Ducks Open Final Regular Season Home Stand in Tie for First

Wednesday, November 9

Eugene, Ore.

7:00 PM

University of Oregon

Utah

Photo by: Eric Evans/GoDucks.com

Ducks Open Final Regular Season Home Stand in Tie for First

11/08/16 | Women's Volleyball

Notes - Utah & Colorado Notes - Utah&Colorado

In Four-Way Tie for Pac-12 Lead, Oregon Welcomes Utah and Colorado to MKA this Week

By: Nate Krueger

THIS WEEK

#16 OREGON vs. #19 UTAH
Wednesday, Nov. 9 | 7 p.m. | Matthew Knight Arena
WATCH: Pac-12 Networks
STATS: GoDucks.com

#16 OREGON vs. COLORADO
Thursday, Nov. 10 | 7 p.m. | Matthew Knight Arena
Senior Night
WATCH: Pac-12 Plus through Twitter (@OregonVB)
STATS: GoDucks.com

WEEKLY NOTES

Ducks Open Final Regular Season Home Stand in Four-Way Tie for First Place
At 17-6 and 10-4 in Pac-12 play, the 16th-ranked Ducks go into their last two home games of the regular season in a log jam at the top of the Pac-12 standings with Washington, UCLA and Stanford. Oregon will look to keep pace atop the standings this week when they welcome Utah and Colorado on back-to-back nights on Wednesday and Thursday at 7 p.m. Thursday's match will also honor the Ducks' two seniors, Amanda Benson and Kacey Nady, prior to the start of play.

Live Coverage
Wednesday's match against the Utes will be broadcast live on Pac-12 Networks. Rich Burke (pxp) and Amy Gant will be on the call. On Thursday, the match between the Ducks and the Buffaloes will be streamed live on Twitter (@OregonVB) through Pac-12 Plus. KWVA's Zach Bigley (pxp) and Matt Tyra (analyst) will have the call.

Ducks Come Away With Impressive Road Wins at Washington Schools
Entering last week one match back of the Pac-12 lead, the Ducks went into Seattle and dominated the then-eighth-ranked Washington Huskies in straight sets on Friday before defeating then-No. 23 Washington State in five sets in Pullman on Sunday to pull into a tie for first place. Oregon was virtually unstoppable against Washington, coming away with a sweep that included a 25-8 rout in the second set fueled by a 14-0 Oregon run. The eight points were half of the Huskies' previous low for a set this season as the Ducks beat UW for the first time since 2012 and the first time in Seattle since 2009. Lindsey Vander Weide led the way with 14 kills on .393 hitting, while Taylor Agost hit .500 with 11 kills. Jolie Rasmussen added nine kills and tied her career-high with three aces, and Amanda Benson led all players with 22 digs.

Against the Cougars on Sunday, the Ducks carried their momentum from Friday over into an initial 2-0 lead. WSU was able to rally to win the third and fourth sets, but the Ducks rebounded in the fifth, 15-8, and left Pullman with a win and a hold on first place. Vander Weide once again fueled the offensive attack with 20 kills on .311 hitting, her third 20-kill match of the season. Agost added 12 kills and Ronika Stone put down 11, and Brooke Van Sickle recorded seven kills and 11 digs on the outside filling in for Rasmussen who left in the first with an injury. Benson once again led the way with 17 digs as the Ducks ran their winning streak over WSU to 21 matches and improved to a perfect 7-0 on the road this season.

Vander Weide Earns Second Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week Honor in Last Three Weeks
Lindsey Vander Weide was named the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week for the second time in the last three weeks on Monday after leading the Ducks to two impressive road conference wins against top-25 teams last weekend. Vander Weide hit .342 with 34 kills over the weekend, averaging 4.25 kills per set to lead the Ducks. The sophomore also added 12 digs and an ace en route to claiming her fourth career Pac-12 weekly honor.

Oregon by the Numbers: Ducks Rank Among the Nation's Elite
Oregon's offense has been stellar through its first 23 matches, evident by the Ducks' standing in multiple national statistic categories. The Ducks rank 10th in the country and lead the Pac-12 in hitting percentage with a mark of .280, and are 12th nationally and second in the conference in assists per set at 13.50. Oregon is also 14th in the country and second in the Pac-12 in kills per set with 14.31.

