* An updated STATISTICS link is available above.

 

OPPONENT INFORMATION: #2 Stanford (24-3, 15-1)
Date: Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2008
Start: 7:00 p.m.
Site: McArthur Court, Eugene, Ore.
School Website: www.GoStanford.com

OPPONENT INFORMATION: #7 California (22-4, 12-4)
Date: Friday,  Nov. 28, 2008
Start: 7:00 p.m.
Site: McArthur Court, Eugene, Ore.
School Website: www.CalBears.com

SETTING THE STAGE
EUGENE - The No. 8 University of Oregon volleyball team (22-7, 10-6) hosts two of the Pac-10’s top three teams this Thanksgiving week to wrap up the regular season.

Ranked fourth itself in the Pac-10 this week, UO first plays returning NCAA runner-up and No. 2 Stanford (24-3, 15-1) on Wednesday, November 26. The Ducks then welcomes another returning Final Four qualifier and No. 7 California (22-5, 12-4) on Friday, November 28 – with both matches set to start at 7 pm.

Friday night’s Senior Night will include a special pre-match ceremony to honor the final-year quartet of Kristen Forristall, Gorana Maricic, Marija Milosevic and Katie Swoboda.

UO then finds out its postseason details on Sunday, November 30 on the selection show on ESPN-U that starts at 7 p.m. (PT).

Oregon comes off a 1-1 weekend when it beat Arizona State, 3-0, and lost to Arizona, 3-1. Cal and Stanford dispatched No. 10 UCLA and No. 11 USC by identical scores each (3-2, 3-1) and sit first and third in the conference.

UO’s 10th conference victory last Saturday tied its most since 1989, and its 22nd overall win matched last year’s victory total that was the most since 1986.

The last time Oregon played at home two weekends ago, McArthur Court welcomed the first- and third-largest crowds in school history vs. Washington (3,817) and Washington State (3,169).

Among last weekend’s Duck highlights in the desert:

- Senior Katie Swoboda took sole possession of second place all-time in Pac-10 history in career digs (2,100). The school record holder has now topped 500 digs three straight seasons, and her current season total (501) is just behind her top two all-time marks for Oregon from 2007 (586) and ‘06 (565).

- Junior Neticia Enesi raised her season hitting mark to .416 and is on pace to break Sue Harbor’s school record (.364), and ranked top 40 nationally this week in hitting and blocking (sixth, .416 / 38th, 1.21 b/s). At Arizona, she hit .750, a mark that tied for seventh-best all-time for UO.

- Against ASU, three Ducks had double-doubles – Nevena Djordjevic (45 assists, 11 digs), Heather Meyers (10 kills, 10 digs) and Sonja Newcombe (12 kills, 12 digs, .333) – while two others had double-digit kill tallies - Gorana Maricic (12) and Neticia Enesi (10, .389).

THIS WEEK’S PROMOTIONS
Wednesday’s match is a Bi-Mart Family Night where fans can show their Bi-Mart card at the ticket window on gameday and receive admission for two adults and two children for only $12. For Friday’s “Black Mac on Black Friday” promotion, fans that wear black to the match will get a general admission ticket for only $2.
 
NATIONAL CLASS
Four Duck individuals rank top 40 nationally this week statistically in five categories (with Pac-10 rankings in ()):
• Neticia Enesi, Hitting, 6th (3rd), .416
• Nevena Djordjevic, Assists, 10th (3rd), 11.57 a/s
• Katie Swoboda, Digs, 22nd (1st), 5.06 d/s
• Gorana Maricic, Kills, 25th (3rd), 4.17 k/s
• Neticia Enesi, Blocks, 38th (3rd), 1.21 b/s

And three Ducks also rank top 10 in the following Pac-10 categories:
• Amanda Westrick, Aces, 3rd, 0.33 sa/s
• Gorana Maricic, Points, 3rd, 4.71 p/s
• Kristen Forristall, Blocks, 7th, 1.06 b/s

