College volleyball players from as far away as Louisiana are converging on Eugene this week for the opening rounds of this year’s NCAA tournament.
With a national No.6 ranking, the Oregon Ducks earned the right to host two opening rounds.
Oregon Volleyball ended their regular season with a 26-5 record. This earned them a No. 2 seed in the tournament.
Ducks coach Matt Ulmer is in his 10th year at Oregon, his 7th as head coach. Ahead of the round one action that gets underway Thursday afternoon, coach Ulmer came to the KLCC studios where Love Cross began by asking him to reflect on this time at Oregon and about this standout season in particular.
Matt Ulmer: It's been a great season, you know, just, yeah, 10 years now at Oregon, which is crazy to think about. It's gone fast. It's been fun. But it's been a build, it's been a climb, you know, trying to get the program to where we can be a national contender every year and last year, we were really close. We were pulling away from the final four and, just did so many great things last year, set a lot of program records, to actually go above and beyond that this year, you know, is kind of what we've done. And it's been a joy. We just have some of the best student athletes you could ask for. It's just a great group and I just feel really privileged to be their coach and, and to be able to work with them and know them each and every day. Pac-12 awards came out and all seven of our starters got Pac-12 Awards. Three has been our best and we had five on the team and then two others honorable mentioned. And so just to see kind of that growth in our program, it's just been a joy and it's been hard work, but it's so rewarding.
Love Cross: And I'm sure when you set out to each new season, you try not to let expectations come in too much, but there have to be some expectations that you set for yourself and for your team. So I'm curious to know how, when you started the season and looking at where you are now, how those expectations have panned out.
Ulmer: I just think the expectations I have for myself. And so then the program are always the highest, you know, there's no pressure that anybody or, you know, any group can put on us more than what we have for ourselves. And I think that's what it has to be in order to get up every day and continue to try to get better. So I think this is a very dedicated group. It's a group that has big goals, has dreams, want to do things beyond Oregon in the sport and in the community. And so then it becomes so much easier to be their teacher, be their mentor, be their coach because I'm just trying to help guide them for what's next in their life.
Cross: Speaking of that group, you have a slew of senior standouts. You had seven seniors this year, that's more than I can remember in recent years.
Ulmer: Yeah. So the COVID year is kind of where we've come to a head here. We don't actually have any seniors like fourth year seniors, but we have two six-years and five fifth-years that are graduating. And then we have Onye Ofoegbu who is also going to be a sixth-year next year. She's red shirting this year, but she's another fifth-year senior right now. And again, this is a group that normally would have been gone already, you know, but because of the COVID year, they get that additional year and I think it's just grace of an extra time. Extra time that they get to do what they love and just enjoy it together. And, yeah, as a coach, I really feel like I'm coaching a pro team because all of them are going to go play pro after this- if that's what they choose to do. They're that talented and that dedicated. So it's been pretty neat to be able to coach such an old group of student athletes.
Cross: Of all the sports, it seems like volleyball is a super accessible sport and speaking from experience, I know that tickets are a bargain to come see you play, and during the regular season you hold a chalk talk before each game, you give fans an inside look into the team. There are throngs of young volleyballers at every game that I've gone to there. What do you love about volleyball?
I think we have to find our own way. We're a sport that is not pushed by men, and I think that's really different.
Ulmer: I grew up in the gym. My mom's a coach. I don't know life without volleyball. I just think it's the best team sport. You got six big bodies in one small box, and you’ve got to figure out how, and that ball moves fast and you can't catch it, you can't stop it, it keeps going. So you really have to rely on each other and great communication and great skill and great athleticism, especially at the level we're playing at. So I think it's super dynamic, very entertaining. But from a teamwork aspect and competitive aspect, I think it's about as fun as it gets, you know, as far as sports go. And then with the atmosphere of the crowd and accessibility you talk about- I think we have to find our own way. We're a sport that is not pushed by men, and I think that's really different. Women's basketball has men's basketball that's pushed it forever. Football is men. Softball has baseball. And so for us this is a women's sport, you know, that's trying to find its way in our world where that's not very easy always for women to do. It's the most participated girls sport in the country, of all sports and high school level and club level. It's volleyball. It's a really, really popular sport. So I think just trying to grow that in the Pacific Northwest is something that I feel like I've been tasked with, and I'm really thankful for that. And so I feel like I need to be in the community, we need to be accessible, we want all the young girls in town and their families to want to come and get to know them and cheer them and be role models. I think that's really important and I think we've been really blessed so far in my time here that the student athletes have understood that. And they've done their best, I think to be really good role models and be available and answer questions and take pictures and do videos and whatever that is going to be or do camps- just to try to motivate the next generation of volleyball players in, in the Oregon area. And there's pressure with it, but I think it's just a really great pressure to have.
Cross: So you have some new competition next year when you move to the Big Ten. What are your predictions on that?
Ulmer: The Pac-12 and the Big Ten for volleyball have been the two best conferences, pretty much every year. It's been one or two, kind of however you want to slice it up. We're used to playing just the best competition. We're used to traveling. We're up here in the corner of the country where nothing's really drivable for us to go face good competition. So, like our nonconference this year, we were on the road the whole time for the first month in August and September. So we're used to the travel, we're used to playing nothing but the best. This year, our season we had 31 matches, 28 of them were against top 100 teams. That's it. Only three matches against non-top-100. I think for us there's really no change there. It's just different venues, different personnel, you're seeing different team names, you know, we've scheduled a lot of Big Ten matches in our nonconference. We generally, every year in the NCAA tournament, we run in to Big Ten teams and this year, hopefully it'll be no different if we continue to have success. So, I think it's exciting. The Big Ten has really pushed women's volleyball. It's the number one women's sport in the conference, behind men's basketball and football is the third most-rated on TV sport that they have. They're selling out all their games at different sites and, you know, you see the growth that we're doing here. I think we really fit in what they're trying to do and the importance that they put in women's volleyball and, as a volleyball fan, as, as a volleyball person growing up, it's very exciting to be able to be a part of something that feels very important in our sport.
Cross: For those who maybe have never been to an Oregon Volleyball game at Matthew Knight, what would you say they can expect if they turn out for Thursday's round one matchup with Southeastern Louisiana?
Ulmer: It's a really great atmosphere, it's loud, lots of cheering, lots of booing the other side. I do think our home court advantage is a real thing, because the fans are passionate, the student section has grown to be really large. The Pit Crew and Women's Volleyball have become a really tight relationship, and last year for playoffs when we were able to host against LMU and Arkansas in the first two rounds, it was a party in Matthew Knight Arena. And I really hope that that's what we'll get again on Thursday and on Friday. And I know Friday is going to be a busy day for Oregon sports because football's playing Washington, and I know some people will be in Vegas, but hopefully they can split brain and maybe just record the football game on Friday if we're able to get there. We won't say the score out loud, you know, during the game so that people can go back home.
Cross: No spoilers?
Ulmer: No spoiler alerts! We won't do that, but I think it's just going to be a really fun atmosphere and, hopefully, you want to see the success of a team that wants to bring a championship to Matthew Knight Arena and hang a new banner since 1939.
Cross: Good luck in the tournament- we'll be watching!
Ulmer: Thank you- Go Ducks!
The Ducks host the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament starting Thursday at 4:00 p.m. when Iowa State faces Hawaii. Then the Ducks will take the court to face Southeastern Louisiana at 7:00 p.m.
The winners of Thursday's matches move on to Round 2 Friday evening at Matthew Knight Arena.
