Can the Ducks hold serve?

Byline: Chris Hansen The Register-Guard

Now comes the encore.

Nine months after finishing the most successful - and surprising - season in nearly two decades, the Oregon volleyball team will return to the court this week with a swagger and a gravitas not historically associated with this program.

"Expectations are just so high and I'm still trying to raise them," said coach Jim Moore, who begins his third season in Eugene at 7 p.m. Friday against Baylor in the Oregon Kickoff Classic tournament at McArthur Court.

The Ducks also play Cal-State Bakersfield at 10 a.m. Saturday and then Kansas at 7 p.m.

"This is for sure, the most offensive weapons I have had on any team I've coached," continued Moore, who in previous coaching stops guided Texas to a Big 12 Conference title and Northern Michigan to the 1993 Division-II national championship. "That's a pretty easy statement to make, but it's a pretty big statement."

The Ducks stunned many last season when they posted a winning record (17-12) for the first time since 1990, recorded more Pac-10 wins (seven) than the previous six seasons combined, and ended their 17-year absence from the NCAA Tournament.

Six players return from that team, including sophomore middle blocker Sonja Newcombe, who was Oregon's top offensive threat and team leader as a freshman.

"Sonja is a whole different player right now," Moore said. "She is at a whole different level than where she was. Sonja's changed this program. She's such a great leader."

Also back is three-year starter Katie Swoboda, a junior libero, who is 468 digs away from the Oregon record of 1,481. Swoboda set the single-season school record last year with 565.

Senior middle blocker Karen Waddington led the team in blocks last season with 116, and sophomore setter Nevena Djordjevic had a team-high 697 assists.

But what really has Moore excited is the addition of a trio of outside hitters that has him pondering a season in which the Ducks' offense can produce at a level typically reserved for teams battling for national titles.

"We're talking about whether we can hit .350-.400 in competitions right now, and if we were over .200 a year ago we were happy," Moore said.

Moore expects transfers Gorana Maricic and Kristen Forristall - who both redshirted last season - and true freshman Heather Meyers - the team's prize recruit - will give the Ducks an offensive presence they've never had before and offset the loss of Mira Djuric, who transferred.

"Last year we only had five hitters," Moore said. "Now we have eight legitimate people who can put the ball on the floor. Our depth is scary right now."

Maricic, a 6-foot-3 junior from Serbia, came to Oregon last season from D-II Northwood University in Michigan, where she tallied 1,000 kills in two seasons.

"We've been waiting a year for her," Moore said. "She's really, really good. I just don't know how else to describe her. ... I don't know who's better than her in the entire country. Offensively, I don't know who's better than her."

She's impressed her teammates as well.

"She is awesome," Newcombe said. "She hits shots that I've never seen anyone else hit before. We needed that X factor, or whatever you want to call it. We need someone who can hit the ball high and can pass and play defense and just have that extra little edge."

Forristall is a 6-2 junior who had to sit out last season after she quit the UO women's basketball team. The former McDonald's High School All-American in basketball also excelled in volleyball in high school. The 5-11 Meyers attended Great Oaks High School in Temecula, Calif., and was named state Player of the Year by two different publications.

"On her club team, they had one player who was very good and is going to Texas so she was the one that got all the attention," Moore said of Meyers. "I actually heard from many people that Heather was the best player on her club team, and I think she was, too."

While Moore might be excited about what he has at Oregon, others in the Pac-10 need a little more convincing. The Ducks were picked to finish seventh this season - one spot lower than their finish last fall - in the annual preseason coaches poll.

"I think that we will compete with everyone in the Pac-10 this year," was Newcombe's measured response, when asked if there were six better teams in the Pac-10.

Moore was more direct.

"If there are six teams better than us in the Pac-10, then there are going to be four teams from the Pac-10 in the Final Four," he said.

The Ducks will get a chance to prove themselves when they end the nonconference season at Ohio State for the Big Ten/Pac-10 Challenge. There they will face the Buckeyes and Purdue, ranked No. 16 and No. 13, respectively, in the CSTV/AVCA preseason coaches poll.

"That's going to be a big test," Moore said. "That will let us know where we're at."

And possibly where they are going, which Moore hopes will be just one direction - up.

"We no longer have that worry of whether or not we're going to come in last," Moore said. "We came in sixth last year. We don't want to come in sixth this year. If we come in sixth we're going to be very disappointed."

FIVE TO WATCH

1, Outside hitters Gorana Maricic and Kristen Forristall. The two junior transfers have never played at the D-1 level, let alone gone through a grueling Pac-10 season. Yet, the season seems to be riding on whether these two can perform during matches the way they have dominated practice during the past year.

2, Middle blocker Sonja Newcombe. The Ducks' best and steadiest player last season returns and has reportedly only gotten better. But with more talent around her, there will be less pressure on Newcombe this season to be the do-it-all savior.

3, Libero Katie Swoboda. The junior should break the school record for digs in the final weeks of the conference season. She already owns the single-season record and has the best digs-per-game average in school history.

4, League opener at home vs Washington on Sept. 21. The Ducks were 7-4 in the Pac-10 last season before dropping a five-game match to the fourth-ranked Huskies at Mac Court, starting an 0-8 season-ending slide. A victory here could spark a strong start in Pac-10 play.

5, Oregon's 6-2 system means true freshman setter Rachel Morris will have to step in and be a solid contributor along with sophomore Nevena Djordjevic. The Ducks will need more than just adequate production from this position to be as successful as they think they can be.