Ducks Set to Open Pac-12 Championship Against Utah

EUGENE, Ore. - The Oregon beach volleyball team will head to Stanford, Calif., this weekend for the 2018 Pac-12 Beach Volleyball Championship at the Stanford Beach Volleyball Stadium.

The Ducks (2-8), who are the No. 9 seed in the double-elimination tournament, will open the Pac-12 Championship at 8 a.m. PT on Thursday against Utah (Pac-12 Network). The winner will go on to face No. 1 seed UCLA at 3 p.m. PT, while the loser will play at 4:45 p.m. PT against the loser of the match between No. 2 seed USC and No. 7 seed Arizona State. All matches during the three-day event will be broadcast on Pac-12 Network.

PAC-12 CHAMPIONSHIP SEEDS
1. UCLA (31-3)
2. USC (22-10)
3. California (21-6)
4. Stanford (16-11)
5. Arizona (19-10)
6. Washington (12-11)
7. Arizona State (10-18)
8. Utah (4-10)
9. Oregon (2-8)

DUCKS DRAW UTAH IN OPENING ROUND AGAIN
For the second straight season, the Ducks will open the Pac-12 Championship against Utah. Last season, the Ducks and Utes played to a 3-2 thriller to kick off the conference tournament, with the Utes coming out on top. Oregon picked up wins at the No. 3 and No. 5 spots before the match came down to an extremely tight match on the top court, but Utah's pair of Adora Anae and Dani Barton edged Oregon's Lindsey Vander Weide and Brooke Van Sickle, 13-21, 21-19, 18-16. Oregon went on to fall to Washington in its next match to wrap up its time at the 2017 Pac-12 Championship. Oregon is seeking its first Pac-12 Championship win in program history.

UO COMPETES AT PAC-12 NORTH INVITATIONAL
The Ducks got a preview of what they could face this weekend on April 14-15 in Seattle at the Pac-12 North Invitational. Oregon took on No. 14 Stanford, No. 13 California, Washington and No. 4 USC. Though the Ducks dropped all four matches, they gained experience that could prove to be valuable as they enter the conference tournament. With three matches against ranked teams in Seattle, Oregon has faced a top-25 opponent in six of its 10 matches this season, including three teams in the top six.

DUCKS AVENGE LOSS TO PORTLAND
Playing in brutal beach volleyball conditions last Saturday in Salem, Ore., the Ducks avenged a season-opening loss to Portland with a 3-2 win over the Pilots amidst the wind and rain. Oregon got wins from Taylor Agost and Josie Cole at the No. 2 court, Maggie Scott and Ronika Stone at the No. 4 court, and Kyra Hanawahine and Marine Hall-Poirier at theNo. 5 spot.

SCOTT, STONE BECOME ALL-TIME WINS LEADERS
With a win at the No. 4 court to help UO beat Irvine Valley College, 3-2, on March 26, the duo of Maggie Scott and Ronika Stone secured their seventh career victory together and became the winningest pair in the young history of Oregon beach volleyball. Scott and Stone added another win against Portland last Saturday to extend their record. The pair leads the Ducks this season with a 3-3 record.

MATCH FORMAT
An NCAA Beach Volleyball "dual match" is won by the first team to get to three victories out of the five matches played. Each team has five pairs ranked one through five. The separate matches are played best out of three sets. The first two sets are played to 21 points, win by two, and if needed, the third set is first team to 15 points, also win by two.

PAC-12 PAIRS TOURNAMENT ELIMINATED
The Pac-12 Beach Volleyball Championship will look a little different in 2018, as the conference has eliminated the Pac-12 Pairs Tournament. The Pac-12 Championship will now consist only of the team dual-match tournament, and will run from April 26-28. Stanford will host the 2018 Pac-12 Championship.

ULMER BRINGS HISTORY OF BEACH SUCCESS
Head coach Matt Ulmer has some experience building a beach program into a national power, having led Long Beach State to the national championship in 2013. In his first year as the 49ers' head beach coach, Ulmer guided LBSU to the NCAA championship to become the youngest head coach to win a Division I volleyball championship (indoor included, men and women). Ulmer has also coached five beach players who have won FIVB medals and four that have made main draws in AVP events.