Photo by: Molly McPherson
Pukis Setting The Pace For Ducks
12/07/22 | Women's Volleyball, @GoDucksMoseley
Oregon boasts a top-five offense nationally, with transfer Hannah Pukis distributing the ball from the setter position.
LOUISVILLE — When Hannah Pukis entered the transfer portal a year ago, she wrote down a list of questions she had about potential new schools.
As the all-Pac-12 volleyball setter sought answers to those questions from head coaches, the list of outgoing calls on her phone grew and grew. And after one call in particular, her messages inbox quickly filled up, too.
When members of the UO volleyball team found out Pukis was looking for a new home, they made it clear she'd be welcomed in Eugene with open arms.
"I think seven Oregon players reached out to me," Pukis recalled. "And that's carried over — I couldn't ask for better teammates. Those people are what made the transition so easy."
Joining the Ducks has indeed looked like a smooth transition for Pukis, who in her first season with the program earned her third career AVCA Pacific North all-region honor. With Pukis distributing the ball as their setter this season, the Ducks are fourth in the nation with a .298 hitting percentage entering their NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen matchup against Nebraska on Thursday (8 a.m. PT, ESPNU).
Oregon takes a 25-5 record into Thursday's NCAA regional semifinal, which is being hosted by Louisville. The Ducks are 22-2 with Pukis as their starter, having hit .300 or better in 11 of the 14 Pac-12 Conference matches she started.
"Hannah impacts us in a variety of ways, but I think one that's really hard to measure until she's in the gym is just how confident she is as a teammate," UO coach Matt Ulmer said. "As a leader, her voice is so consistent. She has total belief in her abilities. It's been fun to coach, fun to work with."
Pukis began her career at Washington State, helping the Cougars reach the NCAA Tournament each of the past three seasons. On Thursday, she'll make her first career appearance in a regional semifinal.
It was almost exactly a year ago that WSU's 2021 season ended in the second round of the tournament, and Pukis opted to enter the portal. She enrolled at Oregon for the winter quarter, giving her all of 2022 to build chemistry with her new team — a transition that would have been much more difficult the previous two years due to pandemic protocols.
"Volleyball is such a team sport; one side of that is playing together as a team, but the other is getting to know each other, getting that chemistry and developing those relationships," Ulmer said. "With Hannah coming in in January, she had a chance to do that. And I think, from day one, she has felt pretty comfortable in the gym and around her teammates."
As the third-seeded Ducks prepare to face the second-seeded Cornhuskers in Thursday's regional semifinal, a prominent topic around the match has been the early start time, to accommodate television on a packed day of NCAA Tournament action around the country. Asked about that Wednesday, Pukis noted that the Ducks practiced in the morning throughout the season.
And her answer further reflected the connections she's built with her new team.
"I mean, it's kind of nice to start your day with your favorite thing to do, and your favorite people to be around," she said. "So we get up, and I think it kind of sets the precedent for the rest of your day — when you wake up and you're getting after it from 8 o'clock, the rest of your day is gonna follow suit."
The impact Pukis has had on the Ducks has earned the respect of opposing coaches. Earlier this week she was named all-Pac-12, an honor that, like the all-region team, is voted on by coaches. And the coach on the opposing bench for Thursday's Sweet Sixteen match sees her value as well when scouting Oregon.
"The best player is their setter," Nebraska coach John Cook told the Lincoln Journal Star newspaper, high praise when talking about a UO team that includes Brooke Nuneviller. "She's really good."
When Pukis is distributing the ball for Oregon on Thursday, it will be strength against strength. While the Ducks have the fourth-best hitting percentage in the country, the Cornhuskers are first in the nation with a .123 hitting percentage allowed.
"We've had a great offensive year, led by what Hannah's been doing," Ulmer said. "But that's really going to be tested against Nebraska. They've just got a really solid block everywhere. There's no easy answers, no easy sideouts, no easy rotations."
Pukis knows it won't be easy to win Thursday. But she's ready for the challenge, joined at her side by all those UO teammates who welcomed her with open arms back in January.