As a team, UO leads the Pac-10 service aces (1.46) and is ranked top 40 nationally in (with Pac-10 rankings in ()):
• Kills Per Set, 6th (2nd Pac-10), 14.68
• Hitting, 8th (4th Pac-10), .290
• Assists, 12th (4th Pac-10), 13.43 a/s
• Blocks, 24th (4th Pac-10), 2.58 b/s
• Win-Loss, 40th (4th Pac-10), .759

PACKING MAC LIKE NEVER BEFORE
Oregon’s record-breaking crowd (3,817) vs. Washington in mid-November Sunday’s match broke the former mark (3,716) from UO’s win vs. Oregon State in 1996. The Ducks had another +3,000 total two nights before vs. Washington State (3,169) for its third-largest attendance ever.

Fourth-season Duck head coach Jim Moore and his program have now played in front of eight of the 14 largest crowds in school history: 2,777 (#4, vs. OSU, 11/16/07), 3,672 (#5, vs. Washington, 11/3/06), 2,375 (#8, vs. Washington, 9/21/07), 2,260 (#9, vs. Oregon State, 9/29/06), 2,159 (#10, vs. Oregon State, 10/12/08) and 1,842 (#14, vs. California, 11/16/06).

BALANCE IS BETTER
The balanced Duck offense and defense has played a big part of UO’s success this season.  Here are breakdown of match leaders in each category this year
• Kills - 5 players (Maricic 20, Meyers 4, Forristall 3, Newcombe 6, Enesi 4)
• Hitting Pct. - 6 players (Enesi 15, Maricic 5, Forristall 3, Meyers 3, Milosevic 1, Newcombe 2)
• Blocks - 6 players (Enesi 16,  Forristall 15, Maricic 5, Newcombe 3, Djordjevic 1, Meyers 1)
• Digs - 3 players (Swoboda 26, Djordjevic 1, Newcombe 1)
• Assists - 1 player (Djordjevic 29)
• Service Aces - 9 players (Westrick 11, Meyers 7, Swoboda 7, Djordjevic 6, Newcombe 6, Maricic 4, Milosevic 2, Enesi 1, Forristall 1)

CATCH THE DUCKS ONLINE
Live stats for all Duck matches are free available via the www.GoDucks.com volleyball schedule page. Except for Fox Sports Northwest matches, a live online video broadcast is available for home matches is available to www.GoDucks.com O-Zone subscribers ($9.95 monthly), and an audio feed will be added for Pac-10 home matches.

THE SERIES vs. STANFORD & CAL
Stanford owns a 48-2 all-time advantage over UO, with Oregon’s last win coming in 1989 (3-2). The Ducks pushed the Cardinal to four games in each of 2007’s matches, ending a series of 11 straight sweeps.

California owns a 48-13 edge over Oregon and won both meetings in 2007. Jim Moore directed UO to a win at Berkeley in 2006 (3-1) that snapped a 16-match Golden Bear winning streak dating back to 1998.

Opponent Info: No. 2 Stanford Cardinal
2008:  24-3, Pac-10: 1st, 15-10
2007: 32-3, Pac-10: 16-2 (1st)
Returning Starters/Letterwinners: 6/10
Head Coach: John Dunning
Stanford Record:  232-36, 8th year
Career Record: 669-138, 24th year

2008 Stanford Stat Leaders
Alix Klineman, .3.59 k/s, .286
Cynthia Barboza, .3.43 k/s, .272, 3.11 d/s
Foluke Akinradewo, 3.11 k/s, .456, 1.48 b/s
Janet Okogbaa, 1.63 k/s, .373, 0.86 b/s
Cassidy Lichtman, 781 assist, 8.58 a/s
Gabi Ailes, 374 digs, 4.11 d/s

Opponent Info: No. 7 California Bears
2008:  22-5, Pac-10: 3rd, 12-4
2007: 26-8, Pac-10: 12-6 (4th)
Returning Starters/Letterwinners: 6/9
Head Coach: Rich Feller
Cal Record:  187-113, 10th year
Career Record:  486-280, 24th year

