This weekend, Oregon volleyball needed a confidence boost after losing both its matches at the VERT Challenge in Nebraska.

“When you open up in a tournament like the VERT challenge it shows you what you need to work on,” head coach Matt Ulmer said. “You’re playing the best teams and you see what works and doesn’t work.”

The Ducks got that confidence boost with four straight wins at home and topped it off with a dominant win on Saturday.

Oregon’s 3-0 sweep over Arkansas-Pine Bluff made the Ducks 4-0 at home in 2018, with Oregon yet to drop a set at Matthew Knight Arena. Behind a 455 hitting percentage and a team-leading 12 kills on just 14 attacks by Sumeet Gill, Oregon’s three-set win of 25-10, 25-13, 25-7 over Arkansas-Pine Bluff appeared effortless.

“I’m proud of the way we handled ourselves this week,” Ulmer said. “I thought we were consistent.”

Oregon won its first home match of 2018 on Tuesday against Portland State followed by a pair of sweeps against Utah Valley and Long Beach State on the first day of the Oregon Classic.

The Ducks had efficiency on Saturday from outside hitters Willow Johnson and Taylor Borup in the win over Utah Valley and middle blockers Gill and Lauren Page in the win over Long Beach State.

On Sunday, the Ducks cleaned up even quicker than they had in the past several matches.

Oregon flew through the first set to a 21-6 lead but gave up three straight points before earning a point on a service error to get the ball back on the Ducks’ side of the court. Oregon won the set 25-10 behind a seven kills by Gill.

“I see a lot of trust in her,” senior setter and Oregon Classic MVP August Raskie said of Gill. “I see a lot of confidence in what she’s doing. Both on the court we have a lot of trust.

It was much more of the same in the second set for Oregon, which went through a normal rotation of the team’s usual components. Gill led the Ducks with nine kills while Ronika Stone collected eight through the first two sets with the Ducks swinging at .456 percent as a team.

Following the intermission, Oregon went on a 7-0 run to start the third set. Freshman Camryn Tastad was strong from serve, earning back-to-back service aces.

The Ducks ran away with the third set and finished the day off with a Tastad ace to win the set 25-7 and take the match.

The Ducks fly south to Palo Alto to compete in the Pac-12/Big Ten Challenge at Stanford on Sept. 7 and 8 against Minnesota and Penn State.

Follow Shawn Medow on Twitter @ShawnMedow

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Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert has earned Heisman Trophy hype ahead of this season, but the junior won’t live up to the reputation alone. He’ll need support from his wide receivers, a group filled with young talent looking to be on the end of Herbert’s throws this season.

“He’s throwing balls the way NFL quarterbacks throw balls,” wide receivers coach Michael Johnson said. “He’s putting them in places that you don’t normally get them. I’d like to see [the receivers] be more consistent in catching the ball, but they’re doing a good job.”

Oregon’s most notable returners at receiver are sophomore Johnny Johnson III and juniors Dillon Mitchell and Brenden Schooler. The trio of receivers are Herbert’s main targets — they combined for 1,090 of Oregon’s 2,469 receiving yards last year — and much of that is thanks to some extra practice.

“They haven’t missed one workout. They’ve been out there every day,” Herbert said at Pac-12 media day in July. “It’s always great to work with them.”

Michael Johnson said a goal in fall camp was to develop depth behind the receiver core.

“We gotta make sure we get more consistency there,” he said. “They’re trying, they’re working hard, their focus needs to be heightened, but overall they’re doing a good job.”

Jaylon Redd (30) catches a pass mid-air. The Oregon Ducks host the Oregon State Beavers for the 121st Civil War at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore. on Saturday, Nov. 25, 2017. (Phillip Quinn/Emerald)

Sophomore Jaylon Redd, who had five receptions for 59 yards and one touchdown in 2017, should see an increase in snaps this season. Redd said he took lessons last season from former wide receiver Charles Nelson and defensive back Tyree Robinson.

Nelson taught him about patience, decision making and body movements, while Robinson gave Redd a different perspective from the defensive mindset.

“He used to speak to me all the time, ‘Ain’t nobody touch you,’” Redd said of Robinson. “He would tell me what a DB was looking for because he wanted to better me as well.”

Like Mitchell, Johnson III and Schooler, Redd spent some time outside of practice working with Herbert. For the wide receivers, their relationships with Herbert will be vital to the team’s success this year.

“Herbert’s an NFL-type quarterback,” Johnson III said. “You’ve got to catch it every time.”

