Ducks Head to LA For Pac-12 Championships
THIS WEEK
Oregon heads down to Los Angeles for the Pac-12 Championships, taking on Utah in an opening round match Thursday morning at 8 a.m. The double elimination event is hosted this year by UCLA and will be live on the Pac-12 Network. The Ducks head into the tournament coming off of two straight wins over Portland to end the regular season, while they have won three of their last four matches and five of the last eight - with each of the five wins coming against either Portland or Corban.
HOW TO FOLLOW
TV: Pac-12 Network
PxP: Kevin Barnett
Stream Online: https://pac-12.com/live
DUCKS SET PROGRAM WINS RECORD
Oregon set a program single-season wins record with its seven wins during the regular season. The Ducks set the new mark following the sixth win of the season in a 4-1 victory over Portland on April 17, topping the previous record of five which was set in 2019. Each of Oregon's seven wins have come against in-state opponents in Corban and Portland, with the first three coming against the Warriors and the final four over the Pilots. The Ducks also hosted a pair of home matches, beating Corban and Portland once each, marking the first time in program history that Oregon has hosted multiple home matches in a season. Additionally, six of Oregon's nine losses this season have come against teams ranked in the AVCA Top 25 with three against top 10 teams.
LAST TIME AT THE PAC-12 CHAMPIONSHIPS...
Oregon got its first ever win at the Pac-12 Championships in its last appearance at the event, taking down Utah, 3-1, in the opening round in 2019. The Ducks got out to a 2-0 lead in the match against the Utes, with a couple of players on this season's roster, Josie Cole and Carly Wallace, helping put up those first two points with wins at the No. 4 and 5 spots respectively. Oregon went on to clinch the match with a three-set win at the No. 1 spot by Brooke Nuneviller and Lindsey Vander Weide. The Ducks moved on to play No. 1 UCLA in the next round, but lost 3-0, before being eliminated by Stanford in a 3-0 defeat. Prior to 2019, Oregon had not won a match in its previous three appearances at the Pac-12 Championships.
A PROGRAM ON THE RISE
In just its eighth year of existence, Oregon's beach program has made some leaps over the past few years towards building a potential perennial contender in the highly-competitive Pac-12. Prior to 2019, the Ducks had not won more than three dual matches in a year, but have won 15 over the last three seasons dating back to 2019, setting program records for wins in both 2019 and again this year. Oregon also hired Janice Harrer prior to the 2019 season as associate head coach for beach volleyball, becoming the program's first-ever beach-only coach. With indoor volleyball moving to the spring this year, the 2021 roster is the first made up of entirely beach-only players. Oregon also hosted its second and third home matches in program history earlier this season, beating Corban, 4-1, on March 16 and Portland, 4-1, April 20.
PROGRAM HISTORY
The 2021 season marks the eighth year of Oregon beach volleyball. The Ducks are 26-68-1 all-time.