2008 California Stat Leaders
Hana Cutura, .271, .448 k/s, 0.23 sa/s
Am’ra Solomon, 3.16 k/s, .284
Tarah Murrey, 2.75 k/s,, .208
Minali Wiley, 2.30 k/s, .315, 0.97 b/s
Carli Lloyd, 744 assists, 12.40 a/s
Kristen Kathan, 267 digs, 4.45 d/s

NATIONAL CRED
This week, the Ducks ranked eighth nationally for the fourth straight week and its eighth straight in the top 10 in the current week’s Bison / AVCA Coaches Poll.

UO climbed to an all-time high sixth in mid-October, and also stood seventh in the past month’s other three editions. Before this season, UO’s previous highest all-time ranking — ninth — came in the final two polls of 2007 when it made its first-ever Sweet 16 appearance in the 64-team NCAA tourney format.

Overall in this week’s edition, the Pacific-10 Conference again featured six of the nation’s top 10 teams. The first four all maintained their position from the week before – No. 2 Stanford (24-3), No. 5 Washington (22-4), No. 7 California (22-5) and No. 8 Oregon (22-7) – while No. 10 UCLA (18-10) and No. 11 USC (16-10) each fell a spot after they both suffered two losses in the Bay Area last weekend.

This week, two non-conference Duck foes - No. 15 Illinois and No. 21 Utah – each climbed a position for the second straight week while No. 25 New Mexico State rejoined the national rankings. Two other teams that UO beat this season – Arizona and North Carolina – again received votes.
The complete poll is available at the http://www.avca.org/divisions/division-one-women/polls address.

Overall during the campaign, UO has stood sixth (poll #7), seventh (poll #6, #8, #9), eighth (#10, #11, #12, #13), 11th (polls #4-5), 12th (polls #2-3), 13th (#1) and 11th in the preseason version.

Going back to last season, the Ducks have stood top 15 nationally for 18 straight polls, and previous rankings follow: 2008: Preseason – 11th; 9/2 – 13th; 9/9 – 12th; 9/17 – 12th; 9/24 - 11th; 9/30 - 11th; 10/6 – 7th; 10/13 – 6th; 10/20 – 7th; 10/27 – 7th; 11/3 – 8th; 11/10 – 8th; 11/17 - 8th; 11/25 - 8th. 2007: 11/12 - 14th; 11/19 - 13th; 11/26 - 13th; 12/3 – ninth; 12/10 - ninth.

In the NCAA’s seventh RPI index of the season, UO stood 10th for the third straight edition – also its seventh consecutive week in the in the top 12 nationally. For comparison’s sake in earlier editions, UO stood 23rd (#1, #2), 11th (#3, #4), 12th (#5) and 10th (#6, #7). The most current rankings are available at this website ( http://web1.ncaa.org/app_data/weeklyrpi/2008WVBrpi1.html ).

2008 ALL-TOURNAMENT HONOREES
Five different Ducks have combined for eight all-tourney accolades this year at the Oregon Classic, Kansas Invitational and State Farm Illini Classic. Junior Neticia Enesi has been picked to all three all-tourney squads, while Sonja Newcombe was tabbed to two of them. Enesi and Gorana Maricic have also claimed tourney MVP honors this year, and the complete list of Duck honorees follow:

Oregon Classic
• Gorana Maricic, Sr., OH - Tournament MVP
• Neticia Enesi, Jr., MB - All-Tournament
• Sonja Newcombe, Jr., OH - All-Tournament

Kansas Invitational
• Neticia Enesi, Jr., MB - Tournament MVP
• Kristen Forristall, Sr., MB - All-Tournament
• Heather Meyers, So., OH - All-Tournament

State Farm Illini Classic
• Sonja Newcombe, Jr., OH - All-Tournament
• Neticia Enesi, Jr., MB - All-Tournament

BRAINS AND BRAWN
Three Ducks - Kristen Forristall, Nevena Djordjevic and Sonja Newcombe - landed honorable mention positions on the 2008 Pacific-10 Conference All-Academic Teams announced in late November. All three players were also honored last year as Djordjevic was a second-team choice, and Forristall and Newcombe were honorable mention picks.