Schooler describes catching passes from Herbert like “catching it from a jug machine. It’s perfect every time.”

Of the three core receivers, Johnson III is the youngest, but says he feels like a veteran already on the team after having to step up last year as a true freshman. This year, the depth added by several true freshmen and redshirt freshmen will relieve some pressure from Johnson III and co.

“I think this receiving core is going to surprise a lot of people,” Cristobal said.

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With Oregon heavy favorites against Bowling Green on Saturday, the Ducks refuse to take their opponents lightly.

“They’ve got a lot of guys on the defensive side who can play football,” quarterback Justin Herbert said. “They’re gonna be well coached and they’re gonna be a good team and they deserve a lot of our attention.”

Bowling Green has a new defensive coordinator, Carl Pelini, which has left Oregon’s offense somewhat in the dark in how the Falcons’ defense will line up on Saturday.

“We just have to be ready for everything they can do,” Herbert said. “Just trying to maximize what we can see from them and what we can expect.”

Herbert and the Ducks offense are expected to face little to no trouble from Bowling Green’s defense but Oregon might have been dealt a set back on Tuesday when Dillon Mitchell left practice with an injury. On Wednesday, head coach Mario Cristobal said the injury was not serious but did confirm that Mitchell did not face any contact during Wednesday’s practice.

Regardless, the rest of Oregon’s wide receivers are still ready to go.

“Focus is more intense,” Brenden Schooler said. “The practices are more scripted. You know what it’s going to look like in the game, what looks they’re going to give and where to be in certain formations. It feels like game week.”

Oregon has spent all summer preparing for this game. Schooler says he’s had his eyes set on Saturday since Oregon’s loss to Boise State in the Las Vegas Bowl, and most Ducks would agree.

“I’m really excited to see what we can do,” Herbert said. “Offensively I think we’ve done a really good job and it’s been nice to go against the defense because they’ve done a great job to make us a better team.”

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On the Tuesday ahead of Oregon football’s first game of 2018, the Ducks’ defense looks to have a new identity than last year.

“We had to get a little bit more confident in what we do in the scheme and the techniques that we do by position,” co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach Joe Salave’a said. “The one thing that we harped on was playing hard and playing together.”

With the Ducks set to take on Bowling Green at 5 p.m. on Saturday, the atmosphere around camp has taken an uptick. The players have a different energy about them and they’re looking forward to getting back out in front of the Autzen Stadium crowd.

“It’s game week so everyone is a little bit peppier, a little bit excited and a little bit more angsty so we try to  make sure that we’re still playing the right way,” junior outside linebacker La’mar Winston said.

Oregon is heavy favorites against Bowling Green on Saturday, but the Ducks aren’t taking the Falcons lightly. Bowling Green prefers to throw the ball rather than run it, which will put the Oregon secondary under pressure in the first game of the season.

As a whole, the defense can’t get caught flat-footed.

“Their offense has been steady,” Salave’a said. “They’ve been able to put up numbers over the last year and that’s kind of distorted because they haven’t really been able to play decent defense. But they have a lot of guys coming back and it sounds like they had an awesome offseason.”

There’s plenty of experience for Oregon’s defense ahead of the 2018 season, and that’s offered Oregon a boost for the defense. With players like Winston and junior inside linebacker Troy Dye leading the front of the defense, the Ducks have faith in their defensive front seven.

“A lot of confidence in each other,” Winston said. “We’ve bonded a lot better and then to top that off we are back with the same defense. We’re excited to see how well we do play.”

Follow Shawn Medow on Twitter @ShawnMedow

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On the Tuesday ahead of Oregon football’s first game of 2018, the Ducks’ defense looks to have a new identity than last year.

“We had to get a little bit more confident in what we do in the scheme and the techniques that we do by position,” co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach Joe Salave’a said. “The one thing that we harped on was playing hard and playing together.”

With the Ducks set to take on Bowling Green at 5 p.m. on Saturday, the atmosphere around camp has taken an uptick. The players have a different energy about them and they’re looking forward to getting back out in front of the Autzen Stadium crowd.

“It’s game week so everyone is a little bit peppier, a little bit excited and a little bit more angsty so we try to  make sure that we’re still playing the right way,” junior outside linebacker La’mar Winston said.

Oregon is heavy favorites against Bowling Green on Saturday, but the Ducks aren’t taking the Falcons lightly. Bowling Green prefers to throw the ball rather than run it, which will put the Oregon secondary under pressure in the first game of the season.

