Vander Weide Surging At The Right Time
09/27/18 | Women's Volleyball, @GoDucksMoseley
Oregon volleyball senior Lindsey Vander Weide is enjoying an offensive renaissance the past two weeks, perfectly timed as the Ducks continue Pac-12 play at home Friday against Arizona (8 p.m., Pac-12 Network).
As Pac-12 play got underway last week among the conference's volleyball teams, Oregon senior Lindsey Vander Weide showed flashes of the form that helped her earn all-conference and third-team all-America honors two years ago.
That's a refreshing development for Vander Weide and her teammates. And it's a scary notion for the rest of the Pac-12 as conference play continues this week, with the No. 12 Ducks set to host No. 24 Arizona on Friday (8 p.m, Pac-12 Network) and Arizona State on Sunday at 1 p.m., both in Matthew Knight Arena.
Vander Weide was a two-time all-conference player before a knee injury and an increased defensive load sapped her offensively as a junior in 2017. Last weekend she hinted at a return to form, with 22 kills in Oregon's five-set win over Washington State.
"Everybody knows Lindsey can play like that every single weekend," UO junior middle Ronika Stone said. "Seeing her break out and play like we all know she can was amazing. I hope that was a lesson for her, that she can do that all the time."
Vander Weide remains a critically important cog in Oregon's defense; she added a career-high 28 digs against the Cougars, and was named Pac-12 defensive player of the week. But she plays all the way around in the rotation because her offense has explosive potential as well, demonstrated when Vander Weide averaged better than three kills per set and hit better than .230 in each of her first two seasons.
As a junior, those numbers fell to 2.48 kills per set, and a .184 hitting percentage. But Vander Weide enters Friday's match against Arizona riding a four-match streak with double-digit kills, in which she's hitting .257.
"Right now I'm feeling really good," she said. "I think our team is playing really well together; the past couple weeks of practice have been really good. I just think we've been playing really well together, really disciplined volleyball. I think that's showed in our last couple games, so I'm pretty confident right now."
And a confident Vander Weide means trouble for the rest of the conference.
The Ducks already feature the imposing presence of Stone in the middle, and the left arm of Willow Johnson on the right side, and the wizardry of setter August Raskie's potent, timely attacks. When the Ducks get output on the left side like they did from Vander Weide against the Cougars, or Lauren Page's 12 kills three nights earlier against Oregon State, look out.
"If our lefts score, I'm not sure we can be beat," UO coach Matt Ulmer said. "Because we just do a lot of things well."
Vander Weide need not feel pressure to be solely responsible for helping the Ducks reach that potential. Page showed against the Beavers she can be a potent hitter when not helping Stone and Sumeet Gill in the middle. Sophomore Brooke Van Sickle is like Vander Weide in that she can play all the way around in part due to potential fireworks on the left side, and transfer Taylor Borup can be a factor there as well.
They all have differing skills sets. The key is producing at a rate that suitably complements Oregon's other weapons. To Ulmer, that means hitting at a rate of .250 or better – just what Vander Weide's been doing over the past two weeks.
"When you have a 'pin' that can produce the way (Vander Weide and Page did last week), it opens up our back row, opens up the middle, the right side," Stone said. "Having a 'pin' that can put the ball away out of system and in system is really important to our offense. Now that they've pretty much been taking over their role, it's gonna put a lot more pressure on the other team's defense."
Just what could that foretell? Stone didn't get specific. But she offered a compelling tease about what could be in store as this season progresses, this weekend at Matthew Knight Arena and beyond.
"We're trying things we haven't tried, just because once we've mastered the basics, we can move on," Stone said. "In practices, we're getting a lot more creative."
That portends an exciting future for the Ducks. And it's possible in no small part because Vander Weide is demonstrating a return to past form.
Sunday will be the Ducks' "Stomp Out Cancer" match, to raise awareness about childhood cancers and support 8-year-old Danielle Bixby, who joined the roster this year through the Team IMPACT program and was scheduled for her final, "ring the bell" session of chemotherapy Friday. T-shirts supporting the cause will be available at the match.