The Duck trio raised UO’s Pac-10 all-academic honors to 16 in four years under head coach Jim Moore after UO received at least four honors in 2007 (4), ’06 (4) and ’05 (5).To be eligible, players must sport a 3.00 minimum grade point average, be a returnee, at least a sophomore academically, and be a starter or significant contributor.

Earlier in November, Djordjevic was honored on the ESPN Magazine Academic All-District 8 Second Team. The Lazarevac, Serbia native is the second Duck under Moore to receive academic all-region acclaim with Kristin Bitter who was honored in 2006. UO’s other former regional recipient, Casey Crisler, was a three-time selection (1995-97).  Bitter and Crisler went on to receive national academic all-america third-team honors in ’06 and ’97, respectively. Another former Duck great, Sue Harbor, was a four-time Academic All-American with her first-team nods in ‘84 and ’85, and second-team laurels in ’82 and ’83.

THE PRESEASON
Since head coach Jim Moore’s arrival, Oregon has been nearly flawless in non-conference regular season matches, culminating in a 44-3 record during his four seasons. His .936 winning percentage against non-conference competition is easily the best of any previous UO volleyball coach.

BACK IN THE FOLD
UO’s experience quotient runs high with 10 letterwinners back from last year’s squad — All-American and senior outside hitter Gorana Maricic, senior middle blocker Kristen Forristall and libero Katie Swoboda, junior setter Nevena Djordjevic, middle blocker Neticia Enesi and outside hitter Sonja Newcombe, and sophomore outside hitter Heather Meyers.

2007 • AN AMAZING SEASON
• UO returns six starters (and its libero) and 10 letterwinners from a magical 2007 campaign that featured its:
 - best record (22-11) since 1986.
 - best Pacific-10 Conference finish (fifth-tie) and record (9-9) since 1989.
 - first NCAA Sweet 16 appearance in the 64-team field format.
 - highest final AVCA poll ranking (No. 9).
 - its first-ever pair of consecutive postseason appearances.

TOP DUCK • JIM MOORE
Oregon’s mercurial rise into the national elite has been charted by Jim Moore, the 2007 Collegiate Volleyball Update Coach of the Year and 2006 Pac-10 Conference Coach of the Year.

Moore, who is in his 20th year as a collegiate head coach in 2008, began UO’s transformation in 2005 by leading the Ducks to their then-highest win total (12) and winning percentage (.400) in 14 seasons. The next year in ‘06, he led the Ducks to their then-best overall (17-12) and conference (7-11) marks in nearly two decades. For comparison’s sake, Oregon amassed a 24-64 record the three seasons prior to Moore’s arrival, and registered just two Pac-10 wins. Since his arrival, UO has gone 73-48, won 27 Pac-10 matches and made consecutive NCAA tournament trips for the first time in school history.

The fourth-year Duck mentor initially staked his reputation as a master program rebuilder at Northern Michigan (1989-94, 03-04), Kansas State (19;4-97), Texas (1997-01) and Chico State (2001-03).

Those programs combined for a 143-228 (.385) mark before his arrival and improved to 268-118 (.694) the first season under his tutelage. That first stop included the 1993 national championship at Northern Michigan — part of a run that included two championship trips and three quarterfinal appearances.

In the Big 12 Conference, he took a Kansas State program that had gone 24-68 overall and 0-36 in Big 12 play and produced three straight winning seasons, a 26-9 mark in ‘96 and the team’s first NCAA trip. At Texas, he guided the legendary program to the Big 12 title, three NCAA appearances, one Player of the Year honor, seven All-America selections and eight All-Big 12 honors. His Chico State squads went from a 15-75 record the three seasons before his arrival to 16-13 and 18-8 marks, and his subsequent Northern Michigan teams produced a sparkling 50-8 record.

