University of Oregon
14-13, 8-10Pac-12
Washington
26-2, 16-2Pac-12
Strong Start Not Enough to Top No. 2 Washington
11/21/15 | Women's Volleyball
EUGENE, Ore. – Despite taking the first set from No. 2 Washington, the Oregon volleyball team fell in four sets, Friday at Matthew Knight Arena, 19-25, 25-21, 29-27, 25-21.
How it Happened: The matched seeming hinged on the third set with the score level at 1-1 coming out of intermission. The Ducks fought off two Washington set points and created two of their own at 25-24 and 26-25, but some the persistent play from the Huskies and some untimely errors from the Ducks kept Oregon from capitalizing on their momentum and instead allowed Washington to take a 2-1 advantage.
That came after Oregon cruised through the first set with the help of a 12-4 run which put the Ducks up 15-7. After staving off a small run by the visitors, Oregon closed out the set by a 25-19 final behind freshman Lindsey Vander Weide's seven kills and no attack errors. Vander Weide (16) finished the night as one of three players in double-digit kills along with Martenne Bettendorf (14) and Taylor Agost (10).
It was only the second match this season the Ducks had lost while outhitting their opponent. Oregon finished the match hitting .236 to UW's .211 even with the Huskies causing problems at the net, racking up 15 blocks.
Who Stood Out: Junior libero Amanda Benson kept rallies alive with her career high 32 digs, starting with 10 in the first set alone. The total is tied for the most by a Pac-12 player this season and stands alone at the most in a four-set match. Benson's season best heading into the match was 26 digs in a five-set match at George Washington while she had tallied 31 as a freshman against California.
What it Means: Although the win would have done wonders for the Ducks in the RPI, where Oregon jumped to third this week, they won't have time to dwell on the loss. The team has two more matches in the regular season, two matches coach Jim Moore has stressed as must-win scenarios if the team wants to extend their season.
Notes and Numbers: Maggie Scott recorded a double-double with 29 assists and 11 digs…Oregon held the edge in kills (61-57), digs (78-76) and hitting percentage (.236-.211)…Kacey Nady led the team with a .389 hitting efficiency…
Quoteworthy:
Head Coach Jim Moore on the third set…
“I thought we did a great job after that, but to lose that was heartbreaking. I told them we had to come out and fight, and we did a great job of coming out and fighting in the fourth set. They just smelt it at the end and didn't make any mistakes.”
Freshman Lindsey Vander Weide on the match…
“We obviously wanted to win that game a lot. It's hard but we're going to have to bounce back and win our next two.”
What's Next: Oregon will close out the regular season with two more home matches at Matthew Knight Arena. The Ducks will face Arizona State, Wednesday at 8 p.m., before a Civil War doubleheader against Oregon State, Friday, at 8 p.m.
Team Stats
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
