Photo by: Samuel Marshall
Ducks Picked Third in Pac-12 Preseason Poll
08/12/19 | Women's Volleyball
Oregon volleyball received one first-place vote and was picked to finish third in the Pac-12, and Willow Johnson, Brooke Nuneviller and Ronika Stone were all named to the preseason all-Pac-12 team
EUGENE, Ore. – The 2019 Oregon volleyball team earned one first-place vote and was picked to finish third in the Pac-12 in the preseason poll of the conference's coaches released on Monday.
Returning AVCA all-Americans Willow Johnson, Brooke Nuneviller and Ronika Stone were also named to the 14-player preseason all-Pac-12 team.
The Ducks are entering their third season under head coach Matt Ulmer and are coming off a thrilling run to the NCAA Elite Eight in 2018, when the Ducks tied for second in the Pac-12 to match the program's best-ever conference finish.
Oregon received 99 total points and one first-place vote to come in third in the preseason poll behind defending national champion Stanford (121) and USC (104). The Cardinal earned the other 11 first-place votes. The Ducks edged out Washington (98) by one point for the third spot in the poll.
With three players on the preseason all-Pac-12 team, the Ducks tied USC for the second-most of any team in the conference. Stanford placed five players on the squad to lead the way.
Stone was a second-team all-American last season after leading the Ducks with a .342 hitting percentage and 1.19 blocks per set while averaging a career-high 3.02 kills per set. The senior middle blocker has been named to the all-Pac-12 team each of the past two seasons.
Johnson received honorable mention all-America status in 2018 after a breakout junior season. The right-side hitter averaged 2.76 kills per set with an impressive .312 hitting percentage, and she emerged as a big-time serving threat during the Ducks' NCAA Tournament run.
Nuneviller was also an honorable mention all-America selection last year after a terrific freshman season as the Ducks' libero. The Chandler, Ariz., native was a Pac-12 all-freshman pick and the AVCA Pacific North freshman of the year after finishing with 580 total digs, third-most in UO single-season history, but she will be taking on a different role in 2019 as she transitions to outside hitter for her sophomore season.
The Ducks will host their annual Green-Yellow Scrimmage on Saturday, Aug. 24, in Matthew Knight Arena before opening the season at home against UC Irvine and Boston College on Aug. 30-31 in the Oregon Classic.
2019 Pac-12 Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Stanford (11) – 121
2. USC – 104
3. Oregon (1) – 99
4. Washington – 98
5. Utah – 68
6. Arizona – 65
7. UCLA – 63
8. Washington State – 45
9. California – 45
10. Colorado – 44
11. Arizona State – 23
12. Oregon State – 17
Preseason All-Pac-12 Team
Kara Bajema, Washington
Brooke Botkin, USC
Dani Drews, Utah
Audriana Fitzmorris, Stanford
Madeleine Gates, Stanford
Jenna Gray, Stanford
Morgan Hentz, Stanford
Willow Johnson, Oregon
Khalia Lanier, USC
Raquel Lazaro, USC
Mac May, UCLA
Brooke Nuneviller, Oregon
Kathryn Plummer, Stanford
Ronika Stone, Oregon
Returning AVCA all-Americans Willow Johnson, Brooke Nuneviller and Ronika Stone were also named to the 14-player preseason all-Pac-12 team.
The Ducks are entering their third season under head coach Matt Ulmer and are coming off a thrilling run to the NCAA Elite Eight in 2018, when the Ducks tied for second in the Pac-12 to match the program's best-ever conference finish.
Oregon received 99 total points and one first-place vote to come in third in the preseason poll behind defending national champion Stanford (121) and USC (104). The Cardinal earned the other 11 first-place votes. The Ducks edged out Washington (98) by one point for the third spot in the poll.
With three players on the preseason all-Pac-12 team, the Ducks tied USC for the second-most of any team in the conference. Stanford placed five players on the squad to lead the way.
Stone was a second-team all-American last season after leading the Ducks with a .342 hitting percentage and 1.19 blocks per set while averaging a career-high 3.02 kills per set. The senior middle blocker has been named to the all-Pac-12 team each of the past two seasons.
Johnson received honorable mention all-America status in 2018 after a breakout junior season. The right-side hitter averaged 2.76 kills per set with an impressive .312 hitting percentage, and she emerged as a big-time serving threat during the Ducks' NCAA Tournament run.
Nuneviller was also an honorable mention all-America selection last year after a terrific freshman season as the Ducks' libero. The Chandler, Ariz., native was a Pac-12 all-freshman pick and the AVCA Pacific North freshman of the year after finishing with 580 total digs, third-most in UO single-season history, but she will be taking on a different role in 2019 as she transitions to outside hitter for her sophomore season.
The Ducks will host their annual Green-Yellow Scrimmage on Saturday, Aug. 24, in Matthew Knight Arena before opening the season at home against UC Irvine and Boston College on Aug. 30-31 in the Oregon Classic.
2019 Pac-12 Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Stanford (11) – 121
2. USC – 104
3. Oregon (1) – 99
4. Washington – 98
5. Utah – 68
6. Arizona – 65
7. UCLA – 63
8. Washington State – 45
9. California – 45
10. Colorado – 44
11. Arizona State – 23
12. Oregon State – 17
Preseason All-Pac-12 Team
Kara Bajema, Washington
Brooke Botkin, USC
Dani Drews, Utah
Audriana Fitzmorris, Stanford
Madeleine Gates, Stanford
Jenna Gray, Stanford
Morgan Hentz, Stanford
Willow Johnson, Oregon
Khalia Lanier, USC
Raquel Lazaro, USC
Mac May, UCLA
Brooke Nuneviller, Oregon
Kathryn Plummer, Stanford
Ronika Stone, Oregon
Players Mentioned
RS
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OH/L
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