Sweet 16 Next Test for UO Freshmen
by Rob Moseley
Editor, GoDucks.com
When the Oregon volleyball team swept through the first weekend of NCAA Tournament play, final exams were re-arranged this week so that the Ducks would be finished prior to leaving for Friday's Sweet Sixteen match against North Carolina in Minneapolis.
The No. 16 Ducks (23-9) face the No. 7 Tar Heels at 4 p.m. PT, with live streaming on ESPN3. The winner faces either Colorado State or Texas, but all Oregon eyes are on Friday's match — especially with exams out of the way.
"I'm done with finals," UO setter Maggie Scott said Tuesday. "So my only homework is to prepare for North Carolina and that match."
In the test that has been the freshman season for Scott and her classmates, Oregon's newcomers have passed with flying colors. Scott and outside hitter Frankie Shebby have been key pieces of the rotation all season, and opposite side hitter Taylor Agost's return from a foot injury fueled a late-season surge for UO coach Jim Moore's team.
"If we didn't have them, we'd be in big trouble, that's for sure," Moore said.
Scott has been "the real deal" in her freshman season, Scott said, and Shebby is third on the team with 2.57 kills per game. Agost's return has been analogous to a pro team making a late-season trade, helping the Ducks beat ranked UCLA and USC teams in her return to action for the final home series of the regular season.
Shebby and Agost complemented the Ducks' primary offensive weapon, Martenne Bettendorf, with 13 combined kills in their NCAA Tournament debut, a dominant win over Santa Clara in which Scott had 20 assists. Oregon wasn't as sharp the next day against LSU, but again the three freshmen were productive as the Ducks advanced to this weekend.
"Those were very big games, and I think they handled them extremely well," UO senior Liz Brenner said. "Hopefully they can carry that into the next round."
The question will be how the freshmen react to playing on the road. Moore said Shebby is unfazed by most anything, but Scott can contend with nerves, and Agost's inexperience compared with the other two could come into play.
Still, Moore said, "they're not freshmen at this point," after a long regular season.
"We want to dissect an individual match (but ultimately) we've got to go and we've got to play," Moore said. "If we play well and they play well, it's going to be really close. If we play well and they don't play quite as well, we'll beat them — and vice versa. There's so many factors that go into it."
The Tar Heels (28-2) beat Hampton and USC to open tournament play. Brenner said the Ducks watched video of the latter match, but that both teams Friday will have to handle being relatively unfamiliar with each other.
North Carolina hasn't lost since Sept. 6, at then-No. 6 Florida State. "They're like us, they're very balanced," Moore said. "They run a 6-2; they're willing to set anybody. They block well, they pass well, they play great defense — they're a very solid team."
Defense and passing have been a strength of Oregon's as well, and particularly so against Santa Clara. The Ducks get into rhythm offensively by receiving and passing well off opposing serves, and by serving well themselves.
That's where Brenner can take some pressure off the freshmen, as those are strengths of the senior's game. "Passing and serving sets the tone," Brenner said. "I think it's very important I do well in both of those. Everyone else can relax a little bit."
Ultimately, though, Oregon's freshmen will need to continue to play well for the Ducks to advance. It's the next test for a group of newcomers who have passed a slew of others so far in 2014.
