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Oregon volleyball climbing the ranks despite being in highly-competitive Big Ten

The Oregon Ducks are ranked No. 11 in the nation after their first 23 games of the volleyball season despite playing in one of the most competitive conferences in the nation.

By Sam Fariss

Oregon middle blocker Onye Ofoegbu celebrates a shot as the Oregon Ducks host the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Matthew Knight Arena on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024, in Eugene, Ore.
Oregon middle blocker Onye Ofoegbu celebrates a shot as the Oregon Ducks host the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Matthew Knight Arena on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024, in Eugene, Ore. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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The Oregon Ducks volleyball team consistently makes the postseason tournament but always falls just short of the "top teams" conversation. However, as the Ducks entered the Big Ten, hopes for the team were high despite having to face some of the best programs in collegiate volleyball history.

While Oregon hasn't quite figured out how to handle Nebraska yet, the Ducks have performed phenomenally well throughout the majority of the season.

So far, the Ducks have won 18 of their 23 games and are ranked No. 11 in the country. Oregon has gone head-to-head against some of the best teams in the nation, with their only losses going to No. 2 Nebraska, No. 6 Wisconsin, then-No. 3 Penn State, No. 1 Pittsburgh, and rival Washington.

Most recently, the Ducks took down No. 14 Minnesota in straight sets (3-0) and already defeated the Washington Huskies when UW was still ranked, as well as the top-25 USC Trojans and then-No. 17 BYU Cougars.

So, while Oregon isn't winning every single game, the Ducks are keeping pace with some of the best teams in their conference.

Mimi Colyer is leading the team with an astonishing 310 kills (13.5 per game) and Onye Ofoegbu has earned a resounding 99 blocks (4.3 per game). Head coach Matt Ulmer has led the Ducks to six tournament appearances in his seven seasons with the team and Oregon is racing towards a seventh tournament appearance.

Oregon has just six games remaining in its regular season and still has to face the currently-ranked No. 23 USC Trojans again. However, if the Ducks can topple the Trojans and take down the rest of their opponents, Oregon would be sitting at 24-5 as the Ducks fly towards the postseason.

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