In previous years, a women’s volleyball non-conference match scheduled against Oregon would equal an easy victory for Long Beach State.
Maybe not this year.
Oregon, who has finished last in the Pac-10 the past seven seasons, won its opening two matches over the weekend.
They beat UC Irvine 3-0 last Friday and then won the Oregon Kickoff Classic by beating Portland State, 3-2, in Eugene, Ore. Saturday.
The Ducks are also receiving respect within their own conference. Even though Oregon has been in the cellar for almost a decade, the Pac-10 coaches picked the squad to finish eighth in one of the toughest conferences in the country.
The improvement of the Ducks can be contributed to the hiring of Jim Moore as head coach.
After two seasons at the helm, Moore has brought in consecutive strong recruiting classes, which includes Mira Djuric, who was a Pac-10 All-Freshmen team selection in 2005. Djuric led the team in kills in both matches last week, totaling 35.
Katie Swoboda, a Pac-10 All-Freshman honorable mention, finished fifth in the conference in digs last year, averaging 4.77 per game. Swoboda had 27 digs in the Oregon win over PSU Sunday.
Moore has also brought in two freshmen setters, Nevena Djordjevic and Lindsey Stone to go along with senior Heather Madson.
Also, expect a large contribution tonight from freshman Sonja Newcombe. Newcombe had a double-double against PSU, with 15 kills and 10 digs.
Unlike LBSU, who easily beat Missouri, Alabama State and Villanova last weekend, Oregon played a difficult five game match Sunday against PSU.
“This is the best thing that could happen to us,” Moore said to GoDucks.com, about the teams match with PSU. “It’s important to be put in a stressful situation early in the season. We should play better under stress as a result.”
Oregon will probably be under stress tonight when they play LBSU in the Walter Pyramid at 7:30.
Head Coach Brian Gimmillaro will be leading an LBSU team that has yet to lose a game this year.
AVCA All-American Honorable Mention Alexis Crimes leads the team in kills (27) and aces (6).
In her first collegiate volleyball matches of her career, Czech Republic transfer student Michaela Hasalikova was impressive. The 6-foot-4 Hasalikova had 26 kills and led the team with 18 blocks last weekend.
Orchestrating the offense, Nicole Vargas tallied 90 assists in the opening three matches. In the season opener, Vargas had 37 assists, seven digs, four blocks, three kills and two aces against Missouri.
Oregon begins a three-match road trip tonight and will travel to CS Fullerton Friday before finishing up against Utah State Saturday.
LBSU is heading to the Midwest this weekend, playing in the Nebraska Tournament. The Beach will face Middle Tennessee State, St, Mary’s and Nebraska.
Who: Oregon (2-0) vs. Long Beach State (3-0) Where: The Walter Pyramid When: 7:30 Last Game: Long Beach def. Villanova 3-0 Oregon def. Portland State 3-2 Series Record: Long Beach 6-1 Last Meeting: Sept. 9, 1994, Long Beach 3-0