Ducks Bring Upbeat Outlook Into 2017

In three years as an Oregon assistant, new UO head volleyball coach Matt Ulmer helped lead the Ducks to some impressive highs.

There was an NCAA Tournament third-round appearance in 2014. A thrilling, five-set win at ninth-ranked UCLA in 2015. An emphatic sweep of eighth-ranked Washington in Seattle last fall.

Equally as memorable to Ulmer, though, are some disappointments. Squandered 2-0 leads to Nebraska and Colorado two years ago. The inability to force a decisive fifth set against Florida in 2016, when the Ducks were unable to protect a 24-21 lead in the fourth. A five-set loss to visiting Arizona, also last fall, after Oregon went up 2-1.

"We dropped matches I don't think we should have dropped last year, and that's because we go in and out," Ulmer said recently, as he prepared to embark on his first season as UO head coach. "And we can't do that anymore. …. If we want to make noise at the end (of the season), we have to consistently be playing at this high level. In the few years I've been here, we've just been really inconsistent."

Youth has played a part in that inconsistency; in each of the last two years, the Ducks relied heavily on top-rated recruiting classes. Those players helped Oregon return to the NCAA Tournament in 2015, and reach the second round in 2016. Ulmer and the Ducks intend to take another step forward in the 2017 season, which begins Friday against No. 5 Nebraska at the VERT Challenge in Gainesville, Fla.

Ulmer helped the Ducks sign recruiting classes ranked No. 4 nationally in 2015, and No. 2 in 2016. Those players are now juniors and sophomores, among the 13 returning players on the UO roster. With that experience and maturity should come more consistent play for an Oregon team ranked No. 18 nationally and picked to finish third in the Pac-12 preseason poll.

"We have a group that's been together and meshes well together, and is prepared," senior hitter Taylor Agost said. "In terms of consistency, we're working really hard on that, to get better and be there every day. We can't have these ins and outs, and we all know that. We're going to do our best to make sure we're consistent all the time."

The Ducks, coming off a 21-10 mark last fall, face a daunting challenge in their opening weekend. After facing the fifth-ranked Cornhuskers on Friday (2 p.m., ESPN3), they'll take their shot against No. 1 Texas on Saturday (4:30 p.m., Longhorn Network). As much as two wins, Ulmer will be looking for sustained excellence on his opening weekend as UO coach.

"You get to play people right out of the gate that are going to show you what you're good at, and what you're not as good at," Ulmer said. "That's nice; it's nice to be able to see, you know what, this is what we need to back to the drawing board on, or maybe it's just tweaks. And I'm hopeful it's just tweaks. But I'm excited to watch us compete."

Ulmer will field a lineup featuring two hitters with all-American aspirations, in Agost and returning third-team all-American Lindsey Vander Weide. Sophomore Ronika Stone is a fierce, intimidating presence in the middle, where she's joined by Lauren Page and Sumeet Gill, and classmate Willow Johnson is a dynamic lefty Ulmer can pair with Agost on the right side. Maggie Scott and August Raskie will share the setter spot in Oregon's 6-2 system. Vander Weide, Alex Hojnar and the versatile Brooke Van Sickle will help account for the graduation of libero Amanda Benson, an elite passer from the back row.

The talent is in place for the Ducks to be competitive against the Cornhuskers and Longhorns this weekend, and when the grueling Pac-12 slate begins with a Civil War match against Oregon State in Matthew Knight Arena on Sept. 19. Consistency will be the key – and along with maturity, the Ducks say a new attitude will fuel them this fall.

Players have praised Ulmer for his ability to keep the atmosphere around the team loose and fun, while still demanding excellence of them. That positivity, they believe, will be an asset this weekend and beyond.

"I think we act a lot like Matt; we're very similar to him," Vander Weide said. "We're a little looser now. We're more free. … He's always positive, he always wants us to get better. It's a great environment."

Agost said Ulmer's upbeat personality has been "huge for me. … It's great to have both sides, because it allows us to have fun while we're playing, while still getting better every single day. Come time to play in games, it gives us confidence to know he's always behind us."

That confidence could be perhaps a missing piece that allows the Ducks to play at a sustained level of excellence, and challenge for a conference title this fall before making a deep postseason run. The potential is there, Ulmer's players know.

"We have moments of greatness all the time," Vander Weide said. "I definitely believe we can have that all the time. We just need to do it consistently, and I think a lot of it has to do with focus. Sometimes we get out of focus and we just let plays go by, and we shake it off. If we put all of our focus, all of our energy, into what we're doing, we can be really good and really consistent."