The National League and American League Divisional Series have just gotten underway, and the Emerald staff has been dying to talk about them. Today, digital sports editor Victor Flores and sports reporters Andrew Bantly, Madison Guernsey and Chris Mosch preview the four divisional series and look ahead to the World Series.

1) What’s the best series?

Victor Flores — Tampa Bay vs. Boston. The Rays and Red Sox have two of the best offenses in the league, and they each have the starting pitchers to neutralize the opposing bats. Boston’s left-handed hitters, such as Jacoby Ellsbury and David Ortiz, are undoubtedly dreading their future plate appearances against lefties David Price and Matt Moore. Tampa’s Wil Myers and Evan Longoria probably feel the same way about some of Boston’s tough righties. The depth of talent in this series is arguably the highest in the entire LDS.

Andrew Bantly — Pittsburgh vs. St. Louis. The storyline for this series couldn’t be better. You’ve got the 2011 World Series-champion Cardinals, who have been in the playoffs each of the past 3 seasons, vs. the Pirates, who haven’t seen the postseason since 1992. That is 21 years! But this series is not just a good storyline, there will be a great pitching matchup in each game between these two NL Central teams who played each other 19 times last season.

Madison Guernsey — Oakland vs. Detroit. This is a rematch of the ALDS series last year that went five games after the Tigers were up 2-0 on the A’s. Oakland quietly led the AL West for most of the regular season and has a true Billy Beane roster. The Tigers are loaded with talent and have the likely Cy Young winner in Max Scherzer on the pitching staff, along with Justin Verlander and Aníbal Sánchez. Not to mention Triple Crown winner and possible two-time MVP in Miguel Cabrera.

Chris Mosch — Tampa Bay vs Boston. While no rivalry can compare with the Red Sox versus the Yankees, the clash between these two teams has become the one of the best in the league since the Rays have emerged as perennial contenders in the AL East. The benches have cleared numerous times over the years, most recently this past June after John Lackey threw at Matt Joyce. The Rays came back from nine games out to snatch away the AL Wild Card from the Red Sox back in 2011, which was capped off by Evan Longoria’s walk-off home run against the Yankees on a thrilling last day of the season. This will be definitely be a fun one.

2) Which specific player or matchup should people be most excited to watch?

Victor Flores — Myers might be the best young hitter in the game right now and he’s only a rookie, so this series against the Red Sox might be that moment everyone looks back on in 15 years as the first big performance he had in a Hall-of-Fame career. It’s obviously way too early to know if he’s going to have that type of career, but he has the potential and he has the perfect stage to show those skills off.

Andrew Bantly — Keep an eye out on Gerrit Cole. Cole has only pitched in 19 MLB games since his debut earlier this season on June 11, 2013. Cole will get the ball for Game 2 of the series and possibly Game 5 if needed. It will be interesting to see how the rookie handles himself under the bright lights of October but he has been quite impressive up to this point. Cole finished September with a 1.69 ERA and striking out 39 in 32 innings.

Madison Guernsey — David Freese. The Cardinals’ third baseman has established himself as one of the best postseason players in baseball history in a relatively short amount of time. He performs quietly but is consistent during the regular season and goes off in the playoffs. Freese is hitting .345/.407/.645 with six home runs and 25 RBI in 31 postseason games entering Thursday, and his heroics in Game 6 of the 2011 World Series are legendary.

Chris Mosch — It will be fascinating to see how Yasiel Puig follows up his incredible rookie season during his first playoff appearance. The Cuban rookie finished the season on a sour note, hitting just .214 during September and was hampered by hip and foot injuries during the final weeks of the regular season. Puig is built like a linebacker and is a good bet for at least a couple of highlight-reel plays this postseason. The better question is how will Brian McCann — noted fun cop — react when Puig executes his epic bat flip?

3) True or false: the Pittsburgh Pirates are the best story of the playoffs?

Victor Flores — True. Almost none of the current UO student body was alive the last time the Pirates made the playoffs (1992). In fact, that was the last time the Pirates even had a winning record, so the Pirates are easily the best story, and it’s not all that close. Plus, they have a starting pitcher in Francisco Liriano who went from a young player with huge potential to an oft-injured disappointment to a dominant starter in 2013. He’s a great story that has a chance to help a great story become even greater.