As a whole, the defense can’t get caught flat-footed.

“Their offense has been steady,” Salave’a said. “They’ve been able to put up numbers over the last year and that’s kind of distorted because they haven’t really been able to play decent defense. But they have a lot of guys coming back and it sounds like they had an awesome offseason.”

There’s plenty of experience for Oregon’s defense ahead of the 2018 season, and that’s offered Oregon a boost for the defense. With players like Winston and junior inside linebacker Troy Dye leading the front of the defense, the Ducks have faith in their defensive front seven.

“A lot of confidence in each other,” Winston said. “We’ve bonded a lot better and then to top that off we are back with the same defense. We’re excited to see how well we do play.”

Follow Shawn Medow on Twitter @ShawnMedow

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Oregon soccer earned a draw against No. 18 Kansas on Sunday to conclude a weekend of games in Lincoln, Nebraska, taking the Ducks’ record to 2-1-1 in 2018.

Halla Hinriksdottir was Oregon’s hero in the upset 1-1 draw for Oregon against No. 18 Kansas on Sunday, coming up with six saves against the Jayhawks. The Icelandic keeper passed Cody Miles (150) for sixth in Oregon career saves with 151.

Kansas opened the scoring in the first half when Kaycie Young found the net in the 26th minute. Oregon began to press for an equalizer in the second half, and in the 84th minute, Eugene native Emma Eddy notched home the game-tying goal — the junior’s second career goal in a Duck jersey. Senior Kyra Fawcett, who came in as a second-half substitute, earned the assist.

Kansas nearly scored in extra time, having a penalty claim turned down while missing a one-on-one with Hinriksdottir as the Ducks held on to get the draw.

Norwegian freshman Maja Flengsrud earned her first appearance for Oregon as the midfielder came into the game as a substitute.

The Ducks started the weekend off with a 2-0 loss against Nebraska on Friday. Oregon senior Jazmin Jackmon  scored an own goal to give the Huskers a 1-0 lead in the third minute. Oregon conceded again in the 60th minute when Natalie Cook scored for Nebraska to lock up the 2-0 win.

The Ducks look to keep their perfect home record intact this upcoming weekend when they host Dartmouth on Friday, Aug. 31 and Gonzaga on Sunday, Nov. 2.

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Oregon football’s wide receivers might be a little inexperienced, but wide receivers coach Michael Johnson has used fall camp to get them ready for the season.

With Oregon’s top receivers are Brenden Schooler, Dillon Mitchell and Johnny Johnson III, but those behind them face a gap in experience they have to make up for ahead of the season opener on Sept. 1.

“We’ve got to develop some other guys behind them, some of the young guys are up and down,” Michael Johnson said. “We gotta make sure we get more consistency there. They’re trying, they’re working hard, their focus needs to be heightened, but overall they’re doing a good job.”

Johnson has seen “ups and downs” but accepts that mistakes are part of fall training. Senior running back Tony Brooks-James is wary of the inexperience of some of the younger receivers but values their importance to the team.

“A lot of little mental errors, but other than that they’re a very challenging group and we need them a lot,” Brooks-James said.

One of those younger receivers is freshman Bryan Addison, who is playing on both sides of the ball for the time being. He’s been part of the receivers groups in practices as well as the secondary, which has kept him from advancing along as fast as some of the other freshmen receivers.

He and the young receivers have the luxury of quarterback Justin Herbert launching them passes.

“He’s throwing balls the way NFL quarterbacks throw balls,” Michael Johnson said. “He’s putting them in places that you don’t normally get them. I’d like to see them more consistent in catching the ball but they’re doing a good job.”

They also have offensive coordinator Marcos Arroyo calling the plays this season as opposed to last season when head coach Willie Taggart called the shots.

“I like the detail that he’s forcing us to learn,” Michael Johnson said. “There’s a big deal about a split, big deal about footwork timing. Those type of things are gonna make us a more consistent passing unit I think and I think we’ll benefit from it down the road.”

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On Tuesday, Oregon football head coach Mario Cristobal appeared happy with his team on both sides of the ball following practice.

“Overall, pretty balanced in camp,” he said.

Oregon’s offensive linemen all got chances in No. 1 spots in their positions during practice on Tuesday to experiment with combinations that Cristobal and the Ducks have not used before.

“You have to find out who can do it and if they’re not quite there you have to find a way so that they have a role on the football team,” Cristobal said.

Starting quarterback Justin Herbert had some critiques for his linemen.

