#18 OREGON (0-0) vs. #3 TEXAS (0-0)

#18 OREGON (0-0) at #2 NEBRASKA (0-0)

MATCH NOTES

Taylor Borup

Erika Dillard

The Oregon volleyball team will have no time to ease into the 2018 season as the Ducks get set to open up against a pair of top-three opponents in No. 3 Texas and No. 2 Nebraska this weekend at the VERT Challenge in Lincoln, Neb.The Ducks, ranked 18th in the AVCA preseason poll, are looking to close out the four-year circuit of the VERT Challenge on a high note after picking up their first win in the tournament last year with a season-opening win over the eventual national champion Cornhuskers. No. 6 Florida will also be in Lincoln to round out the four-team tournament. Oregon will be tasked with handling one of the nation's biggest and loudest crowds at the Bob Devaney Sports Center, where Nebraska sold out its preseason scrimmage last weekend."I'm really interested to see how our team responds and how we compete," second-year head coachsaid. "I'm excited to see how we respond to that kind of crowd and atmosphere, and I'm interested to see how we compare to the other top teams there and kind of see what we're made out of."Friday, August 24 |1:30 p.m. PT: Lincoln, Neb. |Bob Devaney Sports Centerhuskers.com |huskers.comTexas leads, 4-1 (UT W3) |Texas won, 3-1 (8/26/17, Gainesville, Fla.)The No. 3 Longhorns enter 2018 after going a perfect 16-0 to win the Big 12 in 2017 before falling to Stanford in the Elite Eight. The Ducks fell to Texas, 3-1, in the 2017 VERT Challenge. The Longhorns graduated all-American OH Ebony Nwanebu, but return Big 12 preseason player of the year Micaya White, SR MB Morgan Johnson and SO S Ashley Shook to lead a talented roster.Saturday, August 25 |4 p.m. PT: Lincoln, Neb. |Bob Devaney Sports CenterBTN Plus |huskers.comNebraska leads, 4-2 (UO W1) |Oregon won, 3-1 (8/25/17, Gainesville)The 2017 national champions, the No. 2 Cornhuskers open 2018 as a national favorite once again with another talented roster led by all-America SR OH Mikaela Foecke. Nebraska graduated its next three leading hitters after Foecke, but added all-America SO OH Lexi Sun as a transfer out of Texas. The Ducks will look for their second straight win over NU after winning in four sets in the 2017 opener.The Ducks were picked to finish third in the Pac-12 this season in a vote of the conference's coaches. Stanford was picked to win, with USC second and receiving one first-place vote. Oregon was followed in the poll by UCLA, Colorado, Washington, Washington State, Utah, Arizona, Oregon State, Arizona State and California.JR MBand SR OHwere both named to the preseason all-Pac-12 team in the preseason coaches' poll. Stone was an all-Pac-12 pick in 2017 after leading UO and ranking fourth in the conference with a .366 hitting percentage, while Vander Weide was an honorable mention selection after averaging 2.48 kills per set and 2.70 digs per set. Vander Weide was a third-team AVCA all-American in 2016.Oregon returns nine players from last season's team that went 18-12 overall and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Ducks will be led by the trio of SR OH, SR S/RSand JR MB. UO will be without JR OHin 2018 as she recovers from injury, but the Ducks get RSO L/OHback after she was a medical redshirt in 2017. Head coachhas consistently said Van Sickle was the best player at last year's VERT Challenge when the Ducks defeated Nebraska in the season opener. UO also brings back JR RS WIllow Johnson, a dynamic lefy hitter, as well as SR MB, SR MB/OHand SO LThe Ducks welcome a five-player freshmen class this fall that was ranked No. 4 in the nation, adding to an already talented returning roster. FR L/OHwill see the floor right away for the Ducks, bringing tremendous experience at the libero spot after manning that role for the U.S. junior national team the last three summers. FR Sis the highest-rated recruit in program history at No. 8, and FR MBwas close behind at No. 11 and is a very physical additon for UO at 6-foot-4. FR Lis regarded as an elite floor defender who could contribute in 2018, and FR MBprovides another long body in the middle.In addition to adding a highly-regarded freshmen class, Oregon strengthened its 2018 roster with the addition of JR OH/RS, a transfer from North Carolina. A physical presence at 6'4", Borup was a 2016 ACC all-freshman selection and contributed in both of her seasons with the Tar Heels despite battling through injuries.After spending the last four years with two setters running a 6-2 offense, HCwill transition the Ducks to a 5-1 offense this season around SR S/RS. The transition will allow UO's hitters to develop better chemistry with the team's setters, specifically the middle blockers. Said Ulmer, "I believe that a one setter system will allow more opportunities for our middles to be involved on the offensive end. We need to get our them more touches, andin particular hasn't been used enough."SR S/RSenjoyed what Ulmer has termed a "perfect" summer prior to her senior season, playing overseas on the U.S. women's collegiate national team Europe-tour roster. Raskie helped the U.S. to the gold medal in the European Global Challenge and was named to the event's all-tournament team.Oregon officially added a sixth member to its 2018 class on August 7, 2018, signing 8-year-old Eugene-native Danielle Bixby to the roster through the national non-profit Team IMPACT. Bixby has been fighting a rare form of cancer called Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis for the last year, and has become incredibly close with the Ducks over the last few months. "I'm their little Duck, and they're my girls," Danielle said after signing her letter of intent.dipped into his past to round out his 2018 coaching staff, addingas an assistant coach. Dillard coached with Ulmer at Long Beach State, and she was his beach assistant when he led the 49ers to the 2013 national title. Said Ulmer, "Erika is one of the best coaches in our sport, period." Dillard will not be with the Ducks in Nebraska, however, as she and her husband welcome their second child. UO all-time points leader Sonja Newcombe will fill in as an interim assistant coach.Oregon will open its home schedule against Portland State on Tuesday, August 28, before welcoming Utah Valley, Long Beach State and Arkansas-Pine Bluff to MKA for the Oregon Classic.