Andrew Bantly — No doubt. The last time the Pirates were in the playoffs, Barry Bonds was roaming the outfield for the Buccaneers. Though seeing the Texas Rangers lose another must-win game is a close second.

Madison Guernsey — True. Any time a club makes it into the playoffs for the first time in two decades — it’s a huge story. If they keep winning it will only get better. That’s not to say there aren’t other great storylines this October. The Dodgers were in last place in early July and find themselves in the playoffs. The Rays, (like the A’s,) have one of the lowest payrolls in the league and keep finding ways to win. Plenty to watch this October.

Chris Mosch —True. Second baseman and Pittsburgh native Neil Walker was just seven years old when the Pirates last appeared in a playoff game. The home crowd at PNC Park was crazy during the one-game playoff against the Reds and I expect it to be even wilder when the division-rival Cardinals come to town. “KEL-LY! KEL-LY!” doesn’t quite have the ring that “CUE-TO! CUE-TO!” had, but it’ll be entertaining to see what Pittsburgh’s crowd can come up with in Game 3.

4) Who should be considered the favorites to represent their respective leagues in the World Series?

Victor Flores — The Tigers and Dodgers are the favorites, which they might not want to hear because it feels like the best teams never meet in the World Series. Detroit has the most top-heavy team in the postseason. Miguel Cabrera is the best hitter on Earth, Prince Fielder has as much raw power as anyone, and Detroit’s pitching staff is ridiculous. The Dodgers might have the only staff that’s better than the Tigers’, with Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke, and Hyun-Jin Ryu. Plus, they have hitters like Yasiel Puig and Adrian Gonzalez that make them a complete juggernaut.

Andrew Bantly — It’s hard not to think of the Cardinals as a favorite for the National League. Winning the World Series in 2011 and coming within a game of getting to the World Series again in 2012, the St. Louis Cardinals have to be the favorite to make the World Series. For the AL, it is a little bit more complicated. Detroit’s the obvious favorite, but with Miguel Cabrera dealing with a leg injury I expect the A’s to take that series. Expecting Boston to beat Tampa Bay, an ALCS matchup between Oakland and Boston will be interesting. Though I think eventually the A’s will fall to Boston and Boston will face the Redbirds in the 2013 World Series.

Madison Guernsey — Red Sox vs Cardinals. It’s not an ambitious pick, but it makes the most sense. The Sox have been the best team in baseball for much of the season and have their mojo back under first-year skipper John Farrell. The Cards were consistent all season while playing in a competitive NL Central and always seem to step up their game even further in the postseason. Two of the best franchises in all of baseball, a lot of red, and two fairly inexperienced managers will make for an instant classic Fall Classic.

Chris Mosch — Tigers vs Dodgers. If you believe in the mantra that pitching wins championships, look no further than these two clubs. Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke combine to make a filthy one-two punch for Los Angeles and Hyun-Jin Ryu serves as a solid number three. Detroit features plenty of starting pitcher depth, with Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, Aníbal Sánchez and Doug Fister making up a formidable rotation. Miguel Cabrera’s health will be a key for Detroit, but Cabrera at 80 percent is still one of the best hitters in the league.

5) Predictions?

Victor Flores — Pittsburgh Pirates over St. Louis Cardinals in four games. Atlanta Braves over Los Angeles Dodgers in 5. Boston Red Sox over Tampa Bay Rays in 4. Oakland A’s over Detroit Tigers in 5.

Andrew Bantly — Cardinals over Pirates in 5. Braves over Dodgers in 5. Red Sox over Rays in 4. A’s over Tigers in 4.

Madison Guernsey — Cardinals over Pirates in 4. Braves over Dodgers in 5. Tigers over A’s in 5. Red Sox over Rays in 4.

Chris Mosch — Cardinals over Pirates in 5. Dodgers over Braves in 4. Red Sox over Rays in 4. Tigers over A’s in 5.

The head coach for a three-time defending national championship team got to that point almost by accident. In fact, without a last-second effort, that coach might currently be a lawyer.

That coach is Felecia Mulkey, the leader of Oregon’s Acrobatics and Tumbling team. “Three-time defending champs” would sound impressive in any sport, but it’s all the more notable considering only four titles have ever been played in the acrobatics and tumbling meet format. In her four years as head coach, Mulkey has already built a dynasty, and it started because of her desire to grasp onto the last possible inkling of an athletic coaching career, even if she was completely content to let it go.

