A key piece of the team’s performance and the most encouraging sign of its room to grow is an unprecedented international recruiting class for the program. They make up Oregon’s largest international recruiting class of the 21st century. When Kersten’s predecessor, Matt Ulmer, signed Estonian outside hitter Jade Sadeiko in 2019, she became the program’s first international recruit in seven years. While Ulmer’s seven-season tenure marked the program’s most consistent run of postseason success, including three of its four Elite Eight appearances, international recruiting was an untapped market. The massive roster turnover necessitated that Kersten explore every option available to him, and international recruiting has a proven track record.