Duck Volleyball Holds Steady at No. 23 in AVCA Poll #12

(Eugene, Oregon) - The No. 23 University of Oregon volleyball team (18-8, 6-8) enjoyed its 58th straight week in the American Volleyball Coaches Association Coaches Top 25 Poll released Monday.

In the 12th edition of the season, No. 23 UO was one of seven Pac-10 teams sighted, and overall has been ranked between 11th and 23rd in 2010.

Compared to last week, No. 2 Stanford, No. 4 California, No. 6 USC, No. 10 UCLA, No. 11 Washington and No. 23 Oregon all remained the same, and No. 22 Arizona fell two spots.

Among other poll notes, No. 1 Florida (24-1) remained atop the rankings for the sixth straight week, and No. 3 Hawai’i (26-1) and No. 5 Nebraska (24-2) also held steady. The only teams to change in the top 10 were No. 7 Penn State (23-4) and No. 8 Texas (19-5) which flip-flopped.

The Ducks have been ranked consecutively for more than three seasons, a stretch that has included 14 combined top-10 appearances in 2007, ’08 and ’09, and an all-time high position of sixth.

Before the arrival of sixth-year head coach Jim Moore, Oregon’s previous longest poll streak was a 28-week run from 1986-88 (with a previous program high of 11th three times in that span).

A complete listing of the Ducks' string of top-25 rankings under Moore follows: 2010: Preseason – 20th, 8/30 – 18th; 9/6 – 19th; 9/13 – 16th; 9/20 – 15th; 9/27 – 11th; 10/4 – 13th; 10/11 – 17th; 10/18 – 16th; 10/25 – 18th; 11/1 – 20th; 11/8 – 23rd; 11/15 – 23rd. 2009: Preseason - 14th, 8/31 - 14th, 9/7 - 12th, 9/14 - 14th; 9/21 - 7th; 9/28 – 7th; 10/5 – 11th; 10/12 - 15th; 10/19 – 12th; 10/26 – 15th; 11/2 – 14th; 11/9 – 16th; 11/16 – 18th; 11/23 – 18th; 11/30 – 17th; 12/22 – 18th. 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; 11/24 - 8th; 12/1 - 7th; 12/23 - 9th. 2007: 9/18 24th; 9/25 21st; 10/1 – 19th; 10/8 – 19th; 10/15 – 19th; 10/22 – 19th; 10/29 - 19th; 11/5 – 20th; 11/12 - 14th; 11/19 - 13th; 11/26 - 13th; 12/3 - ninth; 12/10 - ninth.

Before that run, UO ranked 24th twice the season in 2006 – Moore’s second campaign in Eugene – in late October and early November.

More information on the AVCA and its polls is available at the www.AVCA.org website at the http://www.avca.org/divisions/division-one-women/polls URL address.

This weekend, No. 23 Oregon welcomes No. 10 UCLA and No. 6 USC for 7 p.m. matches Friday and Saturday, November 19-20.

The final weekend of volleyball action at McArthur Court also marks the last home appearances for senior outside hitter Heather Meyers who will be honored before the Trojan match.

Duck volleyball alumni on-hand at the USC match will be also be recognized in the second-third set intermission, and any attending should email the reunion coordinator Peg Rees by Wednesday (pegr@uoregon.edu).

Going back in the 30 national tournaments since 1981, USC and UCLA have combined for six national titles (3/3), five more runner-up honors (1/4) and eight more Final Four appearances (4/4). That said, UO has won the last three tilts in Eugene vs. UCLA and two of the last three vs. USC. Those five wins equal the same number (1 // 4) in the previous 42 series meetings at Mac Court.

Last weekend, Oregon polished off its fourth season sweep of Oregon State (8-20, 1-13) the last five years with a 3-1 victory at Gill Coliseum by a 23-25, 25-18, 25-14, 25-19 count.

Against the Beavers, UO turned in its third-best highest hitting mark (.291) in league play, while OSU finished with a .188 total – the third-lowest it’s allowed behind WSU’s mark (.157) and OSU’s total (.128) last month.

Meyers’ four aces moved her to second on the Pac-10 career aces chart (172) past former Stanford Olympian Logan Tom (third, 171). Her season total of 59 also moved her into a four-way tie for eighth all-time in league history and fourth in the Duck record books. Meyers was equally explosive at the net, and posted her third-best kill tally of 2010 (20) and her 13th .300 night (.395).

Among other notable efforts, redshirt sophomore outside hitter Alaina Bergsma landed 18 kills and hit .297; sophomore outside hitter Katherine Fischer added 13 kills and 12 digs for her 12th double-double; and freshman setter Lauren Plum’s 51 assists was her seventh +50 total of the season, and her nine digs left her one shy of her seventh double-double.

AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25 Poll #12 (11/15)
Rk School (1st Place Vts) Points W-L Prev
1 Florida (45) 1475 24-1 1
*2 Stanford (12) 1438 22-2 2
3 Hawai’i (1) 1349 26-1 3
*4 California (1) 1316 23-2 4
5 Nebraska (1) 1268 24-2 5
*6 Southern California 1199 22-4 6
7 Penn State 1130 23-4 8
8 Texas 1106 19-5 7
9 Illinois 999 21-5 9
*10 UCLA 962 19-7 10
*11 Washington 861 17-7 11
12 Northern Iowa 824 27-2 12
13 Dayton 673 24-3 17
14 San Diego 633 22-4 18
15 Colorado State 594 23-3 13
T-16 Iowa State 556 17-7 14
T-16 LSU 556 23-3 15
18 Cincinnati 457 26-4 19
19 Minnesota 420 20-8 22
20 Michigan 357 21-7 16
21 Tennessee 251 22-6 21
*22 Arizona 242 18-9 20
^23 Oregon 213 18-8 23\
24 Tulsa 141 27-2 25
25 Northwestern 81 18-9 24

Others Receiving Votes (and appearing on two or more ballots): Long Beach State 66; Oklahoma 58; Cal State Fullerton 55; St. Mary's (Ca.) 49; Purdue 45; Duke 41; Pepperdine 21; Missouri 17; Cal Poly 12; Middle Tennessee 10; Ohio State 7; New Mexico 3; Wichita State 3

Source: University of Oregon