When former Ducks volleyball coach Matt Ulmer was hired by Kansas at the end of the 2024 season, Oregon’s volleyball program imploded with a diaspora of players leaving for other teams. The newest head
coach, Trent Kersten, faced a daunting challenge, which was to put together a team from scratch and make them competitive.
Oh, and by the way – they need to be competitive in the toughest volleyball conference in the nation.
It was a given that this was going to be a young team. The Ducks had only three seniors on the roster, with one being the sole player that stayed from the 2024 squad, Maya De Los Reyes. The other two found significant playing time; OH Sophia Meyers and setter Cora Taylor.
The sole junior on the team, Valentina Vaulet, would become the linchpin for this young Oregon team. Her leadership and play was invaluable in getting the 2025 Ducks off the ground.
There were a couple of sophomore transfers and a redshirt junior transfer, but the real standout in this group was So. MB Iva Šucurovic. Šucurovic, along with Vaulet and Taylor, were the three players that appeared in all 116 sets this season.
The rest of the team was brand new freshmen. Kersten’s biggest challenge was going to be finding and coaching players in this group that could compete in the Big Ten, because some of these freshmen were going to have to step up.
Two youngsters that immediately come to mind were in the defensive ranks. There were no upperclassmen as defensive specialist/libero. That’s a principal reason why Oregon’s early-season defense had the growing pains that they did. Natalie Fukumoto and Reese Sheppard endured a trial-by-fire freshman season, and by season’s end were both significant contributors to this team.
MB Holley McFadden and OH Maria Tabacuks also found significant playing time this season. They were allowed the luxury, if you will, of being able to develop during the season shoulder-to-shoulder with veteran players. By and large, both played well and this bodes well for future Ducks teams.
The brightest spot would turn out to be in the form of an almost other-worldly freshman, who started the season when she was only 17! Big Ten Freshman of the Year Alanah Clemente only turned 18 on November 4th, but her play was beyond her years. Clemente turned in the most electric performance over the season of any of the Ducks.
Oregon started with relatively soft non-conference opponents, as it was necessary for this team to actually become a team. The Ducks had not spent much time together as a team, and it showed – but that was always going to be the case.
The Ducks started 5-0, with the first four games being easily won over South Dakota, Prairie View A&M, Montana State, and Portland. Their fifth game was a five-set win over stiffer competition in Colorado State.
The next game was a five-set loss to San Diego State. Oregon bounced back and took the rest of their matches ahead of conference play, including a four-set win over the Oregon State Beavers.
The Ducks were 9-1 going before facing their conference schedule. They started out 2-2 with wins against Iowa and Ohio State, and losses against Illinois and Northwestern. In the next two matches, Oregon was swept by USC and Washington.
It was during this stretch that Oregon’s defensive inexperience really showed. The team was not playing the serve/receive game well, they were looking at balls hit the court, and not getting the ball set well to give their hitters a chance to score points.
The Ducks obviously worked on this aspect of their game, because at this point in the season the switch flipped for Oregon. They began to actually play defense and played a much more respectable S/R game. This showed with wins over #18 Minnesota and #25 UCLA.
Oregon dropped most of their next handful of games, but the reality was that they were not going to defeat the likes of Nebraska or Wisconsin. They did ultimately win both games against UCLA, and a five-set upset of #9 Purdue in mid-November was a bright spot in an otherwise very tough conference slog.
Oregon finished the season 17-13 (8-12, Big-10). They finished the season T-10th place in the Big Ten. That they ended their inaugural Trent Kersten season in the middle of the conference standings marks a successful season to me.
Ultimately, this was an Oregon team that we (literally) had not seen the likes of before. To go from complete rebuild to finishing in the middle of the pack in a very difficult conference is something these Oregon Ducks – and their coach, Trent Kerstan – can hang their hats on and build upon.
Cora Taylor and Sophie Myers do not return next year. Oregon’s best player, Valentina Vaulet, does return for her senior year, helping the 2026 Ducks be even better than they were this season. We’re going to see more of this year’s promising freshmen next year, after they have continued to train and develop. And, of course, we’ll have Alanah Clemente and Iva Šucurovic back on the court.
This season, fans could be forgiven for worrying about whether Clemente and Šucurovic would be back in 2026. I don’t think that’s a cause for concern. The body language of this team all season has been that of a team that has embraced the tough challenges that they were facing, and will continue to face. On the surface, it appears to me that Kersten has built a culture based on realistic growth and expectations, and I saw that reflected in the faces of Oregon players all season.
So now, what of a very early look at 2026? Oregon needs some players to step up in the MB and OH ranks, be they Maria Tabacuks and Holly McFadden, or perhaps get some leadership from the portal. I think Tabacuks and McFadden will do well after some spring training, another fall camp, and the experience of this season under their belt.
The defense looks in better shape now, and we’ll see what Kersten adds from the high school and portal ranks.
The most glaring position of need right now is setter. Ideally, Trent Kersten needs a home run addition from the portal and/or an outstanding high school recruit. I think, however, Oregon needs as good a veteran as the portal will offer.
Coach Kersten recently brought in an OH from the portal, and Sjakkie Donkers looks like a very good add:
We’ll keep an eye on the evolving 2026 Ducks and keep you informed as we look forward to an exciting 2026 volleyball season!
