Photo by: Samuel Marshall/Eric Evans Photography
Nuneviller Hitting her Stride Outside
10/03/19 | Women's Volleyball, @GoDucksMoseley
An all-American as a libero last season, Brooke Nuneviller has found a new home as a hitter for the Ducks, who host Stanford on Friday (7 p.m. PT, ESPN2).
A month into her new role as a hitter with the Oregon volleyball program, Brooke Nuneviller is hitting her stride, perfect timing as the Ducks enter the heart of Pac-12 play.
The UO volleyball team hosts third-ranked Stanford, the defending NCAA champions, in Matthew Knight Arena on Friday (7 p.m., ESPN2). The weekend homestand concludes against No. 19 California on Sunday at 1 p.m.
The No. 25 Ducks bring a 5-6 record into the weekend, forged mostly during a two-week East Coast trip on which Oregon faced a tough gantlet of nationally ranked foes. Four of the six losses came while hitter Willow Johnson was sidelined by an ankle injury.
That only added to the pressure on Nuneviller, an all-American last fall as a freshman libero for the Ducks. Already placed in a new position as a sophomore, she became an even bigger focal point for the offense while Johnson was sidelined — which in the long road might have been as much blessing as curse.
Nuneviller no longer thinks of herself as a player in transition, a month into her sophomore season at outside hitter.
"I think I've almost fully made the switch, and it's just a mentality," Nuneviller said. "I think I have a stronger mindset, a more aggressive mindset."
Through 43 sets across 11 matches, Nuneviller leads the Ducks with 392 total attacks. She's finished 140 kills, an average of 3.26 per set, with a hitting average of .233.
All that offensive production has come despite the fact Oregon still relies on Nuneviller's abilities in the back row. Her 122 digs are six behind new starting libero Georgia Murphy's team-high 128. And while she's now being leaned on to finish off Oregon's offensive attack as a hitter, Nuneviller is still helping get it started, as a critical cog in the team's serve reception due to her passing ability.
In fact, Nuneviller said, juggling the similar but subtly different roles as libero helped her with the new job juggling responsibilities as a hitter. The calm and control necessary to receive serve and get the offense in system with a quality pass is much different than the frantic, fast-twitch job of digging balls on defense.
"Those are completely different mindsets," Nuneviller said.
So too are playing in the back row and attacking at the net. But Nuneviller is making it work.
"When I first made the transition, I was more focused on hitting, and I would say that did affect my passing a little bit, and defense," Nuneviller said. "But now I'm really comfortable."
The switch flipped on the East Coast, she said. Something clicked in mid-September; during a Sept. 14 match against then-No. 4 Penn State, she had 10 kills but also 10 errors, hitting .000. Three days later, though, Nuneviller set a career-high with 19 kills at Princeton. She's had at least 15 kills in five of six matches since the loss to Penn State.
Part of that success has been learning through experience how to operate as a hitter at 5-foot-11 — an extremely athletic 5-foot-11, to be sure, but still a few inches shorter than many of her cohorts.
Teammate and fellow hitter Taylor Williams stands 6-2, and could easily dunk a basketball on a 10-foot rim. Nuneviller can do just about everything, but she can't do that.
"I can't play the same as her; I have to use the block more — tool balls off the block — rather than just going up there and hitting over it," Nuneviller said. "So yeah, I have to make adjustments."
A month into her position switch, she's doing exactly that.
"There's definitely tendencies you can pick up from each team; whether they like to reach outside, or if their block floats and you can take the hole — things like that," Nuneviller said. "I like to look at shots, too — like, off-speed hits, or if there's a middle-of-the-court shot open, or a high-line shot.
"You have to have a big toolbox."
With her diverse array of skills, Nuneviller already had arguably the most tools on Oregon's roster. She's only added to that over the last month, and now the Ducks are looking to hit their midseason stride as the calendar turns to October.
The UO volleyball team hosts third-ranked Stanford, the defending NCAA champions, in Matthew Knight Arena on Friday (7 p.m., ESPN2). The weekend homestand concludes against No. 19 California on Sunday at 1 p.m.
The No. 25 Ducks bring a 5-6 record into the weekend, forged mostly during a two-week East Coast trip on which Oregon faced a tough gantlet of nationally ranked foes. Four of the six losses came while hitter Willow Johnson was sidelined by an ankle injury.
That only added to the pressure on Nuneviller, an all-American last fall as a freshman libero for the Ducks. Already placed in a new position as a sophomore, she became an even bigger focal point for the offense while Johnson was sidelined — which in the long road might have been as much blessing as curse.
Nuneviller no longer thinks of herself as a player in transition, a month into her sophomore season at outside hitter.
"I think I've almost fully made the switch, and it's just a mentality," Nuneviller said. "I think I have a stronger mindset, a more aggressive mindset."
Through 43 sets across 11 matches, Nuneviller leads the Ducks with 392 total attacks. She's finished 140 kills, an average of 3.26 per set, with a hitting average of .233.
All that offensive production has come despite the fact Oregon still relies on Nuneviller's abilities in the back row. Her 122 digs are six behind new starting libero Georgia Murphy's team-high 128. And while she's now being leaned on to finish off Oregon's offensive attack as a hitter, Nuneviller is still helping get it started, as a critical cog in the team's serve reception due to her passing ability.
In fact, Nuneviller said, juggling the similar but subtly different roles as libero helped her with the new job juggling responsibilities as a hitter. The calm and control necessary to receive serve and get the offense in system with a quality pass is much different than the frantic, fast-twitch job of digging balls on defense.
"Those are completely different mindsets," Nuneviller said.
So too are playing in the back row and attacking at the net. But Nuneviller is making it work.
"When I first made the transition, I was more focused on hitting, and I would say that did affect my passing a little bit, and defense," Nuneviller said. "But now I'm really comfortable."
The switch flipped on the East Coast, she said. Something clicked in mid-September; during a Sept. 14 match against then-No. 4 Penn State, she had 10 kills but also 10 errors, hitting .000. Three days later, though, Nuneviller set a career-high with 19 kills at Princeton. She's had at least 15 kills in five of six matches since the loss to Penn State.
Part of that success has been learning through experience how to operate as a hitter at 5-foot-11 — an extremely athletic 5-foot-11, to be sure, but still a few inches shorter than many of her cohorts.
Teammate and fellow hitter Taylor Williams stands 6-2, and could easily dunk a basketball on a 10-foot rim. Nuneviller can do just about everything, but she can't do that.
"I can't play the same as her; I have to use the block more — tool balls off the block — rather than just going up there and hitting over it," Nuneviller said. "So yeah, I have to make adjustments."
A month into her position switch, she's doing exactly that.
"There's definitely tendencies you can pick up from each team; whether they like to reach outside, or if their block floats and you can take the hole — things like that," Nuneviller said. "I like to look at shots, too — like, off-speed hits, or if there's a middle-of-the-court shot open, or a high-line shot.
"You have to have a big toolbox."
With her diverse array of skills, Nuneviller already had arguably the most tools on Oregon's roster. She's only added to that over the last month, and now the Ducks are looking to hit their midseason stride as the calendar turns to October.
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