Postseason Play Back At MKA Thursday

EUGENE, Ore. — Each year in the NCAA Tournament, 16 women's volleyball programs host the opening two rounds of play on campus.

Over the last three years, that means 48 potential host sites were up for grabs during the regular season. Just nine schools played well enough to earn hosting privileges in all three, one of them being Oregon.

The Ducks will host postseason play for the third year in a row at Matthew Knight Arena beginning Thursday. The UO women will face High Point at 6:30 p.m., following a match between Texas Christian and Hawai'i at 4 p.m.

"To be three years in a row hosting is a big deal for us, and especially with a new group," UO coach Matt Ulmer said. "It was one of their goals, one of the team's goals, to be able to host the first two rounds. And so, I'm just really happy for them."

Oregon earned hosting privileges with a roster that features four impact transfers and six freshmen. Unanimous all-Big Ten selection Mimi Colyer, middle blocker Colby Neal and back-row standout Daley McClellan have been mainstays of the three-year hosting run, but they've spent this season building chemistry with a host of newcomers, including freshman setter Cristin Cline, versatile outside Michelle Ohwobete and dynamic middle Onye Ofoegbu.

"I think it just kind of just speaks volumes to how far we've come this season," McClellan said. "We obviously started with almost a completely different team, and we've just come so far together, and it's just a really special moment for us, and so fun, too. So we're very excited."

Ofoegbu redshirted with the Ducks last season as a senior transfer. She will make her postseason debut Thursday, finally.

"I genuinely never thought I would be able to experience something like this," Ofoegbu said at a press conference Monday while fighting back tears.

Thursday's session opens with TCU and Hawai'i. Caylen Alexander of Hawai'i entered the postseason third in the nation with 5.15 kills per set, while Melania Parra of TCU is fifth with 5.06.

"Duck fans need to come early to watch that," Ulmer said. "I think they will be entertained if they come to that match."

Then, of course, they will have the chance to cheer on their Ducks, for the third year in a row. This time, it will be against a High Point team that was champions of the Big South in the regular season.

"High Point's used to winning," Ulmer said. "They win a lot, and they win their conference a lot. So they're going to be here and they're going to give us their best shot, and that's what we expect from everybody we play."

Of the nine schools hosting tournament play this week for the third year in a row, six have a chance to advance to the Elite Eight for the third straight year — including the Ducks.

Oregon brings a 22-7 record into the postseason, which included a 14-6 mark in Big Ten play.

"I think that the ceiling for this group is still the highest (of the last three years)," Ulmer said. "I don't know how close we can get to it by the time this thing's over, but this team can really do a lot of phenomenal things. I think you've seen sets where we go out and play really good at times, and we are great. But I think our floor is still too low; it has raised, but we need to be more consistent in order to reach our full potential."

The Ducks have spent all season strengthening chemistry among all those new players. They've experienced highs including ranked wins over BYU, USC, Washington and Minnesota, but also a couple of reverse sweeps in the last two weeks, at USC and to No. 9 Purdue.

The quest for chemistry and consistency continues.

"Preferably we want to learn from a win," Ofoegbu said. "But we learn a lot from those games, those really tight games; even from games where we sweep, or it's not even as intense. We take a lot of lessons and learn from every match we play."

As the Ducks work in practice to find a consistent groove, they know it's now or never.

"It's kind of like, why did we wait this long?" Neal said. "But also it's super exciting that we have the time still. It's not too late yet. It's starting now, and as long as we can really get into that from point one, we can see how far we can go."

McClellan is particularly thrilled to be preparing to host postseason play this week after a late-season injury.

She missed most of November with a knee issue, returning last week for Oregon's final two matches of the regular season. When she was injured, McClellan was unsure if she'd made it back in time to play again this fall.

"It makes you want to cry, honestly," she said at Monday's press conference. "I won't cry, (but) there was a time that I thought I wasn't gonna come back. It's crazy, because I did the same thing on my other knee, so I know what this recovery looks like. So I was like, OK, I'm gonna kill this recovery so I can go out on the court and play with my teammates for the rest of the year.

"I've tried to not think about, like, 'OK, my career is over — oh my gosh.' I've tried to look forward, and I'm here now, I've put in the work and I'm back on the court with my teammates. And it makes me so happy."