Dillard Promoted to Associate Head Coach

EUGENE, Ore. – In recognition of her work over the past four seasons, Erika Dillard has been promoted to associate head coach for the Oregon volleyball team. Dillard has served as an assistant coach since joining the Ducks prior to the 2018 season.
 
"I feel very fortunate to watch Erika build relationships with our student-athletes," head coach Matt Ulmer said. "She pours so much care and love into their lives, and our team and program benefit every day from her talents and passion. Erika puts our student-athletes first and deserves to be recognized for her exceptional efforts that have led to success in the classroom, community and on the court."
 
During her time in Eugene, Dillard has helped lead the Ducks to three NCAA Tournament appearances and a pair of second-place league finishes (2018, '20) in the Pac-12. The Ducks advanced to the Elite Eight in 2018 and added a Sweet 16 appearance during the 2021 spring season.
 
Individually, the Ducks have collected eight AVCA All-America honors in her four seasons on the bench including certificates for Brooke Nuneviller (2nd team) and Georgia Murphy (honorable mention) in 2021.
 
Oregon finished its 2021 fall campaign with a 22-9 record and featured five wins over ranked opponents including the program's first-ever season sweep of Stanford and a straight-set victory over Penn State at the Pac-12/Big Ten Challenge in Eugene.
 
In working directly with the UO middle blockers, Dillard helped Oregon to 2.41 blocks per set as a team which was good for third in the Pac-12. Individually, Karson Bacon emerged as an offensive force in the middle with a program-record .413 hitting percentage. That figure ranked second in the Pac-12 and 12th in the NCAA.
 
Bacon earned VolleyballMag.com All-America honorable mention accolades and was a member of the 2021 All-Pac-12 Team.
 
Dillard was also instrumental in Abby Hansen finishing fourth in the Pac-12 with a career-high 1.20 blocks per set and Kiari Robey earning Pac-12 Freshman of the Week honors after a standout weekend (2.00 b/s, .313 hitting percentage) in road wins at Stanford and Cal. 
 
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