Individually, freshman Ronika Stone is fourth in the Pac-12 and 49th in the country with a .363 hitting percentage in her first collegiate season, while Taylor Agost (.345) ranks eighth in the Pac-12 and Kacey Nady sits at 10th (.319). Amanda Benson has been a defensive juggernaut once again this season, sitting at second in the Pac-12 and 31st nationally with 5.05 digs per set. Lindsey Vander Weide ranks fourth in the Pac-12 with 0.29 aces per set, and 10th with 3.27 kills per set. Jolie Rasmussen is sixth with 0.27 aces per set.

Up Next
After wrapping up their final home stand, the Ducks will hit the road for their final four matches as they chase their first-ever Pac-12 title. Oregon will visit UCLA, USC, Stanford and Oregon State to close the regular season.

Benson Joins Swoboda in 2,000-Dig Club
Over the weekend, Amanda Benson moved her career dig total to 2,005 joining Katie Swoboda as the only two players in UO history to surpass the 2,000-dig mark. Benson currently trails Swoboda by 193 digs for the all-time record, but has joined her in the 2K club despite playing in more than 80 fewer sets in her career. Benson is second in the Pac-12 and 31st in the country this season with 5.05 digs per set.

Road Warriors
While the Ducks have played 16 of 23 matches at home this season, they have found the most success on the road with a perfect 7-0 record. Oregon now has three road wins over AVCA top-25 teams, and is 6-0 on the road in conference play. Oregon has hit .277 away from Matthew Knight Arena while holding opponents to a mark of just .177. Taylor Agost has been a beast on the road with a .372 hitting percentage, and Ronika Stone is right behind at .367. Lindsey Vander Weide has also been very effective with a team-best 3.43 kills per set and a .309 hitting percentage.

Looking Back at the First Meetings with Utah and Colorado
When the Ducks visited Utah and Colorado on back-to-back nights earlier this season, they were able to come away with a pair of big road wins. Against the Utes, Oregon rallied from being down 2-1 to pull out a five-set victory. Lindsey Vander Weide (20 kills, 17 digs) and Jolie Rasmussen (14 kills, 12 digs) each contributed double-doubles for the Ducks, and Amanda Benson dug 24 balls. The next night against Colorado, Oregon split the first two sets before outlasting the Buffaloes in the next two for a four-set win. Lauren Page had a career-night with 12 kills and 12 blocks, and Vander Weide put together another double-double with 12 kills and 15 digs while also setting a career-high with eight blocks. The Ducks now hold a 12-6 all-time advantage over Utah, and lead the all-time series with Colorado 11-3.

Ducks Thriving in 6-2 Offensive Scheme
The potent attack that has been the Oregon offense this season has been a somewhat unconventional sight for the conventional volleyball viewer, with Jim Moore rotating through as astounding number of players in a highly-effective offense. Led by Lindsey Vander Weide's 3.27 kills per set, the Ducks have eight different players that are averaging more than 1.00 kill per set, and four players hitting better than .300. Setters Maggie Scott and August Raskie have both been very effective while rotating through the offense, with Scott averaging 6.79 assists per set and Raskie adding 5.20 assists per set.

Offensive/Defensive Efficiency Key for Ducks
The Ducks' success or failure this season has often come down to hitting efficiency, on both sides of the net. Oregon is 17-0 this season when leading in attack percentage and 11-0 when hitting better than .300. On the flip side, the Ducks are 0-6 when trailing in attack percentage and 0-3 when hitting under .200. Oregon is 14-0 when its opponent hits worse than .200, but 3-6 when its opponent hits better than .200. The Ducks have allowed an opposing team to hit better than .300 just one time in 23 matches this season.