With his 3-1 victory over Oregon State last November, he picked up the 400th win of his coaching career, and now owns an overall record of 425-204 (.676) in his 20 years as a collegiate head coach.

MOORE’S MENDOZA LINE
Head coach Jim Moore emphasized in the preseason that the Ducks should aim to hit .300 as a squad each match, and defensively limit opponents to a .100 mark or less. Here were the matches that UO has achieved the feat:
- vs. Central Florida (.358 / .048)
- at Kansas (.352 / .058)
- vs. Utah Valley (.338 / .013)
- vs. Seattle (.494 / .098)
- vs. No. 4 USC (.452 / .088)

And, here were several other matches that UO was in the same neighborhood:
- vs. North Carolina (.286 / .066)
- vs. Eastern Washington (.317 / .117)
- vs. Baylor (.307 / .138)
- vs. Portland (.269 / .037)
- vs. No. 5 UCLA (.278 / .205)
- vs. No. 24 Oregon State (.380 / .189)
- at Washington State (.354 / .165)
- vs. Arizona (.304 / .216)
- vs. Utah (.353 / .252)
- at Oregon State (.378 / .202)
- at Washington State (.349 / .172)
- at Arizona State (.270 / .059)

SIZING UP THE ‘08 SEASON
Oregon is wrapping up one of its most impressive schedules in its 41st season this fall, with 12 of its 31 matches against returning 2007 NCAA tournament qualifiers.

This year’s foes includes last year’s national runner-up (Stanford), two more final four qualifiers (California and USC), another Elite 8 and second-round qualifier (UCLA / Washington) and two more tourney returnees (New Mexico State and UNLV).

During the ‘08 campaign, recent NCAA qualifiers Illinois, New Mexico State and Utah ranked top 25, as did Pac-10 rivals Arizona and Oregon State, while recent NCAA qualifier Baylor, North Carolina and UNLV have received votes in various editions.

PAC-10 HONORS
Four members of the Oregon volleyball team received Pacific-10 all-conference honors following the end of the 2007 season. Besides senior outside hitter Gorana Maricic, an All-Pac-10 First-Team selection, senior Katie Swoboda, junior Sonja Newcombe and freshman Heather Meyers were all-league honorable mentions.
Meyers, Oregon’s second Volleyball Magazine Fab 50 recruit in head coach Jim Moore’s tenure, was named to the Pac-10 All-Freshman team in addition to her all-conference honorable mention. It was the third consecutive year Oregon has placed one player on the Pac-10 All-Freshman team — Newcombe was honored likewise in 2006. Swoboda was a Pac-10 Freshman honorable mention in 2005, and juniors Nevena Djordjevic and Neticia Enesi were also All-Freshman Team honorable mentions in ‘06.

* PRESEASON STARTER PROFILES

GORANA MARICIC, Sr., OH, Subotica, Serbia
In 2007, Oregon senior outside hitter Gorana Maricic became just the second player in the volleyball program’s history to receive All-America honors after being named to the AVCA Division I All-America Second Team.

The first-year Duck led the Pacific-10 Conference with 6.07 points per set and 5.50 kills per set, and the latter stood fourth nationally. Maricic set numerous Oregon individual records, including three new single-season bests for points (679.5), kills (5.50 avg.) and points (6.07 avg.). She totaled 14 double-doubles on the year, and on three occasions, cracked the 30-kill benchmark. In 33 matches, Maricic failed to reach double-figure kills only once.

