Photo by: Eric Evans/GoDucks.com
Fearless Agost Stealing Spotlight for No. 11 Ducks
09/14/17 | Women's Volleyball, @GoDucksMoseley
Taylor Agost is playing with a newfound confidence and fearlessness as a senior after singing in front of 77,612 people at the Final Four in April
Steeling herself for the spotlight, Taylor Agost took a deep breath and walked out onto the court.
That hasn't always been as easy as it sounds for the Oregon volleyball standout. For much of her career, taking the court conjured anxiety as much as pleasure. There was pressure to perform her best, for the teammates at her side and for the fans in the seats.
This time was different, though. This was back in April, at the men's basketball Final Four. Tournament organizers had sought a student-athlete from each of the participating schools to help sing the national anthem. With the Oregon men about to play in the national semifinals, Agost represented the Ducks – and was the star of the show.
"When they first asked me, my immediate answer was no," Agost recalled recently. "I started sweating just thinking about it."
With some coaxing from UO senior women's administrator Lisa Peterson, volleyball coach Matt Ulmer, her teammates and family, Agost agreed to participate. And a funny thing happened when the day finally arrived to perform the national anthem for a stadium filled with 77,612 people, not to mention a national television audience.
"When we actually got on the court to do it," Agost said, "all the nerves were gone."
Entering the start of Pac-12 play against Oregon State in Matthew Knight Arena on Tuesday (7 p.m. PT, Pac-12 Network), Agost is the reigning conference player of the week. In the Nike Classic hosted last week by the 11th-ranked Ducks (7-1), she hit .619 across three three-set victories for Oregon, with 28 kills and just two errors.
"I told everyone coming in, I thought she'd have a big year – watch out for Taylor Agost," said Ulmer, the Ducks' first-year coach. "I think everyone could see, this is why."
A senior from Happy Valley, Ore., Agost was a part-time starter as a sophomore in 2015, and an honorable mention all-conference pick as a full-time starter in 2016. This season, Agost wanted to take yet another step – she made no secret of her desire to be an all-American as a senior this fall.
"It's kind of scary telling people your goals, and then not accomplishing them," Agost said. "But I told myself, if I'm not an all-American, the world's not going to end. So I'm not afraid to say that's a goal."
That sort of fearlessness – the kind she demonstrated at the Final Four in April – is paying major dividends for Agost.
She was born with all the makings of a star hitter. Agost stands 6-foot-2, with a rocket launcher of a right arm, and so much athleticism she had the highest vertical jump at the season-opening VERT Challenge. That event also featured No. 1 Texas and No. 5 Nebraska. Nobody on either roster could match Agost's hops.
She was a late bloomer in volleyball, Ulmer said. Perhaps because of all those gifts, she felt pressure to perform. But with just one season of collegiate eligibility left, she decided this offseason to play with joyful abandon, come what may.
"The reason I play volleyball is because I love it," Agost said. "This is so much fun for me. I was tired of living under that pressure, feeling this anxiety to do well. Obviously I have big goals for our team and myself. But I just want to have fun and enjoy every moment. When I switched to that mindset, it really helped."
The results speak for themselves. Paired with setter August Raskie in Oregon's 6-2 rotation, Agost is averaging 2.64 kills per set and hitting .335. After an opening weekend that featured double-digit kill totals against both Nebraska and Texas, but also 13 total errors in those two matches, Agost has committed just seven attack errors in the ensuing six contests.
"Sometimes when you want something so bad, it can make it a negative," Ulmer said. "Once she calmed down, now you can see she's really comfortable."
Ulmer has no problem with players like Agost and Lindsey Vander Weide going public with their all-America goals; great teams boast great players, after all. When Penn State went undefeated and won the NCAA title in 2008, the Nittany Lions had four first-team all-Americans, and two more on the second team.
The new UO coach just wants Oregon's team goals to come first. So far, the Ducks are off to an impressive start, fueled in part by Agost and her new outlook on the sport of volleyball.
"Everyone says on the outside it looks like we're having fun," Agost said. "And we really are – while getting better. It's an amazing combination."