Before coming to Oregon, Mulkey served as the marketing director for Kennesaw State University. As a side job, she coached the competitive cheer team, and even though she said she was bad at it, she was electrified by the way it affected her players.

“I saw it change lives,” she said.

Mulkey loved it so much, she wanted it to be a full-time job, but it never happened. As a result, she applied to law school; she was ready to make a change. But before law school called, she noticed that Oregon was going to start a team similar to hers at Kennesaw State, only the Ducks were going to hire a full-time coach. That news didn’t change any of Mulkey’s plans, though.

“I thought they’d already hired a full-time coach,” she said, “so I called to ask exactly what they did to make this process happen,” she said.

Mulkey hoped her information from Oregon could help her come up with a plan to construct Kennesaw State’s cheer program in a similar mold. If they couldn’t, she was off to law school.

Then she talked with Oregon again. Contrary to Mulkey’s beliefs, they didn’t actually have a head coach. In fact, Oregon wanted her to apply for the job.

Mulkey couldn’t believe it, calling the whole situation “a whirlwind.” Uncertain what to do, she called her brother for help. His answer was unequivocal.

“He told me, ‘You need to go there,’” Mulkey said. “‘The Grateful Dead played in their football stadium.’ That was the only feedback I got.”

Mulkey might not have made her decision based on her brother’s advice, but she went to Oregon nonetheless. And she said her decision was undoubtedly the right one. She loves so many things about Oregon, from the “outdoorsy vibe” to the health-centric culture to the hospitality.

She also loves her team, and the goal for all of them is simple: win a fourth consecutive title. Freshman Mari Yacoubian and junior Tara Lubert said the same thing, and they completely trust their “intense” coach to help them deliver.

“She’s probably one of the greatest coaches I’ve had up until this time in my career,” Lubert said.

That coach was almost never there to provide that type of impact to players like Lubert. It’s possible another coach could have been nearly as successful as Mulkey in her position, but it’s hard to imagine anyone being better. For Mulkey, she’s just happy everything turned out the way it did.

“I could, right now, be a lawyer,” Mulkey said, “but I’m grateful for what I’m doing. I think I dodged a bullet there.”

Good:

• Duck fans normally wouldn’t consider a missed game by De’Anthony Thomas a positive thing, but for this week, it might actually be beneficial. On Tuesday, multiple sources — including running backs coach Gary Campbell — said Thomas will miss Saturday’s game against Colorado. Accounting for Boulder’s high elevation and the fact that Oregon is heavily-favored to beat the Buffaloes, resting the week before the Ducks’ big showdown against Washington could possibly be the best thing for Thomas and his team. After Colorado, Oregon’s schedule gets extremely tough, so having a rested Thomas could only help them.
• Both the men’s and women’s cross country teams were ranked in the top 5 of the latest USTFCCCA National Coaches poll. The women actually dropped two spots from No. 3 to No. 5, but the men jumped eight places to No. 4, coming on the heels of a dominant performance at last weekend’s Boston College Cross Country Invitational. The men’s team hadn’t been ranked this high since 2011.
• For the first time in 21 years, the Pittsburgh Pirates competed in a playoff game. They didn’t just make a postseason appearance, though, they won their Wild Card game 6-2 over the Cincinnati Reds in front of an electric Pittsburgh crowd at PNC Park. Pirates catcher Russell Martin hit two home runs and starting pitcher Francisco Liriano pitched seven strong innings to lift their team to the National League Division Series, where they’ll play NL Central rival St. Louis in a five-game series starting Thursday.

Bad

• It was announced that next week’s Oregon-Washington game will kick-off at 1 p.m. Pacific Time. That time isn’t too early, by any means, but many Ducks fans would likely prefer a game in primetime. Saturday is a prime sleep-in day, after all. One positive about the 1 p.m. start time is that fans will have plenty of time to celebrate after the game if the Ducks beat the Huskies, but imagine if they had all day to get pumped up for it.
• California’s Jared Goff might have lost his starting quarterback job after playing an awful first quarter against Oregon this past Saturday. The depth chart Cal released on Tuesday lists Goff or Zach Kline — who replaced Goff during Saturday’s game — as the top QB, meaning either player could start against Washington State this upcoming Saturday. Going into the game against Oregon, Goff was near the top in all of college football in passing yards.