The 6-foot-3 outside hitter was named to All-Pac-10 Team, the first Oregon player since Madeline Ernst in 1998 to earn the honor, and was also an All-Region First-Team honoree. She was also named a National Player of the Week (Nov. 12), after leading the Ducks to its first consecutive back-to-back home victories over top-10 opponents. During a 3-1 victory over then-No. 6 USC, she led the Ducks with a match-high 29 kills (.436) and 14 digs. The next night while sweeping past then-No. 9 UCLA, she again posted a match-best 25 kills (.327) and 12 digs. In three postseason matches, Maricic averaged 6.45 points, 6.00 kills and 3.58 digs per set.
The Subotica, Serbia native redshirted for Oregon in 2006 after transferring from Northwoods University, where she played during the 2004 and 2005 seasons. At Northwoods, Maricic was named an AVCA Division II Second-Team All-American as a sophomore in 2005. She became the first player in the history of the award to earn All-America honors at both the Div. I and Div. II levels.

In ‘07, Maricic became the 15th All-American that Moore has coached in his 20 years as a head coach, and became the first Oregon player in 23 seasons since Sue Harbour was an CVCA first team selection in 1984.

KRISTEN FORRISTALL, MB, Sr., Oregon City, Ore.
Maricic wasn’t the only upperclass player who made an immediate impact in her first Duck season in ‘07.

The 6-foot-2 middle blocker started 26 of Oregon’s 33 matches in 2007, leading the team with 117 total blocks. Her .305 attacking percentage was second-best for UO and 10th in the Pac-10.

As the team neared the postseason, the Oregon City native became an influential and emotional leader on the floor. In three postseason matches, Forristall averaged 2.38 points and 1.33 blocks per set. In the second round match at Kansas State, she set a season high with nine blocks. She also matched her season high of nine kills, and set a new career high with 13.5 points against the Wildcats.

The two-sport star sat out the 2006 season after she ended her UO collegiate basketball career and made the switch to volleyball.

KATIE SWOBODA, Sr., L, Portland, Ore.
The 5-5, four-year starter ended the 2007 season atop the Oregon all-time career digs chart with her mark of 1,599 digs.

She broke the record in 2007 on Nov. 16 against Oregon State, surpassing Teri Kramer’s mark of 1,481 that had been in place since 1987. A 2007 Pac-10 honorable mention finished the season third in the conference averaging 5.33 digs per set. That mark set a new Oregon single-season average for digs and broke her own record (5.28) from 2006.

She also holds three of the top four single-season dig marks in Duck volleyball history (#1 586, #2 565, #4 448).

NEVENA DJORDJEVIC, Jr., S, Lazarevac, Serbia
In ‘07, Djordjevic led Oregon with 8.62 assists per set, running a 6-2 offense with sophomore setter Rachel Morris. Djordjevic finished the season with five double-doubles, including 46 assists and 11 digs at then-No. 11 Kansas State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

At 5-foot-10, she also had the knack for dumping deceptive kills from time-to-time, totaling 47 last year. In the postseason, she averaged 9.33 assists per set, reaching her season high total of 46 twice in the second round at Kansas State and the third round against UCLA.

Her first season, the All-Pac-10 Freshman Team honorable mention, averaged 7.26 assists a set and 697 total and had a career-high digs average (2.08).

NETICIA ENESI, Jr., MB, The Dalles, Ore.
The 6-1, two-year starter got the opening nod in all but one match in ‘07 and averaged 2.38 points per set.

She set season highs with 17.0 points and 12 kills at then No. 4 UCLA on last October. Against rival Oregon State last November, she hit the 12-kill mark for the second time, while cumulating eight total blocks. In the postseason, she totaled 10 blocks and averaged 0.92 kills per set.
As a freshman, she was an All-Pac-10 Freshman Team honorable mention, and her season stats follow: 55 blocks (13 block solo / 42 block assists, 0.56 avg.), 236 kills (2.38 avg.), 11.8 hitting pct., 291.0 points.

SONJA NEWCOMBE, JR., OH, Lake Arrowhead, Calif.
For the second consecutive season in ‘07, the 6-1 outside hitter was named a Pac-10 honorable mention. The Ducks’ leader on the floor finished the 2007 season averaging 4.20 points, 3.54 kills and 2.61 digs per set.

Among last season’s highlights, she led the Ducks with 22 kills at No. 11 Kansas State in the NCAA second round, and overall in the postseason averaged 4.29 points, 3.67 kills and 2.75 digs per set.

