Oregon
Vote: Who should be the SBLive/SI Oregon Volleyball Athlete of the Week (9/23/2024)?
Here are the candidates for the SBLive/SI Oregon Volleyball Athlete of the Week as nominated by coaches, fans and readers.
Read through the nominees and cast your vote. Voting will conclude Sunday at 11:59 p.m. and the winner will be announced Monday.
If you would like to make a nomination in a future week, email danbrood91@gmail.com.
Editor’s Note: Our Athlete of the Week feature and corresponding poll is intended to be fun, and we do not set limits on how many times a fan can vote during the competition. However, we do not allow votes that are generated by script, macro or other automated means. Athletes who receive votes generated by script, macro or other automated means will be disqualified.
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Mayen Akpan, South Medford
The junior had 29 kills, 12 digs and a block for the Panthers in their 23-25, 25-14, 25-16, 20-25, 15-9 win over Roseburg in a Southwest Conference match at South Medford High School.
Madi Andrews, Nelson
The junior outside hitter went over 1,000 career kills during the Hawks’ win over David Douglas in Mt. Hood Conference play. She had 17 kills in a conference victory against Central Catholic.
Calli Aplin, Crater
The senior outside hitter had 12 kills and 10 digs for the Comets in their 25-11, 25-9, 25-14 win against Thurston in a Midwestern League contest at Thurston High School.
Harry Barry, Milwaukie
The senior middle blocker had 14 kills, 91-percent serving, a serve-receive of 3.00, four digs and two blocks in a win against Canby, and she had 14 kills, five aces, four blocks and two digs in a victory against La Salle Prep.
Lily Buendia, Junction City
The senior libero had 29 digs, four aces and a serve receive rating of 2.10 for the Tigers in a win over Siuslaw. She had 25 digs and two aces in a five-set victory against Philomath.
Lily Mae Buerkle, McDaniel
The junior setter, who shines with her court awareness and is one of the team leaders in kills, helped the Mountain Lions get wins over Wells and Sunset.
Addie Byington, Mazama
The senior outside hitter, a team captain, had 23 kills, 23 digs, four aces and a block for the Vikings in matches against North Valley and Yreka, Calif.
Brooklyn Cyr, North Douglas
The senior outside hitter had 12 kills and 11 digs for the Warriors in their 25-17, 25-15, 31-29 win at Elkton in a Skyline League match.
Poppy Freeman, Cascade Christian
The senior outside hitter had 16 digs, 11 kills and two blocks for the Challengers in their 25-14, 25-11, 25-20 home win against North Valley in a Southern Oregon Conference opener.
Ava Gerry, Heppner
The senior had a quadruple-double for the Mustangs with 24 assists, 14 digs, 10 kills and 10 aces in their 25-17, 21-25, 25-12, 25-13 home win against Dufur in nonleague competition.
Lana Gillas, Wilsonville
The senior opposite hit at .340 with 24 kills for the Wildcats in Northwest Oregon Conference wins over Centennial and Hood River Valley. In the win over Hood River Valley, with an outside hitter getting injured during the match, she stepped up and produced points at critical times.
Piper Glass, McDaniel
The sophomore libero/defensive specialist, who shines with her consistency, stepped up in helping the Mountain Lions post a 25-21, 25-23, 16-25, 25-23 win over Sunset at the Forest Grove Tournament.
Alexa Gugliotta, Crater
The senior middle blocker shined with 15 kills, six blocks and four aces to help the Comets rally for a 26-28, 25-16, 25-14, 25-11 win over Ashland in a Midwestern League match at Crater High School.
Elise Hartle, Junction City
The senior middle blocker had 18 kills and hit .293 for the Tigers in a nonleague victory over Siuslaw. She had nine kills and three blocks, including the winner, in a five-set victory against Philomath.
Allie Hawk, West Linn
The senior setter, a team captain, paced the Lions with 41 assists, 14 aces and 17 kills in sweeps over Tigard and Tualatin in Three Rivers League play.
Gabby Hill, Nelson
The senior outside hitter had 15 kills, 10 digs, four aces and two block assists for the Hawks in a 29-31, 25-22, 25-17, 25-13 win over Central Catholic in a Mt. Hood Conference match at Nelson High School.
Lilly Huck, Klamath Union
The junior outside hitter had 18 digs and 14 kills to go with her speed and hustle as she helped the Pelicans get a 23-25, 25-18, 25-19, 25-14 victory at Hidden Valley in a Skyline Conference opener.