Ugly

• The National Football League’s took another hit to its image regarding the ongoing concussion issue. In their new book entitled ”League of Denial: The NFL, Concussions and the Battle for Truth,” authors Mark Fainaru-Wada and Steve Fainaru reported that the NFL denied any connection between playing football and brain damage. The league, according to the book, went great lengths to keep the public from knowing the true effects football had on players’ brains. The NFL’s strategies included discrediting  results discovered by independent scientists and using flawed research to show that the violence of football didn’t cause any major brain issues in their players.

De’Anthony Thomas talks about what he’s doing to heal his injured ankle.

At first glance, Thomas Lim might have looked like a rule breaker, the new guy causing problems already. The Oregon golfer showed up late to practice at Emerald Valley Golf Club on Sept. 26, decked out in an outfit head coach Casey Martin normally frowns upon: a T-shirt under a white Oregon pullover and bright yellow athletic shorts. Oh, and Lim broke the law on his drive over.

“I was speeding,” Lim said. “I got pulled over.”

As rebellious as Lim may sound in this situation, those transgressions were simply part of another stressful incident in the life of an incoming freshman.

Before practice, Lim was at the John E. Jaqua Academic Center for Student Athletes going through what he described as a “boring” freshman orientation. The meeting went nearly an hour longer than it was scheduled, causing him to hurry and eventually get in trouble with a highway patrol officer (Lim didn’t receive a ticket for speeding.)

This is the same guy who, just 10 days earlier, absolutely dominated his first college golf event. From September 16-17, Lim competed in the individual tournament at the Kikkor Golf Husky Invitational in Bremerton, Wash., and blew away the 47-man field. The 122-pound freshman from Southern California shot 12-under par, nine strokes ahead of the second-place finisher.

“It felt great,” Lim said. “I obviously have played a bunch of tournaments, but this being a college event, it was huge for me to get started on the right foot.”

Coach Martin looked at that tournament in a different way.

“He made me look bad,” Martin said with a smile. “If I were a better coach, I would’ve had him in the lineup.”

Martin said he aggressively recruited Lim, which is one of many things the freshman appreciates about his coach. Lim said Martin has helped him get adjusted to college life, assisting Lim with issues regarding his dorm and textbooks.

“I had no idea what to do and he (Martin) talked to people and he’s like, alright, you need call this number and do whatever,” Lim said.

Lim said he’s also received a ton of support from his teammates, even though they’re often hard on him. Sometimes, they’ll just tease him like they did on Sept. 26 for arriving late to practice in workout clothes. Other times, the hazing involves some heavy lifting.

“At the airport, we make him carry our luggage and get it off the belt,” sophomore Ryann Ree said. “Every freshman goes through it.”

On top of all that, Lim has to prepare for his first college classes, which include Business Administration 101, Writing 121 and Math 111. He said he loves the school’s athletic programs, but academics — especially the business program — were equally large factors in him coming to Oregon. Business or sports marketing are the two careers he wants to pursue the most.

But he hopes he won’t need to pursue a career in those fields right after college. For the heavily-recruited player who’s already made an impact as a freshman, becoming a professional golfer is his number one plan.

“I don’t want to think about the back-up plan too much,” he said.

Bralon Addison put on a show Saturday night against California, returning two punts (from 75 and 67 yards) for touchdowns in some extreme weather conditions. After practice on Monday, Addison discussed his Player of the Week performance, which included more than just punt returns.

On his two touchdown returns

“It felt great, especially for the 10 other guys on the unit. Coach (Tom) Osborne talked in our meetings about how we had been one block away the last couple weeks. This time, everybody got the right guys. I just did the easy part.”

How he, as one of Oregon’s top wide receivers, felt contributing on special teams

“I think I’ve had my fair share of catches on the offensive end, but it definitely felt good scoring on special teams. Coach Oz is a great special teams coach and he draws up great game plans every week, so to finally get it executed to a T as a punt return team, we know that makes Coach Oz feel great. That’s what makes me the most happy, to know that Coach Oz drew up a good scheme for the week and it worked to a T.”

Catching punts in Saturday night’s awful weather

“It was crazy. Catching the ball, period, it was the closest thing to a disaster. You saw us have a lot of dropped balls, you saw Cal have a lot of dropped balls, a lot of fumbles, so for us to be able to minimize our fumbles and our turnovers like that, we’re so happy that we could minimize things like that and I think it showed in the punt returns.