Her 470.5 points in 2007 ranked fourth all-time, and her average of 4.20 points per set was seventh-best in UO history for a season.
In her first two years at Oregon, shed totaled 927.0 points — the third best career mark in school history.

HEATHER MEYERS, So., OH, Temecula, Calif.
The sophomore outside hitter became the second Volleyball Magazine ‘Fab 50’ recruit for Jim Moore in his short tenure at Oregon, the first being Sonja Newcombe.

Just like Newcombe, she made an immediate impact as a freshman in 2007. Last year, the 5-foot-11 outside hitter led Oregon and finished fourth in the Pac-10 with a .347 (347-110-683) attacking percentage. Not only did the mark rank tops in the nation for true freshmen, it also now stood as the second-best Oregon single-season clip.

Meyers was tabbed at season’s end to the Pac-10 All-Freshmen Team, and averaged 3.10 kills, 0.88 assists, 0.94 digs and 0.62 blocks per set. With one of the most dangerous serves on the squad, Meyers led Oregon as well as the conference with 0.41 service aces per set.

Early in her frosh campaign, she was named to the Kickoff Classic all-tourney team, earned the Tournament MVP award at the Baylor Invitational and was named the top server at the Big Ten/Pac-10 Challenge.

2008 VOLLEYBALL TICKET PRICES

Type Season Single
VIP $100 $9
VIP-Faculty/Staff $80 $9
Gen. Admission (GA)-Adult $60 $5
GA-Faculty/Staff $48 $5
GA-Youth/Senior $30 $3
Bi-Mart Family Plan (2 adults & 2 youth)
 $150 $12
Friday Mini Plan (GA) $20 NA
Group Tickets (10 or more) NA $2
Varsity Sports Pass Upgrade to VIP
 $40 NA
Notes: Child ages = 2-17, Seniors = 62+

**Group consists of 10 or more individuals, please call 1-800-WEBFOOT to order no later than Monday before the game

Students only need a current UO student photo ID card for admission and will be seated in section 10 for all Pac-10 matches. Doors open 60 minutes prior to the match.

Tickets for each plan can be purchased online at www.GoDucks.com or by calling 1-800-WEBFOOT during weekday business hours.

VIP Season Ticket Plan
In 2008, the Duck athletic department is pleased to announce a new ticket plan to ensure the best available location (sections 1 & 2) for every Oregon home volleyball game.
The VIP season ticket plan also grants:
• Ticket priority to designated events, including post-season tournament action when the Ducks are participating
• Access to VIP-only pre-match “chalk talk” with head coach Jim Moore before every game
• Receive priority for volleyball reserved tickets in the new arena in 2010

RULE CHANGES IN 2008
College volleyball fans will notice several rule changes in ‘08:
• The term “Set” will be used instead of “Game”.
• Points Required to Win the first four sets is now 25 points (instead of 30), with a two-point lead (as before). Fifteen points (and a two-point lead) is still required to win the fifth and deciding set.
• Substitutions - Each team is now allowed a maximum of 12 substitutions per set.
• Coaches Position - When the ball is in play, coaches will be asked to stay at least 1.75 meters from the court’s sideline. An imaginary line perpendicular to the outside edge of the extended attack line indicates this distance. If a coach doesn’t comply, the referees may assess a team delay sanction.
• Ball Handling Point of Emphasis. In recent years, referee training has emphasized focusing on the player’s contact point with the ball, and not allowing outside influences, such as spin after release, to influence ball handling decisions. A 2008 point of emphasis regarding the second team contact now instructs referees to only call multiple contacts that are obvious enough to be readily seen, and to be less severe when judging extremely athletic plays.