That hasn't always been as easy as it sounds for the Oregon volleyball standout. For much of her career, taking the court conjured anxiety as much as pleasure. There was pressure to perform her best, for the teammates at her side and for the fans in the seats.
This time was different, though. This was back in April, at the men's basketball Final Four. Tournament organizers had sought a student-athlete from each of the participating schools to help sing the national anthem. With the Oregon men about to play in the national semifinals, Agost represented the Ducks – and was the star of the show.
"When they first asked me, my immediate answer was no," Agost recalled recently. "I started sweating just thinking about it."
With some coaxing from UO senior women's administrator Lisa Peterson, volleyball coach Matt Ulmer, her teammates and family, Agost agreed to participate. And a funny thing happened when the day finally arrived to perform the national anthem for a stadium filled with 77,612 people, not to mention a national television audience.
"When we actually got on the court to do it," Agost said, "all the nerves were gone."
Instead of fearing the opportunity, Agost embraced it. That's a lesson she's carried over into volleyball season. As she did on the court that day in April, Agost has been stealing the spotlight for the Ducks, too.Among the #FinalFour national anthem singers is @taylor_agost of @OregonVB #GoDucks pic.twitter.com/00PMMqPpXm
— Rob Moseley (@GoDucksMoseley) April 1, 2017
Entering the start of Pac-12 play against Oregon State in Matthew Knight Arena on Tuesday (7 p.m. PT, Pac-12 Network), Agost is the reigning conference player of the week. In the Nike Classic hosted last week by the 11th-ranked Ducks (7-1), she hit .619 across three three-set victories for Oregon, with 28 kills and just two errors.
"I told everyone coming in, I thought she'd have a big year – watch out for Taylor Agost," said Ulmer, the Ducks' first-year coach. "I think everyone could see, this is why."
A senior from Happy Valley, Ore., Agost was a part-time starter as a sophomore in 2015, and an honorable mention all-conference pick as a full-time starter in 2016. This season, Agost wanted to take yet another step – she made no secret of her desire to be an all-American as a senior this fall.
"It's kind of scary telling people your goals, and then not accomplishing them," Agost said. "But I told myself, if I'm not an all-American, the world's not going to end. So I'm not afraid to say that's a goal."
That sort of fearlessness – the kind she demonstrated at the Final Four in April – is paying major dividends for Agost.
She was born with all the makings of a star hitter. Agost stands 6-foot-2, with a rocket launcher of a right arm, and so much athleticism she had the highest vertical jump at the season-opening VERT Challenge. That event also featured No. 1 Texas and No. 5 Nebraska. Nobody on either roster could match Agost's hops.
She was a late bloomer in volleyball, Ulmer said. Perhaps because of all those gifts, she felt pressure to perform. But with just one season of collegiate eligibility left, she decided this offseason to play with joyful abandon, come what may.
"The reason I play volleyball is because I love it," Agost said. "This is so much fun for me. I was tired of living under that pressure, feeling this anxiety to do well. Obviously I have big goals for our team and myself. But I just want to have fun and enjoy every moment. When I switched to that mindset, it really helped."
The results speak for themselves. Paired with setter August Raskie in Oregon's 6-2 rotation, Agost is averaging 2.64 kills per set and hitting .335. After an opening weekend that featured double-digit kill totals against both Nebraska and Texas, but also 13 total errors in those two matches, Agost has committed just seven attack errors in the ensuing six contests.
"Sometimes when you want something so bad, it can make it a negative," Ulmer said. "Once she calmed down, now you can see she's really comfortable."
Ulmer has no problem with players like Agost and Lindsey Vander Weide going public with their all-America goals; great teams boast great players, after all. When Penn State went undefeated and won the NCAA title in 2008, the Nittany Lions had four first-team all-Americans, and two more on the second team.
The new UO coach just wants Oregon's team goals to come first. So far, the Ducks are off to an impressive start, fueled in part by Agost and her new outlook on the sport of volleyball.
"Everyone says on the outside it looks like we're having fun," Agost said. "And we really are – while getting better. It's an amazing combination."
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