“Just running on that field, period (was difficult). Everybody’s shoes were soaked, so it made everything so much heavier. Our uniforms were soaked, so everything was so much heavier, and I think it was difficult for both teams to be playing in that type of weather.”

The excitement he displayed blocking for his teammates 

“You have a team effort and you have guys on this team who care about each other, like this (receivers) unit does — we’re like a big brotherhood — so, when you’ve got guys like that on your team and see them do well, you know … I made a big block for Josh Huff on his touchdown and one for Daryle (Hawkins) and I was just as excited for them as if I scored. That’s the great thing about this team. We’re so team-oriented and such a brotherhood. You don’t find that in a lot of places.”

During a conference call on Sunday night, Mark Helfrich discussed the past at length, but he mainly focused on improving all facets of the Oregon football team going forward. Even for a team that has a 4-0 record, is ranked second in the nation and is coming off a 55-16 win over California in horrendous weather, Helfrich sounded intent on getting better.

“Obviously from a record standpoint, we wouldn’t want it any other way and that’s part of the bottom line,” Helfrich said, “but we can get a lot better.”

While Helfrich consistently talked about his desire for improvement, he did express satisfaction with his team’s performance this season, especially against Cal. For a team that didn’t practice in any bad weather the week before its game against the Golden Bears, he was even more impressed.

“Winning the game in those conditions can do nothing but help your confidence,” he said.

The defense’s performance especially stood out to Helfrich. Even though the weather made passing the ball hard, Oregon’s defense still played a large part in shutting down one of the best passing offenses in the nation on Saturday.

“They were awesome early and that really set the tone and created a short field for the offense,” Helfrich said. “We didn’t finish the way we’d like to finish at the end of the first half or the end of the game, but all told, wide-angle lens, (the defense) played really well.”

Helfrich added that the five turnovers Oregon forced in the first half essentially decided the game, and the Ducks experienced some good fortune when it was their turn on the turnover side. The Ducks fumbled several balls in the first half as well, but unlike the Golden Bears, the Oregon offense recovered its early fumbles.

However, Helfrich said he doesn’t want excuses. Holding onto the ball is vital for his players, especially running backs Thomas Tyner and Byron Marshall, who had one and three fumbles, respectively.

“They both have to work on ball security regardless of the climate and just the experience of seeing things,” Helfrich said.

It would be hard to find a more electrifying player than Bralon Addison from Saturday’s game. The sophomore wide receiver made his mark on special teams, returning one punt from 75 yards and another from 67 for touchdowns. But Helfrich said he was just as impressed with Addison’s contribution in another area.

“I’m going to show a play in team meetings tomorrow where Bralon Addison is blocking for somebody else who’s scoring and he’s just as excited as if it were his touchdown. That’s what we’re all about. Same thing with Josh (Huff). He had a couple huge blocks. Kenon Lowe had a couple of key blocks on special teams, in the running game and in the passing game, so it’s an all-out effort.”

Part of Helfrich’s forward-looking mentality has to do with next week’s game against Colorado. He discussed his impressions of the Buffaloes, who have been much better compared to the last few seasons, according to Helfrich.

“They had a couple very bizarre special teams issues (against Oregon State), and I don’t know if that will get corrected, but they’re much better,” Helfrich said.

Colorado was the last school where Helfrich coached before coming to Oregon. He served as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Buffaloes from 2006-2008, and he had plenty of positive things to say about the football program and the city of Boulder.

“Living there was a great experience,” he said. “I obviously wish we would’ve won more, and that’s partly my fault, but I learned a thousand things.”

Helfrich constantly reiterated his desire for the Ducks to get better, almost to the point where one could forget how successful the Ducks have been this season. But Helfrich still had several good things to say about his team’s performance this season, and he expressed a lot of confidence in his team going forward.

“As good as our defense has been, we can be better. As good as our special teams have been, we can shore up some things there. Offensively, we can get a ton better. And we have some players who want to do that, who want to be a part of that, so that’s fun to be around. Hopefully, our best days are ahead.”

Other highlights from Helfrich conference’s call:

– “There are no updates,” Helfrich said regarding De’Anthony Thomas’ ankle injury he suffered on the first play of the game against Cal.