"It's about playing Oregon volleyball," Pukis said. "We try to really focus on what's happening on our side of the court. I have the utmost faith in our passers; our passers help us create the offense we want, and our hitters are going to continue to do what they do. Regardless of who we play on the other side."
As the all-Pac-12 volleyball setter sought answers to those questions from head coaches, the list of outgoing calls on her phone grew and grew. And after one call in particular, her messages inbox quickly filled up, too.
When members of the UO volleyball team found out Pukis was looking for a new home, they made it clear she'd be welcomed in Eugene with open arms.
"I think seven Oregon players reached out to me," Pukis recalled. "And that's carried over — I couldn't ask for better teammates. Those people are what made the transition so easy."
Joining the Ducks has indeed looked like a smooth transition for Pukis, who in her first season with the program earned her third career AVCA Pacific North all-region honor. With Pukis distributing the ball as their setter this season, the Ducks are fourth in the nation with a .298 hitting percentage entering their NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen matchup against Nebraska on Thursday (8 a.m. PT, ESPNU).
Oregon takes a 25-5 record into Thursday's NCAA regional semifinal, which is being hosted by Louisville. The Ducks are 22-2 with Pukis as their starter, having hit .300 or better in 11 of the 14 Pac-12 Conference matches she started.
"Hannah impacts us in a variety of ways, but I think one that's really hard to measure until she's in the gym is just how confident she is as a teammate," UO coach Matt Ulmer said. "As a leader, her voice is so consistent. She has total belief in her abilities. It's been fun to coach, fun to work with."
Pukis began her career at Washington State, helping the Cougars reach the NCAA Tournament each of the past three seasons. On Thursday, she'll make her first career appearance in a regional semifinal.
It was almost exactly a year ago that WSU's 2021 season ended in the second round of the tournament, and Pukis opted to enter the portal. She enrolled at Oregon for the winter quarter, giving her all of 2022 to build chemistry with her new team — a transition that would have been much more difficult the previous two years due to pandemic protocols.
"Volleyball is such a team sport; one side of that is playing together as a team, but the other is getting to know each other, getting that chemistry and developing those relationships," Ulmer said. "With Hannah coming in in January, she had a chance to do that. And I think, from day one, she has felt pretty comfortable in the gym and around her teammates."
As the third-seeded Ducks prepare to face the second-seeded Cornhuskers in Thursday's regional semifinal, a prominent topic around the match has been the early start time, to accommodate television on a packed day of NCAA Tournament action around the country. Asked about that Wednesday, Pukis noted that the Ducks practiced in the morning throughout the season.
And her answer further reflected the connections she's built with her new team.
"I mean, it's kind of nice to start your day with your favorite thing to do, and your favorite people to be around," she said. "So we get up, and I think it kind of sets the precedent for the rest of your day — when you wake up and you're getting after it from 8 o'clock, the rest of your day is gonna follow suit."
The impact Pukis has had on the Ducks has earned the respect of opposing coaches. Earlier this week she was named all-Pac-12, an honor that, like the all-region team, is voted on by coaches. And the coach on the opposing bench for Thursday's Sweet Sixteen match sees her value as well when scouting Oregon.
"The best player is their setter," Nebraska coach John Cook told the Lincoln Journal Star newspaper, high praise when talking about a UO team that includes Brooke Nuneviller. "She's really good."
When Pukis is distributing the ball for Oregon on Thursday, it will be strength against strength. While the Ducks have the fourth-best hitting percentage in the country, the Cornhuskers are first in the nation with a .123 hitting percentage allowed.
"We've had a great offensive year, led by what Hannah's been doing," Ulmer said. "But that's really going to be tested against Nebraska. They've just got a really solid block everywhere. There's no easy answers, no easy sideouts, no easy rotations."
Pukis knows it won't be easy to win Thursday. But she's ready for the challenge, joined at her side by all those UO teammates who welcomed her with open arms back in January.
"It's about playing Oregon volleyball," Pukis said. "We try to really focus on what's happening on our side of the court. I have the utmost faith in our passers; our passers help us create the offense we want, and our hitters are going to continue to do what they do. Regardless of who we play on the other side."
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