Duck Volleyball Season Starts Friday at Mac Court

The culture of the program is changing- the “new” Ducks bring more skill and athleticism than before

Photo courtesy: University of Oregon

EUGENE - The Ducks open up their 2006 season with a pair of non-conference home matches against UC Irvine and Portland State on Friday and Sunday, respectively.

The Oregon volleyball team welcomes seven newcomers and returns six players from last season’s squad, which finished 12-18 overall, 1-17 in the Pac-10 Conference. Among the returnees are SO OH Mira Djuric, a Pac-10 All-Freshman team member in 2005, and SO L Katie Swoboda, who earned honorable mention Pac-10 All-Freshman status.

Oregon head coach Jim Moore is in his second season in Eugene and 18th overall as a collegiate head coach. In his inaugural campaign at UO, Moore led the Ducks to their highest win total (12) and winning percentage (.400) in 14 seasons. Moore has compiled an overall mark of 364-174 during a career that has also included stops at Northern Michigan, Kansas State, Texas and Chico State. His 1993 Northern Michigan team won the NCAA II National Championship.

Upcoming Matches:

Friday, Aug. 24 vs. UC Irvine, McArthur Court, 7 PM

Sunday, Aug. 26th vs. Portland State, McArthur Court, 4:00 PM

Wednesday, Aug. 30th at Long Beach State, Long Beach, Calif., 7:00 PM

Friday, Sept. 1st at Cal St. Northridge, Northridge, Calif., 7:00 PM

Saturday, Sept. 2nd vs. Utah State, Northridge, Calif., 11:00 AM

SCOUTING UC IRVINE: The Anteaters return four starters from a 2005 team that went 10-20 overall and finished seventh in the Big West with a conference mark of 3-11. UCI is led by SR MB Trisha White, who averaged 2.62 kills and 0.44 blocks per game a season ago. Head coach Charlie Brande is in his seventh season at the helm for the Anteaters and has a career record of 84-95. UCI and Oregon have met only once before - a victory for the Anteaters in 1993.

SCOUTING PORTLAND STATE: The Vikings are coming off one of their best seasons at the NCAA Division I level with an overall record of 21-9 in 2005. PSU finished second in the Big Sky Conference with a 10-4 mark and returns more than half of its starting lineup, including SR OH Jessica Brodie, who at 5-6 led the team with 4.39 kills per game. Head coach Jeff Mozzochi leads the Vikings for a 15th season. He has a career record of 446-234 in 21 years overall. The Ducks and Vikings split a pair of matches in 2005 with each team winning on its home court. Portland State leads the all-time series 38-16-1.

OREGON KICKOFF CLASSIC: This weekend’s matches are part of a three-team tournament - the Oregon Kickoff Classic - between the Ducks, UC Irvine and Portland State. The two visiting schools will face each other in Saturday’s lone match at 4 p.m. UO went unbeaten in last year’s OKC, which included Gonzaga, Eastern Washington and South Dakota State.

UO SEASON OUTLOOK: The Oregon Volleyball program, entering year two of the Jim Moore era, began preseason camp last week poised to continue the upward climb in the Pac-10 conference and return a winning tradition to McArthur Court.

The Ducks have undergone a near full-scale makeover since Moore took the over reigns and the squad’s improved results have been evident since day one. Last year, Oregon notched its highest win total (12) and winning percentage (.400) in 14 seasons, thanks in large part to Moore’s first recruiting class which featured Pac-10 All-Freshman hitter Mira Djuric and libero Katie Swoboda, an All-Freshman honorable mention.

For 2006, Moore and his coaching staff replaced more than half of last year’s roster and welcome seven newcomers - including six freshmen - to the team. The other head coaches in the NCAA’s premier volleyball conference clearly see a positive trend developing in Eugene, picking Oregon eighth in the Pac-10 preseason poll. While eighth place may seem like nothing to write home about, consider that the Ducks have not finished higher than last place since the 1998 season. In other words, no UO player who began their career between 1999 and the present has ever finished better than a tie for last in the Pac-10.

Needless to say, the culture of the program is changing. The “new” Ducks are youthful, but bring more skill and athleticism than have been witnessed at Mac Court in quite some time.

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