Short-handed Ducks Fall To Cardinal

Friday, October 6

Eugene, OR

8:00 PM

University of Oregon

9-4, 2-3Pac-12

Stanford

12-2, 5-0Pac-12

Stanford

Oregon

Photo by: Eric Evans/GoDucks.com

10/06/17 | Women's Volleyball

Box Score Box: #2 Stanford 3, #16 Oregon 0

The Ducks found out earlier Friday they'd be without a player due to injury, and shifted on the fly in a valiant effort against Stanford.

By: Rob Moseley

EUGENE, Ore. — Informed early in the day he'd be without his fourth-leading hitter, UO coach Matt Ulmer debuted a new rotation Friday against the second-ranked team in the country, and while the No. 16 Oregon volleyball team played progressively better throughout the match, No. 2 Stanford came away with a 25-19, 25-21, 25-23 victory.

The match was played before a national television audience on ESPNU and before an announced crowd of 5,872, the second-largest ever to watch a home Oregon volleyball match.

How It Happened: The Ducks (9-4, 2-3 Pac-12) learned earlier Friday they'd be without Jolie Rasmussen, who suffered a concussion at UCLA on Sept. 22 and seemed on track to return before being declared out for the third straight match. Wanting to give Oregon its best shot at an upset, Ulmer unveiled a big lineup that didn't have any practice together, with Taylor Agost never leaving the floor, Ronika Stone moving outside to a hitter position and Lauren Page playing a bigger role in the middle.

The first set was predictably uneven for the UO women, who hit .205 and took advantage of seven Stanford service errors. A kill by Agost gave the Ducks an early 12-9 lead, but Stanford rallied to an 18-15 advantage and surged to the finish to win the set. The Cardinal hit .552 in the opening set, but Oregon's defense fought back to hold Stanford to .257 hitting in set two. Still, the set unfolded in similar fashion with the Ducks taking a 12-11 lead, Stanford rallying to the lead at 20-19 and then the Cardinal finishing strong.

The Cardinal (12-2, 5-0) seemed poised to wrap it up quickly in set three, using an 8-1 run to go up 13-7. But with the record crowd still behind them, the Ducks dug deep and scored five straight to rally within 14-13. Another run of four points pulled Oregon into an 18-18 tie. But the Ducks never could pull ahead, the teams trading points to the finish line as Stanford came away with a victory.

Who Stood Out: Agost fought gamely when tasked with playing the back row for the first time since high school, finishing with a team-high 11 kills and a career-high 11 digs. Lindsey Vander Weide added eight kills and six digs, and the setter tandem of Maggie Scott and August Raskie had 16 assists each.

What It Means: The Ducks faced an uphill battle already against the No. 2 team in the country, and then ended up short-handed to boot. This remains a team with serious national aspirations, and Oregon will look to bounce back quickly.

Quotable:
Matt Ulmer, UO head coach
On how the Ducks handled the new rotation
"It was ugly in the first, so I thought we came a long way as the match progressed. … I thought we were wearing them down."

On Oregon's inability to close out a set
"We had our chances. These are the kind of matches I want to be in all the time. If we want to make a run at a Final Four or better, we have to execute against great teams down the stretch."

Taylor Agost, senior hitter
On taking on an increased role
"When Matt called me, I figured I had two choices. I could either be nervous and cower, or I could rise to the occasion. I chose the latter."

Notable: The Ducks move to 7-1 at home this season after having an eight-match home winning streak snapped. … Oregon is now 3-3 against ranked teams this season and 1-2 against teams in the top five. … Oregon hit worse than .200 for just the third time this season, while Stanford became just the second team to hit better than .300 against UO.

Up Next: The Ducks remain at home to host California on Sunday at 2 p.m.