After a record-setting season in which the Oregon Ducks volleyball team under coach Matt Ulmer recorded 29 wins and advanced to the Elite Eight for the second consecutive year, the team is preparing for a new chapter. Ahead of Oregon’s debut season in the Big Ten Conference, Ulmer, along with student-athletes Daley McClellan and Onye Ofoegbu, attended the Big Ten Volleyball Media Days in Chicago to talk about the upcoming season.
“It’s really great to be a part of this and see how the sport has evolved and how much the Big Ten cares about women’s volleyball,” Ulmer said. “It’s just something really special.”
The Ducks will face significant roster turnover after graduating seven seniors, all of whom signed professional contracts, but Ulmer is confident the returning players and new additions to the team are more than ready to fill those roles.
“This group is ready to go. It will be a complete squad,” said Ulmer.
Although many of the Ducks’ key players have moved on to the next league, Ulmer and his coaching staff have filled their needs through the transfer portal and the development of returning talent from last year.
One returner who is headed for a standout season is junior Mimi Colyer. Colyer, an outside hitter from Lincoln, Calif., was a dominant force for the Ducks, earning honorable mention as an AVCA All-American last season and being named the 2022 AVCA National Freshman of the Year. She returns to the Ducks for her junior year.
Another returnee who didn’t play much last year due to Hannah Pukis’ strong performance as a setter is redshirt freshman Cristin “Cris” Cline.
“Cris Cline, unsigned last year behind Hannah Pukis. Hannah was a first-team All-American,” Ulmer explained. “But you know what an opportunity for Cris to be able to learn from Hannah. To compete against her on the other side. I think Cris grew more in the spring than maybe anyone I’ve ever coached. There were just big adjustments in her game. I think she’s ready.”
It’s not just the returning players who are looking to make an impression in the Big Ten. New additions, including both freshmen and transfer players, are also expected to contribute to the Ducks’ success this season.
“It’s been really fun getting the new freshmen and the new additions involved,” McClellan said. “I’m just really excited for us all to come together in the preseason. There’s a lot of different skill sets and a lot of different personalities. There’s good leadership and we’re just really excited to bring it all together in the preseason.”
The Ducks are one of four programs joining the Big Ten. USC, UCLA and Washington will join Oregon in the highly competitive conference.
“The people who come to Oregon come to Oregon because they want to compete for championships. They want a future in volleyball, even after high school,” Ulmer said. “They want a good education and they want to see not only our country but the whole world. And those are things they can do in Oregon, and the Big Ten only makes that better.”
Since arriving at Oregon in April 2017, Ulmer has made it clear that he wants to compete for a national championship. In his seven seasons as head coach of Oregon’s volleyball program, Ulmer has led the Ducks to six NCAA Tournament appearances, including runs to the Elite Eight in 2018, 2022 and 2023, plus an additional trip to the Sweet 16 during the 2021 spring season. Ulmer has a 142-69 overall record and an 88-50 record in Pac-12 play.
Now Ulmer and his Ducks will usher in a new era of volleyball in Oregon this fall as they prepare to compete in the Big Ten Conference.
The move to the Big Ten will undoubtedly bring its own challenges, both on and off the court. The level of competition in the conference is widely considered to be the highest in the country, and the Ducks will have to make some adjustments to their style of play to keep up with the physicality and depth of Big Ten teams.
“We definitely have to make some adjustments on the volleyball court,” Ulmer acknowledged. “You know, we ended up playing against Wisconsin, they have a different style of play than any other team we’ve played against. They were slower, higher up our block, had shooting options and just the physicality they had from all the cones.”
The Ducks are taking the opportunity to introduce their unique brand of volleyball to a new audience. The team is known for its fast-paced, high-energy style of play and is excited to introduce itself to the Big Ten.
“I’m excited to see how Oregon plays volleyball, and I think it’s a little different than everyone else,” Ulmer said. “And hopefully it’s a show that they appreciate and enjoy watching.”
