When Oregon volleyball head coach Matt Ulmer dipped into his past in January to hire assistant coach Erika Dillard, who he coached with at Long Beach State from 2008 to 2013, he did so knowing Dillard would have to miss at least the opening weekend of the 2018 season.
Dillard, whose maiden name is Chidester and often goes by "Chid", and her husband, Jason, were expecting the birth of their second child in late August. On Monday, just days before the No. 18 Ducks open their season in Lincoln, Neb., against No. 3 Texas (Friday, 1:30 p.