– On the firing of USC’s Lane Kiffin on Sunday: “It’s kind of a tough reality of this whole deal. You feel for the person. He’s a guy with a family and all those things that go along with that and that’s tough from a personal standpoint. But at the same time, that’s a part of the business and that could be you, but we just try to control what we can control and go about our business.”

– On Oregon’s cornerbacks this season: “All-in-all, they’ve been solid. We’ve put those guys on islands, played them in coverage. We’ve done a good job mixing it up.”

– On Avery Patterson, who grew up near Berekely, Calif., and tore his ACL last season in Oregon’s game against Cal: “Being a Bay Area guy, I’m sure there’s an added element to that, but the key with him is he plays really well regardless of who we’re playing.”

– On how he personally dealt with the terrible weather on Saturday: “It’s a lot more comfortable in the press box, but it’s great being down on the sideline with our guys.”

Here is a list of the biggest plays from today’s game at Autzen Stadium, where the No. 2-ranked Ducks face off against the California Golden Bears.

First Quarter:

Byron Marshall runs the ball for a 14-yards touchdown. PAT no good (placeholder drops the ball). Ducks lead 6-0.

The ball slips out of quarterback Jared Goff’s hands on a pass attempt, resulting in a fumble recovery by Oregon.

Cal running back Brendan Bigelow fumbles, recovered by Oregon’s Rodney Hardrick.

Josh Huff catches a short pass from Marcus Mariota and runs it into the end zone. PAT converted by Matt Wogan. Ducks lead 13-0.

Goff gets hit by Oregon’s DeForest Buckner and fumbles. Oregon recovers the ball.

Daryle Hawkins scores on a 14-yard catch-and-run on a short pass from Mariota. Wogan’s PAT good. Ducks lead 20-0.

Cal’s Khalfani Muhammad fumbles on a hit from Boseko Lokombo, recovered by Oregon.

Byron Marshall scores on a 25-yard touchdown run. PAT good. Ducks lead 27-0.

Ifo Ekpre-Olomu intercepts a Zach Kline pass in the end zone for a touchback.

On the play directly following Ekpre-Olomu’s interception, Thomas Tyner fumbles on a 13-yard run, recovered by Cal.

Second Quarter:

Marcus Mariota scores from two yards out on an option play. PAT good. Ducks lead 34-0.

Kline throws an incomplete pass on 4th-and-4, turning it over to Oregon.

Bralon Addison returns a punt 75 yards for a touchdown. PAT good. Ducks lead 41-0.

Cal fails to convert on 4th-and-1.

Oregon safety Avery Patterson has an interception return for a touchdown called back because of a pass interference penalty by Terrance Mitchell.

Bears kicker Vincenzo D’Amato makes a 46-yard field goal to end the half. Ducks lead 41-3.

Third Quarter:

Bralon Addison returns his second punt for a touchdown, this one for 67 yards. PAT good. Ducks lead 48-3.

Thomas Tyner runs 21 yards for a touchdown. PAT good. Ducks lead 55-3.

Chad Delany muffs a punt on a fair catch call. Cal recovers the ball.

Bears running back Jeffrey Coprich scores on a 1-yard run. PAT good. Ducks lead 55-10.

Fourth Quarter:

Oregon’s Kenny Bassett fumbles after a 4-yard run but Johnny Mundt recovers.

James Grisson catches a 7-yard pass from Kline for a Cal touchdown. PAT  missed. Ducks lead 55-16.

After months of discussions, Oregon officially announced on Friday that it will be adding sand volleyball as a sport. The program is the 12th women’s sport and the 20th overall at the University, and will begin play in March 2014.

The head of the program is women’s court volleyball coach, Jim Moore, and his wife, Stacy Metro, will be the head sand volleyball coach. Metro has served as Moore’s assistant for eight years, as well.

When play begins in March, the Ducks don’t plan on playing any home games. This is one of several factors that makes the addition of the sport fairly cheap.

“This is very cost-effective compared to the other sports we could have added,” said Andy McNamara, Oregon’s assistant athletic director for communications.

McNamara added that the school still has several decisions to make about the new sport, including how many players from the court volleyball team will participate and how many scholarships will be available.

Each team must compete in at least eight events but no more than 16. Two players from each team compete in a match with five sets, much like beach volleyball that is played in the Olympics.

Since 2012, the sport has increased its number of teams from 15  to 35. Oregon is joining Arizona, Arizona State, Cal, Stanford, UCLA and USC as Pac-12 schools who have added the sport.