University of Oregon
1-2
Murray State
3-1
Ducks Sweep Murray State For First Win of 2016
09/02/16 | Women's Volleyball
Behind Taylor Agost, Oregon Hits .471 in Straight Set Win
EUGENE, Ore. - The Oregon volleyball team dominated Murray State in the opening match of the Oregon Classic, winning in straight sets, 25-16, 25-14, 25-14, on Friday morning at Matthew Knight Arena.
How It Happened: Oregon (1-2) got off to a strong start and never looked back against the Racers (3-1), with junior Taylor Agost leading the way with 12 kills while hitting a career-high .520. Sophomore middle blockers Sumeet Gill and Lauren Page each had productive and efficient outings, with Gill putting down seven kills on 10 swings (.700) and Page finishing with seven kills on 11 attempts (.636). Senior Kacey Nady had seven kills (.467) and freshman Willow Johnson added six kills (.308).
The Ducks were in control across the board, hitting .471 as a team compared to .176 for the Racers. Oregon finished with seven blocks while holding Murray State to a zero in that category, and the Ducks had 44 assists to Murray State's 32, led by 23 from Maggie Scott and 17 by August Raskie. Amanda Benson led the Ducks with 20 digs as they bested the Racers in that category, 48-46.
Set 1: The Ducks came out swinging against the Racers, jumping out to an early 9-4 lead that they wouldn't relinquish. Agost got off to a tremendous start, putting down five kills on five swings in the opening game. Freshman Brooke Van Sickle got her first career start and produced three kills, four digs and a service ace, and Johnson added four kills on seven swings. Benson was all around the ball with eight early digs, and Scott had nine assists.
Set 2: Agost continued her strong play in the second set, recording five kills on seven swings to lead the Ducks along with Gill, who had five kills on six swings in her first action of the match. Page also came on in the second to give the Ducks a boost, putting down four kills as well as a pair of service aces. After an early 2-2 tie, Oregon went on a 5-0 run to make it 7-2. The Racers got as close as 10-7, but the Ducks were too much down the stretch as they bashed their way to a 25-14 win, ending on a 6-2 run.
Set 3: The third set got off to a better start for Murray State, as the two teams were tied, 7-7, early in the set. The Ducks found their groove after a kill from Page, going on a 9-4 run to take a 16-11 lead. Leading 17-13, the Ducks rattled off seven straight points and finished on a 8-1 clip to take the set and the match. Nady had a strong showing in the final set with five kills on seven swings, Page added three and four different Ducks had two.