Grace Ispen, Roseburg
The senior setter/right side had 44 assists and seven kills to help Roseburg post a 22-25, 28-26, 23-25, 25-14, 18-16 win over South Eugene in a Southwest Oregon Conference match at Roseburg High School.
Ophelia Johnson, Junction City
The senior setter had 28 assists, 13 kills and seven aces for the Tigers in a win against Siuslaw. She had 19 assists, 18 digs and an ace in a victory over Philomath.
Audrey Kirkland, Glendale
The junior outside hitter, a team captain, had a double-double with 18 kills, 18 digs and four aces for the Pirates in their 15-25, 11-25, 25-17, 25-18, 17-15 Skyline League win at Camas Valley.
Mady Lebeck, Westview
The sophomore libero had 27 digs, eight assists, two aces and a kill and passed at 2.28 on serve receive for the Wildcats in a 25-19, 25-22, 19-25, 25-22 home win over Sprague in a nonleague match. She had 19 digs and an assist and passed at 2.10 on serve receive in a loss to Jesuit.
Nadiah Luna, South Salem
The senior outside hitter had 13 digs and 10 kills in the Saxons’ 25-20, 25-17, 25-22 victory against West Salem in a Central Valley Conference contest at South Salem High School.
Briella Mathis, South Salem
The junior outside hitter had a double-double for the Saxons with a team-high 19 digs and 10 kills in their 25-20, 25-17, 25-22 win over West Salem in a Central Valley Conference match at South Salem High School. She had 19 kills and four aces in a win over McNary.
Jazlynn Morris-Holmes, The Dalles
The freshman outside hitter, a six-rotation player for the Riverhawks, had 21 kills, 16 digs and two blocks in a 25-27, 27-25, 23-25, 28-26, 15-13 win over Crook County in a Tri-Valley Conference match at The Dalles.
Evie Morrissette, Sprague
The senior setter/opposite had 39 assists, 18 digs, four kills, three aces and two blocks for the Olympians in a five-set win over West Salem, and she had 19 assists, six digs, five aces and five kills in a three-set victory against North Salem.
Mila Nikolic, Ashland
The senior right side had 15 kills and a .444 hitting percentage for the Grizzlies in a 25-11, 25-23, 25-18 win over Springfield in a Midwestern League match at Ashland High School.
Mazie Reeser, Stanfield
The senior outside hitter had a huge performance for the Tigers with 28 kills, 23 digs, six blocks and six aces in their 25-19, 19-25, 25-22, 28-26 nonleague victory at La Grande.
Avery Renyer, Umpqua Valley Christian
The junior had 12 kills and 10 digs for the Monarchs in their 25-17, 25-10, 25-7 home win against Myrtle Point in nonleague play.
Danika Richardson, South Umpqua
The junior setter had 24 assists and six aces to help lead the Lancers to a 25-13, 25-7, 25-13 win at Rogue River in a nonleague contest.
Lauren Rohman, Marist Catholic
The sophomore setter had 19 assists, eight digs and seven kills for the Spartans in a 25-16, 27-25, 25-16 win over Cascade in a Sky Em League game at Cascade High School.
Natalia Rojas, Hillsboro
The senior outside hitter, a team captain, had a big week for the Spartans with 34 digs, 22 kills and three aces.
Mackenzie Running, North Medford
The senior outside hitter had a strong all-around performance for the Black Tornado with 11 kills, 10 digs and two aces in a 24-26, 25-16, 25-11, 25-22 win at South Eugene in Southwest Oregon Conference action.
Julia Slaughter, South Medford
The junior had 35 assists, four kills and four aces to help the Panthers edge Roseburg 23-25, 25-14, 25-16, 20-25, 15-9 in a Southwest Conference tilt at South Medford High School.
Kimmy Spurlock, Marist Catholic
The sophomore outside hitter had 15 digs, 10 kills and eight aces in helping the Spartans record a 25-16, 27-25, 25-16 victory at Cascade in Sky Em League action.
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The good times keep on rolling for the Oregon Ducks in the recruiting world. Dan Lanning and the Ducks scored a massive commitment from five-star quarterback Will Mencl out of Chandler, Arizona.
Oregon had been rumored to be leading the race for Mencl’s services for months, but the No. 1 quarterback in the country, per Rivals, cleared the air and committed to the Ducks on Wednesday evening. Mencl chose the Ducks over Auburn and Penn State, both of which battled hard for him down the stretch.
