear you down. So hopefully that'll help us out down the road."
Entering this weekend, the Ducks are No. 9 in the RPI, primed to host early rounds of postseason play. Protecting that ranking will be the first order of business over the rest of the regular season, beginning Friday at home against Arizona.
"I'm proud of where we are," Agost said. "Obviously we'd like our record to be better, but I think where we're sitting is a good position."
Players Mentioned
RS
/ Women's Volleyball
MB/OH
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
OH/L/DS
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