SWEET 16!
In 2007, the Ducks savored its first appearance in the Sweet 16 in the 64-team NCAA Tournament format, thanks to an opening sweep of Missouri State (31-29, 30-20, 31-29) at Manhattan, Kan. A day after its first postseason win in 23 years (a five-set win vs. Hawai’i in 1984), the Ducks staged a 3-2 comeback win at No. 11 Kansas State (24-30, 20-30, 30-27, 36-34, 15-11) — its first win of the season when facing an 0-2 deficit, and staved off three match points by the Wildcats. The Ducks’ record-breaking season then came to an end the following weekend in Palo Alto, Calif., when No. 9 UO lost in four sets to No. 8 ranked UCLA (23-30, 19-30, 30-28, 24-30). In the defeat, Gorana Maricic logged 30 kills (her third 30-plus kill total of the season) and her 14th double-double thanks to her 14 digs. Oregon’s 2007 postseason run raised Jim Moore’s postseason record at UO to 2-2 and 22-11 overall.

OTHER 2007 MILESTONES
UO established a new single-season record for attacking percentage, hitting .267 on the year...the previous clip was .249, set in 2004...the Ducks posted two straight +.500 seasons for the first time since the 1989 and 1990 seasons.

2007 NATIONAL RANKINGS
Oregon ended last season ranked ninth in nation in the final 2007 CSTV/AVCA Division I Coaches’ Top 25 Poll on Dec. 19. Six Pac-10 teams finished in the nation’s top 10, led by No. 2 Stanford, No. 3 USC, No. 4 California, No. 7 UCLA, No. 9 Oregon and No. 10 Washington. Oregon’s No. 9 ranking was the highest ever for the program that stood in the country’s top 25 for 12 weeks total in ‘07 after debuting at No. 24 on Sept. 17.

OREGON POSTSEASON HISTORY
In 2006, Moore led the Oregon volleyball team to its first winning season since 1990, and more importantly, its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1989. The Ducks were rewarded with No. 12 Hawai’i in the first round, and fell 3-0 at the Pyramid in Long Beach, Calif. Prior to the 2007 season’s victories, the Ducks had not won a match in the NCAA Tournament since defeating Hawai’i in five sets on Dec. 1, 1984. Oregon lost to ninth-ranked San Jose State in three sets, the following round. Including 2007, Oregon has made six appearances in the NCAA Tournament (1984, 1986, 1987, 1989, 2006, 2007) and are 3-6 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.

SO HARD TO SAY GOODBYE
Oregon’s only major loss from the 2007 roster was senior Karen Waddington. Waddington left the Duck program having played in 342 sets (105 matches), and averaged 1.01 kills per set. She ended her career with 310 blocks — a mark that stands ninth all-time. Her 274 block assists ranked fifth in volleyball program history.

2007 CONFERENCE REVIEW
With three Pac-10 teams advancing to the Final Four and two others in the Sweet 16 (and a sixth in the NCAA field), Oregon faced an ever-tough ‘Conference of Champions’. In the opener at Mac Court, the Ducks squandered a 2-0 lead against then eighth-ranked Washington and lost in five, but responded by winning its next three matches. A tough schedule had Oregon playing four consecutive top-10 opponents, each match resulting in a loss. Oregon ended that rough patch with a win at rival Oregon State, and another victory at home against Arizona, but took what could have been a fateful misstep with a 3-1 loss to unranked Arizona State on Oct. 26. The Ducks lost two more at Stanford and Cal, before regrouping for one of the best weekend’s in Oregon volleyball history.

For the first time ever, Oregon defeated two top-10 opponents back-to-back. The Ducks knocked off the No. 6 USC, 3-1, before sweeping past then ninth-ranked UCLA. The Ducks picked up two additional victories after that weekend before dropping their final set of the regular season at then-No. 6 Washington.

The Pac-10 featured a conference-record seven first-team All-Americans from five different schools, while Oregon’s Gorana Maricic was one of five second-team honorees. Since 1990, Pac-10 players have racked up nine AVCA Player of the Year honors, including 2007.

The Pac-10’s string of success at the NCAA tournament is unmatched with the league capturing five of the last seven NCAA crowns (2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001) and 13 titles overall.