University of Oregon
15-7, 8-6Pac-12
Stanford
21-2, 14-0Pac-12
Stanford Attack Too Much in Road Loss
11/05/17 | Women's Volleyball
No. 16 Oregon was unable to keep up with No. 2 Stanford on Sunday as the Cardinal hit .519 to sweep the Ducks, 25-14, 25-18, 25-14
STANFORD, Calif. - The 16th-ranked Oregon volleyball team was unable to keep up with the potent offensive attack of No. 2 Stanford on Sunday afternoon as the Cardinal swept the Ducks in Maples Pavilion, 25-14, 25-18, 25-14, and remained undefeated in Pac-12 play.
How it Happened: Oregon (15-7, 8-6 Pac-12) took an initial 4-3 lead, but it was all Stanford the rest of the first set as the Cardinal hit a blistering .619 to win, 25-14. Stanford (21-2, 14-0 Pac-12) used an 11-2 run in the middle of the set to pull away, and finished the first frame with a 9-4 scoring stretch to take a 1-0 lead.
The Ducks performed better in the second set, hitting .421 as a team, but it was not enough as the Cardinal hit .484 and again used a big scoring run in the middle of the set to take control. Tied at 4-4, Stanford scored 10 out of 12 to move ahead by eight, and Oregon was unable to get closer than four points the rest of the frame as the Cardinal took a 2-0 lead into intermission.
Stanford opened the third set with a 4-0 lead, but the Ducks fought back to pull even, 6-6. The Cardinal took back the lead with another 4-0 run, and then broke open a 15-11 lead with six straight to take command, 21-11, before finishing off the sweep for their 16th straight win.
Who Stood Out: Taylor Agost was the only Duck to finish with more than four kills, putting down a team-best 13 on .385 hitting. Lauren Page and Jolie Rasmussen each had four kills, and Rasmussen had the only ace of the day for UO. Oregon was held to .216 hitting while the Cardinal hit better than .450 in all three sets and finished the match at an astounding .519 clip.
What it Means: A road loss to the second-ranked and defending national champion Cardinal is unlikely to hurt the Ducks' RPI ranking much -- they entered the week at No. 10 -- but Oregon came to the Bay Area wanting to show it could play with, and beat, elite teams such as Stanford. With six conference matches left in the regular season, the Ducks continue to search for a consistently dominant level of play as they hope to secure a host bid in the early rounds of the NCAA Tournament.
Notable: The Ducks were held under .250 hitting for just the eighth time this season … Stanford has now won 12 straight against the Ducks and leads the all-time series, 64-4 … Ronika Stone, who entered the match second in the Pac-12 in hitting, was held to two kills at a .143 clip … Oregon moves to 3-4 on the road this season … The Ducks were swept for just the second time this year, with both coming at the hands of Stanford.
Up Next: The Ducks will be back on the road next week for a pair of matches at the Arizona schools, beginning Thursday at Arizona State (5 p.m. PT, Pac-12 Network).