However, Mencl has been connected to Oregon for a long time. While he was offered last fall before breaking out in his junior season, Mencl has been a fan of the program long before he popped up on the Ducks’ recruiting radar. In a post shared by Rivals recruiting expert Steve Wiltfong, Mencl was announced as a quarterback for the Ducks when he was a kid at the 2019 NFL Draft fan experience in 2019.
Now, Mencl is ready to don the green and yellow for real and make his childhood dreams come true. The Ducks have made a point to get Mencl on campus as often as possible and as recently as last week. The continued connection between both sides is ultimately what made the decision easy for the nation’s top passer. Mencl said he told Lanning and the Oregon staff about his decision on Sunday.
“The biggest thing was the relationship with the staff,” Mencl said after committing. “I feel like that continued to grow over time, especially when I first got there last spring. Being able to sit down with Coach Koa, really being an underlooked guy at that time, and kind of blowing up my junior season. And then, the path to the NFL. You can’t deny what they do with quarterbacks and the type of scheme they run. I felt like that was the best fit for me and my family to get to the next level.”
Koa Ka’ai, Oregon’s new quarterback coach, made waves earlier in the offseason after his recruiting test about ice cream flavors went viral, but that doesn’t appear to have scared Mencl off. In fact, the two have a close connection that Oregon hopes will translate to success on the field in the near future.
“My relationship with Coach Koa, I feel like that is super, super strong,” Mencl told Rivals. “I’ve had a lot of discussions with Coach Lanning about the culture there and how they’re going to continue to sustain greatness throughout the program.”
Mencl exploded onto the national recruiting scene with a massive junior season for Chandler. He completed more than 70% of his passes for 3,815 yards and 33 touchdowns against five interceptions in his junior season, leading Chandler to a state title berth. He also rushed for 741 yards and an additional 17 touchdowns.
The Ducks expect to have some competition for Mencl to compete with when he joins the team for the 2027 season, with Dylan Raiola and Akili Smith Jr. already on the roster and competing for a role as the backup. Oregon has gone to the transfer portal as well in recent seasons, finding success with Bo Nix, Dillon Gabriel, and now Dante Moore.
Oregon has recruited well at quarterback in the past, establishing an NFL pedigree that attracted Mencl. Maybe he will be the one to buck the trend and give the Ducks a true, homegrown product under center.
Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.
‘Pour in the largest glass you can find while slow dancing in your socks,’ a Wine Enthusiast contributor said of an Oregon wine
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Wine Enthusiast released a list of the top 40 sparkling wines around the world in 2026 – highlighting two bottles of bubbly from Oregon.
“While it can seem like you need a fortune to enjoy high quality sparkling wine, you honestly don’t. Excellent affordable bubbles are being produced around the world, often in places you might not expect. Each of the selections on our inaugural Top 40 Sparkling Wines list delivers personality, freshness, and celebration for under $75,” Wine Enthusiast wrote.
Wine Enthusiast divided its list into separate sparkling categories including, Champagne, Italian Bollicine, American sparkling and bottles $25 and under.
Snagging a spot on the American sparkling list: Corollary Wines in McMinnville.
Corollarly’s 2021 Momtazi Carbonic Rosé Pinot Noir scored 96 points from Wine Enthusiast.
“This is a Peter Max print of a wine, with vivid aromas and flavors to match the wine’s electric Kool-Aid color. It is filled to the brim with aromas and flavors of macerated strawberries, candied rose petals, apricots, and a bitter note similar to watermelon rind. Pour in the largest glass you can find while slow dancing in your socks,” wrote Wine Enthusiast contributor Michael Alberty.
The second Oregon winery to earn a spot on the list: Lytle-Barnett in Dundee.
Wine Enthusiast also gave Lytle-Barnett’s 2018 Brut Rosé Pinot Noir Chardonnay 96 points.
“Bubbles as persistent as an eight-year-old with a question deliver aromas of dried rose petals, macerated strawberries, and a touch of fresh hay and talc. This 70/30 Pinot Noir and Chardonnay blend is packed with flavors of lemon zest, Honeycrisp apple slices drizzled in caramel, and a dollop of raspberry,” Alberty wrote.
The nods to Corollary and Lytle-Barnett come as the wineries recently helped launch Method Oregon, a nonprofit made up of 50 Oregon wineries aiming to turn Oregon into a global sparkling wine destination.
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