Agost Showing Ability to Take Over Matches
When right-side hitter Taylor Agost has been on this season, she's been close to unstoppable. Agost has recorded double-digit kills 10 times this season, including five of the last eight matches, and has hit better than .400 10 times. The junior has committed only 41 attack errors on 476 swings this season, hitting her way to a .345 mark. Agost has committed two or fewer errors this season in her 10 matches hitting better than .400, highlighted by a career-best .667 mark on Sept. 2 against Murray State in which she put down 12 kills on 16 swings without an error.

Vander Weide Continues to Prove She's an All-Around Player
Often referred to on the outside as an "offensive weapon," sophomore Lindsey Vander Weide has made it clear so far this season that she is much more than just an outside hitter. Vander Weide has rarely come off the court this year, serving as a six-rotation player while passing from the back row on a consistent basis. Vander Weide is tied for eighth in the Pac-12 with nine double-doubles this season, and has posted double-digit digs in 14 of 23 matches this season. The sophomore also has a service ace in all but seven matches in 2016, with multiple aces in six different matches.

Benson, Vander Weide Providing Solid Back Line of Defense
The Ducks have largely relied on two players to dig balls this season, with Amanda Benson and Lindsey Vander Weide handiling the majority of those duties. Benson has continued her storied career of digging everything that comes her way, leading the Ducks with 5.05 digs per set while recording 434 total digs. Vander Weide is averaging 2.91 digs per set with 250 digs and only 30 receiving errors while serving as the only six-rotation player for the Ducks.

Freshmen Fab Four
Oregon's highly-touted freshman class has delivered on expectations thus far in their first season of collegiate volleyball. Ronika Stone has been stellar, leading the team in hitting percentage (.363), total blocks (81) and blocks per set (1.05), while providing the team with a noticeable infusion of energy. Stone's .363 hitting percentage is currently 49th in the country and fourth in the Pac-12, and the San Jose, Calif. native has hit better than .300 in 18 of 23 matches this season. Jolie Rasmussen has shown tremendous potential on the offensive end, averaging 2.70 kills per set while hitting .217, and has also shown some ability in receive with 1.19 digs per set. Willow Johnson has provided versatility with her left-handed swing on the right side, hitting .231 with 1.92 kills per set while also averaging 0.54 blocks per set. Brooke Van Sickle, the heir apparent to Benson at libero, has been all over the court in her first season and has averaged 0.66 kills per set and 1.54 digs per set.

Page, Vander Weide Earn Pac-12 Weekly Honors (Oct. 24)
Big weekends by Lauren Page and Lindsey Vander Weide paid off with some weekly accolades, as Page was named the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week and Vander Weide earned Offensive Player of the Week honors. Page finished the weekend with an astounding 17 blocks and a hitting percentage of .480, and her 12 block assists at Colorado are tied for third-most in UO single-match history. Vander Weide totalled 32 kills, 32 digs, 13 blocks and a .325 hitting percentage in the two road wins. Both players earned their first conference honors of the season, while Vander Weide earned the third of her career. Ducks now have four Pac-12 Players of the Week this season.

Impressive Win Streak Ends at 11
The Ducks' loss to No. 8 Washington on Oct. 7 ended an 11-match winning streak that included eight sweeps and 33 wins in 37 sets. During the streak, Oregon hit an impressive .337 as a team while holding opponents to a combined .141 hitting percentage. The Ducks hit better than .270 in each of the 11 wins, while hitting better than .300 in eight of the wins, and held opponents under .200 in all 11 matches including two matches under .100. Individually, Ronika Stone and Taylor Agost led the Ducks during the streak with hitting percentages of .462 and .442, respectively, while Lindsey Vander Weide led the team with 3.21 kills per set. Amanda Benson paced the defense with an impressive 5.32 digs per set. The Ducks' 11-match winning streak tied for the fifth-longest in program history.

Ronika Stone Named Freshman Player of the Week (Oct. 3)
Ronika Stone earned the first Pac-12 weekly honor of her careeron Oct. 3, taking home Pac-12 Freshman Player of the Week honors on Oct. 3 after hitting .516 with 2.38 kills per set in a weekend road trip at Arizona State and Arizona, while also leading the Ducks with 10 blocks between the two matches. Stone's weekend was highlighted by an incredibly efficient performance against the Wildcats in which she put down a season-high 13 kills on .625 hitting while also adding five blocks.

