University of Oregon
2-1
UTRGV
1-3
No. 14 Ducks Sweep UTRGV in Home Opener
08/31/17 | Women's Volleyball
The 14th-ranked Oregon volleyball team came away with a sweep in its home opener on Thursday night, taking down UTRGV in straight sets, 25-16, 25-20, 25-17
EUGENE, Ore. - The 14th-ranked Oregon volleyball team came away with a sweep in its home opener on Thursday night, taking down the University of Texas Rio-Grande Valley in straight sets, 25-16, 25-20, 25-17, to kick off the Oregon Classic at Matthew Knight Arena.
The Ducks (2-1) got off to a fast start and played efficient volleyball from start to finish, hitting .337 as a team while holding the Vaqueros (1-3) to a .160 clip. Oregon once again featured a balanced attack, with eight players recording kills and all 12 Ducks who were available getting onto the court.
How it Happened: The Ducks used an early 8-0 run, fueled by a trio of aces by Ronika Stone, to take a commanding 9-2 lead and force UTRGV into its first timeout. Oregon would extend its lead to 20-9, and the Vaqueros would get no closer than eight points before the Ducks took the set and a 1-0 lead. Lindsey Vander Weide led all players with six kills while leading the Ducks to a .444 team hitting percentage in the opening set.WATCH | Highlights from the Ducks' home-opening sweep of UTRGV. #GoDucks https://t.co/5SBdRmMzgp
— Oregon Volleyball (@OregonVB) September 1, 2017
The Ducks and Vaqueros went back and forth in set two en route to a 17-17 tie before Oregon used three straight points to move ahead, 20-18. After a UTRGV timeout, the Ducks finished the set on runs of 8-2 and 4-0 to take a two-set advantage in the match. Willow Johnson was stellar in the set with five kills on eight swings, while Vander Weide put down four.
Oregon was in control of the final set from the start, jumping out to a 9-4 lead. The Ducks would extend their lead to 22-13 while forcing UTRGV into burning both timeouts, and a pair of Vaquero errors ended the set and clinched the sweep for Oregon. The Ducks held UTRGV to a hitting percentage of .000 in the final set.
Who Stood Out: Vander Weide led the Ducks with 12 kills and seven digs, while Taylor Agost enjoyed an efficient night with nine kills on .400 hitting. Johnson put down seven kills on .462 hitting with just one attack error, and Stone recorded a career-high four aces to go with four kills on six swings. Maggie Scott and August Raskie combined for 37 assists, and Sumeet Gill paced the Ducks to 14 blocks with a team-high four.
Quotable: Matt Ulmer, Head CoachSome sights from tonight's straight-set win over UTRGV, courtesy of @EricEvansPhoto #GoDucks pic.twitter.com/FpPr5bdDFu
— Oregon Volleyball (@OregonVB) September 1, 2017
On the win…
"I thought our energy was good. We had a little lull in the second (set). I thought Ronika (Stone) started us off with her serving run and that really set the tone from the match."
On using 12 players tonight…
"We have a small roster right now that can play, so everybody that was healthy played tonight. We're going to need every healthy body to be good this season, so I was proud for the contributions of everybody that got in."
Notable: The Ducks finished with six aces as a team to UTRGV's two … Oregon held UTRGV to under .200 hitting in two of the three sets … Jolie Rasmussen started the match and recorded her first kill of the season while playing the first set as she makes her way back from injury.
Up Next: The Ducks will play their second match of the Oregon Classic at 8 p.m. PT on Friday night against Loyola Marymount. Prior to the Ducks' match, Loyola Marymount will face Northern Illinois at 11 a.m., and UTRGV will take on Northern Illinois at 6 p.m.