“Guys didn’t line up in the proper splits and that’s little stuff that’s really important to our offense,” he said. “Things will clean up in the next couple weeks.”

But Herbert also sees the depth as a huge positive for the Ducks going into the new season.

“The good thing is we’ve got plenty of guys who can step into the job,” Herbert said. “I’ve got confidence with the 10th guy just as much as I have with the first guy.”

Behind Herbert at quarterback is sophomore Braxton Burmeister and freshman Tyler Shough. Cristobal said that Burmeister got ahead today in the competition to be Herbert’s No. 2 but stressed that the competition between Shough and Burmeister is healthy.

Cristobal on the backup quarterback competition pic.twitter.com/lGv1gz07DH

— Jack Butler (@Butler917) August 14, 2018

“It’s been back and forth the whole time,” Cristobal said. “There’s plenty of respect.”

One of Herbert’s options at wide receiver and running back is senior Taj Griffin, who received praise from Herbert and Cristobal on Tuesday.

“I think a lot of guys mistake him for certainly being an outside runner, screen type of guy. He’s not,” Cristobal said of Griffin. “He can run through the tackles, we’ve seen that before. He’s healthy, he’s in a really good mental place.”

Griffin also is in contention to be one of Oregon’s punt/kick returners. Cristobal said Dillon Mitchell, Ugo Amadi, Jaylon Redd, JJ Tucker and Tony Brooks-James have all been in looking solid in the return role. Last season, graduate Charles Nelson and Brooks-James were the most consistent players in the role with Brooks-James, Oregon’s presumed starting running back, the most likely to be the main man.

“We’re gonna find out who gets some separation here by Saturday’s scrimmage,” Cristobal said.

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USA Track and Field announced on Thursday that Hayward Field will host the 2020 United States Track & Field Olympic Trials.

The 2020 trials were set to be held at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, California, but after renovation concerns, the door opened for Eugene to host the trials once again. Hayward Field has hosted the past three Olympic Trials and a total of six. The 2020 trials will run June 19-28 ahead of the Olympic Games in Tokyo, which begin July 24, 2020.

Runners start the 10,000 meters. The Track and Field Olympic Trials are held at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. on July 1, 2016. (Kaylee Domzalski/Emerald)

“No domestic event is more important to athletes and fans than the Olympic Trials,” USATF Chairman of the Board Steve Miller said in USATF’s announcement. “The 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials is even more critical because it will lead off an unprecedented opportunity to elevate track & field in this country.

Hayward Field is currently under renovation for the 2021 IAAF World Championships, which led to the complete demolition of the historic track stadium on the campus of the University of Oregon.

Hayward’s teardown hasn’t been the only controversy surrounding the new Hayward Field and the 2021 Worlds.

Vin Lananna has been on temporary leave as USATF President since February following a U.S. Department of Justice investigation. Lananna resigned as TrackTown USA President because he was “spread too thin” between his jobs, which includes his role as associate athletic director at UO.

With the 2020 Olympic Trials now on the slate for Hayward Field, it becomes even more essential that the construction of the new state-of-the-art stadium does not fall behind.

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Oregon lacrosse has announced that former Stanford assistant coach Chelsea Gamble will be the next head coach of the program.

Following Katrina Dowd’s resignation in mid-July, the Oregon athletic department faced finding another women’s athletics head coach. On Wednesday, the search ended with Gamble’s hiring.

“It’s a great honor and privilege to be named the next head coach of the Oregon lacrosse program,” Gamble said in the press release. “I am incredibly humbled and would like to thank Rob Mullens, Lisa Peterson and all of the wonderful people at the University of Oregon for this opportunity. Growing the game of lacrosse, especially on the West Coast, is something I am extremely passionate about. There is no better conference to compete in and grow this amazing game than the Pac-12.”

Gamble spent the last four seasons with the Cardinal as the offensive coordinator, and her offense led the Pac-12 in 2018 with 15.15 goals per game and 6.10 assists per game.

Last season, Oregon went 9-9 in Dowd’s second season with the Ducks. Oregon lost 19-8 and 17-9 to Stanford in games that the Cardinal were nationally ranked No. 18 and No. 12, respectively.

“After talking with coach Gamble, I am really excited to have her leading our program,” Oregon senior Shannon Williams said in the press release. “She’s experienced within the Pac-12 and knows our conference really well. I think she will be able to connect with players and create a culture of family, competition and success within Oregon lacrosse.”

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