Amanda Benson Earns Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week Honors (Sept. 12)
Senior libero Amanda Benson was named the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 12, after helping lead the Ducks to a 4-0 week and a sweep in the Nike Invitational. Over the four matches, Benson dug 65 balls, 5.00 per set, while committing only four receiving errors and serving as a fixture in the Ducks' defense. It was Benson's second career Pac-12 weekly honor.

Benson Chasing UO Digs Records in Final Season
In her senior season with the Ducks, libero Amanda Benson has a couple of UO career digs records within her sights. Benson is currently second on the all-time digs per set list at 4.64, trailing only Katie Swoboda (5.11). Benson is also second on the all-time total digs list with 2,005 for her career, joining Swoboda as the only two players in UO history to reach the 2,000 mark.. Benson needs 193 digs this season to reach Swoboda's all-time mark of 2,198. Elsewhere in the UO career record book, junior setter Maggie Scott is ninth with 7.71 assists per set and seventh with 2,466 assists. Senior Kacey Nady is currently fifth with a career attack percentage of .314.

Moore Closing in on 600 Career Wins
In his 12th season with the Ducks and 28th overall, head coach Jim Moore is just six victories away from reaching the 600 mark as a head coach. 242 of those 594 wins have come while at the helm at Oregon, where he has boasted a .677 winning percentage over his 11-plus years. Moore collected a combined 84 wins over four years between Chico State and Northern Michigan before arriving in Eugene, and 84 over four years at Texas, Friday's opponent. Moore started his coaching career at Northern Michigan where he accumulated 123 wins in his first stint with the program before moving to Kansas State, where he won 61 matches over three seasons.

Vander Weide Named Preseason All-Pac-12
Coming off of a phenomenal freshman season, sophomore outside hitter Lindsey Vander Weide was recognized by the conference's coaches by being selected to the preseason All-Pac-12 team. The Turlock, Calif. native earned All-Pac-12 honors and Pac-12 All-Freshmen Team recognition last season, as well as Pac-12 Freshman of the Week honors twice throughout the year. Vander Weide led the Ducks with 410 points in 2015, finished second on the team with 356 kills, 3.21 kills per set, 253 digs and 21 service aces, and third with 59 blocks.

Ducks Picked Fourth in Preseason Pac-12 Coaches Poll
After a sixth place finish in 2015, the Ducks were picked to finish fourth in the league this season in a poll of the conference's coaches, receiving 95 total points in the poll. Stanford was the consensus at the top of the poll, receiving nine of the 12 first-place votes and 119 points total, while UCLA and Washington each received a first-place vote to round out the top three.

Ducks Land No. 2 Recruiting Class in the Nation
A year after assembling the nation's fourth-best recruiting class, the Ducks welcome a four-player class in 2016 that was ranked No. 2 in the nation by both prepvolleyball.com and volleyballmag.com. The quartet of hitters Jolie Rasmussen and Willow Johnson, middle blocker Ronika Stone and libero/outside hitter Brooke Van Sickle is the Ducks' top-rated class ever. Stone is the top-rated individual recruit in UO history, slotted at No. 10 on prepvolleyball.com's prestigious "Senior Aces" list. Stone was a first-team Under Armour All-American, while Rasmussen was a second-team All-American and No. 20 on the Senior Aces list. Johnson was an honorable mention All-American and ranked 27th in the 2016 senior class, and Van Sickle came in at No. 88 among the Senior Aces while also earning first-team All-American honors.

Ducks Looking to Earn Sixth Straight NCAA Berth
Oregon enters 2016 with its sights set on returning to the NCAA Tournament for the sixth straight season. The Ducks faced off with Wisconsin in the first round of the dance last season, and reached the NCAA Regional round in 2014 after serving as a host school in the first two rounds. The Ducks battled with Nebraska in the second round of the tournament in 2013, a year after the program's most successful season in history in 2012 when it reached the national championship game against Texas. The Ducks started the five-year run in the tournament in 2011 in the first round against Colorado State.