Season Opener at SEMO Tournament

EUGENE, Ore. — The 59^th season of Oregon Volleyball gets underway Friday against Western Kentucky, the Ducks' first match of the SEMO Tournament in Cape Girardeau, Mo. Oregon will also play weekend host Southeast Missouri the following day. Both matches are scheduled for a 4 p.m. (PT) start.

Saturday's Oregon-SEMO match will be streamed on ESPN+. Oregon has two first-time opponents this season: Western Kentucky and Southeast Missouri.

Starting Point
The Ducks will begin their 2026 campaign as the No. 25 team in the AVCA preseason poll. Oregon was 17-13 in its first season under head coach Trent Kersten and returns All-Big Ten picks Alanah Clemente and Valentina Vaulet. The Ducks were also picked to finish eighth in the Big Ten preseason poll, up four spots from last year's release.

Preseason Honors for Clemente, Vaulet

Oh Captain(s), My Captain(s)!
As voted by their teammates, seniors Marina Crownover and Valentina Vaulet and sophomore Kamden Mitchell will serve as team captains for the 2026 season.

Early Tests
Seven of Oregon's 10 non-conference opponents were picked to finish first or second in their respective conferences including preseason favorites Arizona State in the Big 12, Long Island in the NEC, San Diego in the WCC and Western Kentucky in Conference USA. Six of the 10 non-conference opponents also won at least 20 matches last season.

Service Pressure
Oregon finished second in the Big Ten and tied for 18^th in the country last season with 210 service aces. Valentina Vaulet led the league with 56 aces while Alanah Clemente was third with 51. They were the first Oregon duo with 50 or more aces in the same season since 1984. Iva Sucurovic (21 aces) and Reese Sheppard (16) also return from last year's team.

B1G/SEC Challenge
As part of the inaugural Big Ten/SEC Challenge Week, Oregon will play Missouri (Sept. 1) at the Hearnes Center in Columbia, Mo. The teams have played two neutral-site matches in the brief series history—UO leads, 2-0—but have not met since 1998. Tuesday's match will air on the SEC Network at 6 p.m. PT.

Single-match and season tickets are currently on sale. Oregon will play 13 home matches in the regular season including nine dates against Big Ten opponents. The Ducks' home opener is Sept. 4 against Long Island (6 p.m., B1G+).

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