Oregon
Vote: Who should be the SBLive/SI Oregon Volleyball Athlete of the Week (9/30/2024)?
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 a double-double with 18 kills and 10 digs for the Panthers in their 25-22, 25-21, 25-17 win over rival North Medford in a Southwest Conference match played at South Medford High School.
Ada Bernard, St. Mary’s (Medford)
The junior outside hitter recorded 11 kills, eight digs and eight aces for the Crusaders in their 25-10, 25-15, 25-14 home win over Brookings-Harbor in a Southern Oregon Conference match. She also had 15 kills and eight aces in a win over Rogue River.
Brooklyn Boyd, Centennial
The senior setter had 30 assists, eight kills, five digs and three aces for the Eagles in a win over Parkrose in Northwest Oregon Conference play. She then had 36 assists, 11 digs and three aces in a victory against La Salle Prep.
Katie Brewer, Centennial
The senior middle blocker stepped up with 17 kills, 14 digs and five aces in a win over Parkrose in Northwest Oregon Conference play. She then had 20 kills and 18 digs in a conference victory against La Salle Prep.
Mia Cervantes, Willamette
The senior libero/defensive specialist had 18 digs and three aces to help the Wolverines post a 25-17, 25-11, 25-19 win over Benson in a nonleague match played at Willamette High School.
Poppy Freeman, Cascade Christian
The senior outside hitter had a team-high 13 kills and four digs to help lead the Challengers to a 25-21, 25-17, 25-11 sweep at Lakeview in a Southern Oregon Conference match.
Emma Geiger, Glide
The sophomore had 21 digs and five kills for the Wildcats in their 20-25, 25-12, 26-24, 25-22 home win against South Umpqua in a Far West League contest.
Meagan Hellenthal, Umpqua Valley Christian
The sophomore shined with 14 kills and 13 digs to help the Monarchs get a 25-10, 25-17, 25-16 home win over Elkton in Skyline League action.
Phoebe Hyland, Oregon City
The senior setter had a total of 68 assists, 22 digs and eight aces in helping the Pioneers finish in second place in the championship bracket of the State Preview Tournament, held at South Albany High School.
Grace Ispen, Roseburg
The senior setter/right side had 14 assists, seven aces and three kills to help the Indians sweep Willamette 25-12, 25-19, 25-7 in a Southwest Conference match played at Willamette High School. She then had 47 assists, five blocks and three kills in a five-set loss to Sheldon.
Khloe Livingston, Sprague
The sophomore outside hitter had 11 kills and nine digs for the Olympians in their 25-9, 25-17, 20-20 win at McNary in a Central Valley Conference contest.
Jacie Madden, Klamath Union
The senior outside hitter stepped up with 21 kills and 14 digs for the Pelicans in their 3-0 win over Phoenix in a Skyline Conference match played at Klamath Union High School.
Jordyn Marquett, Oregon City
The senior outside hitter had a total of 31 kills, 27 digs and 11 aces on 96-percent serving in helping the Pioneers take second place in the championship bracket at the State Preview Tournament, held at South Albany High School.
Briella Mathis, South Salem
The junior outside hitter had 15 kills, six aces and three blocks to help the Saxons score a 25-22, 22-25, 25-19, 25-18 win at Sprague in a Central Valley Conference contest.
Callie Newsome, Mazama
The sophomore outside hitter, with totals of 19 kills, six digs, three aces on 87-percent serving and a block helped the Vikings battle against Henley and get a win over Phoenix in the opening week of Skyline Conference play.
Tori Noffsinger, Yoncalla
The freshman middle blocker/outside hitter had 23 digs, 20 kills and four aces for the Eagles in a 25-19, 23-25, 11-25, 25-22, 15-11 loss to Milo Adventist Academy.
Aya Pantell, Westview
The senior setter had 32 assists, 12 digs, an ace and a kill for the Wildcats in a win at Sunset in Metro League play. She then had 23 assists, 12 digs, three aces and three kills in a league victory against Beaverton.
Nina Read, St. Mary’s Academy
The senior libero/defensive specialist had four aces, passed 40 times at an average rating of 2.13 and added 14 digs for the Blues in their 11-25, 25-17, 25-23, 25-20 win at Lakeridge in a Three Rivers League contest.
Mazie Reeser, Stanfield
The senior outside hitter had 20 digs, 16 kills, three blocks and three aces to help lead the Tigers to a 25-21, 25-20, 25-10 win at Heppner in a key Blue Mountain Conference contest.
Julia Slaughter, South Medford
The junior stepped up with 19 assists, four digs and three aces to help the Panthers top North Medford 25-22, 25-21, 25-17 in a Southwest Conference clash played at South Medford High School.
Kendall Stidham, Crater
The junior setter shined with 36 assists, five digs, two aces and two kills for the Comets n their 25-21, 25-10, 25-19 win over North Eugene in a Midwestern League match played at Crater High School.
Paige Thies, Oregon City
The senior outside hitter had a big performance in helping the Pioneers take second place in the championship bracket at the State Preview Tournament, held at South Albany High School. For the tourney, she had 64 kills while hitting at a .331 percentage while also having 16 digs and three blocks in addition to serving at 95 percent.
Payton Tovey, Thurston
The sophomore outside hitter stepped up with 16 digs and 13 kills to help the Colts rally to score a 17-25, 13-25, 25-21, 25-22, 15-9 win over Springfield in a Midwestern League match played at Thurston High School.
Allison Waechter, Sutherlin
The junior outside hitter had another big performance for the Bulldogs, having 32 kills and 13 digs in their 27-29, 23-25, 25-19, 25-13, 15-5 win at Siuslaw in a Far West League tilt. She then had 34 kills and 17 digs in a five-set win over South Umpqua.
Bryndee Wilson, Camas Valley
The senior had 17 assists, 16 aces and four digs to help lead the Hornets to a 25-9, 25-12, 25-13 home win over Pacific in a Skyline League contest.
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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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