University of Oregon
8-2, 1-1Pac-12
UCLA
8-3, 1-1Pac-12
Win Streak Snapped at No. 11 UCLA
09/22/17 | Women's Volleyball
The eighth-ranked Ducks saw their seven-match winning streak come to an end on Friday with a four-set loss at No. 11 UCLA, 19-25, 25-18, 25-19, 25-21
LOS ANGELES - The eighth-ranked Oregon volleyball team saw its seven-match winning streak come to an end on Friday night with a four-set loss at No. 11 UCLA, 19-25, 25-18, 25-19, 25-21, in the John Wooden Center.
The Bruins (8-3, 1-1 Pac-12) recovered from a slow start to win the final three sets of the match, hitting .308 with a balanced attack to hand the Ducks (8-2, 1-1 Pac-12) their first conference and road losses of the season.
How it Happened: The Ducks came out hot to open the match, jumping out to a 6-0 lead and forcing the Bruins into an early timeout. The Oregon lead was 20-13 when UCLA scored five straight and six out of seven to move within two, 21-19, but the Ducks thwarted the Bruin comeback by scoring the final four points of the set.
Oregon carried the momentum from the end of the first set into the second, using a pair of 3-0 runs to take a 6-1 lead. UCLA fought back to pull the set even, 11-11, and then started stringing points together to move ahead, 19-16. The Bruins scored six of the final eight points to even the match, 1-1, hitting .480 as a team in the set.
It was the Bruins who started well in the third, using two 4-0 runs out of intermission to take a 9-2 lead. Oregon rallied back to within three, 13-10, before five straight UCLA points helped the Bruins take control, 23-16. Oregon began to mount a rally with two kills and an ace, but it wasn't enough as UCLA took a 2-1 advantage.
The Ducks and Bruins traded points to open the fourth set, with UCLA holding a 15-14 lead at the media timeout. UCLA began to separate with three straight and led 23-18 when Oregon started to fight back with three in a row of its own, but a service error and a Bruin kill gave UCLA the set and the match.
Who Stood Out: Lindsey Vander Weide led the Ducks in kills for the eighth time this season with 15 (.343) while adding a team-best nine digs, and Willow Johnson (11) and Taylor Agost (10) also had double-digit kills. Ronika Stone led the Ducks with seven blocks and had nine kills on .412 hitting, and the sophomore joined Jolie Rasmussen and Alex Hojnar as Ducks with a two service aces. The Bruins used a balanced attack with four players recording double-digit kills, becoming the first UO opponent this season to hit better than .300 while holding Oregon under .280 for just the third time at .240.
What it Means: The loss is the first for the Ducks since dropping a four-set decision to then-No. 1 Texas on August 26, and they will look to bounce back in similar fashion. The Ducks faced their most hostile environment of the year on Friday in their first true road match, and they will try to draw on that experience with a pair of top-25 road matches ahead next weekend.
Notable: The Bruins now lead the all-time series, 56-11, and have won the last four contests … Oregon extended its set winning streak to 18 with its first-set win before having it snapped in the second set … Oregon out-blocked UCLA, 12-8, and led in service aces, 7-5.
Up Next: After starting school on Monday, the Ducks will travel to the mountain schools next weekend for a pair of top-25 matches. Oregon will face No. 16 Utah in Salt Lake City on Friday (5 p.m. PT, Pac-12 Networks), before heading to Boulder to play No. 25 Colorado at 6 p.m. PT on Saturday.
