University of Oregon
9-3, 2-2Pac-12
Colorado
12-3, 2-2Pac-12
Ducks Stumble in Boulder
09/30/17 | Women's Volleyball
The No. 12 Ducks were unable to carry over their momentum from Friday’s top-15 win on Saturday night against Colorado, falling to the Buffaloes in four sets, 25-18, 25-27, 25-19, 25-18
BOULDER, Colo. - The No. 12-ranked Oregon volleyball team was unable to carry over its momentum from Friday's top-15 win on Saturday night against Colorado, falling to the Buffaloes in four sets, 25-18, 25-27, 25-19, 25-18, at the Coors Events Center.
How it Happened: The Ducks (9-3, 2-2 Pac-12) were sluggish out of the gate after a grueling five-set win over No. 15 Utah less than 24 earlier in Salt Lake City, using both of their timeouts as the Buffaloes jumped out to a 9-2 lead. Oregon got within three, 11-8, before Colorado (12-3, 2-2 Pac-12) started to string points together again and separate for the opening-set win. The Ducks were held to a .000 hitting percentage through the first set.
CU led 13-9 in the second when the Ducks scored seven in a row to take a three-point lead. Oregon extended its lead to 22-17 when the Buffaloes began to mount a rally, going on a 7-2 run to pull the set even, 24-24. A kill by Ronika Stone gave the Ducks set point for the second time, and a CU error ended the set and sent the match into intermission tied at a set apiece.
Oregon was up 14-12 in the third when former Duck Frankie Shebby began to take over for the Buffaloes. Shebby found the floor with back-to-back kills to spark an 11-3 CU run, and she ended the third with two more kills in a row to finish with six in the set and secure a 2-1 lead for Colorado.
Colorado continued to play well into the fourth, taking an early 12-6 lead and then extending that to 20-13. Oregon began to make a comeback effort with four straight points to get within three, but the Buffaloes scored five of the final six points to end the match.
Who Stood Out: Lindsey Vander Weide led the Ducks in kills with 13, and Ronika Stone (11) and Willow Johnson (10) joined her with double-digit kills. Senior libero Alex Hojnar dug a career-high 19 balls while adding two aces, Taylor Agost added nine kills and the setting duo of Maggie Scott and August Raskie combined for 44 assists. Colorado hit .269 while holding Oregon to a .145 clip, the Ducks' lowest mark of the season. Shebby finished with 16 kills against her former team to lead Colorado.
What it Means: Friday's five-set win was an emotional rollercoaster for the Ducks, and they faced a really quick turnaround after flying to Boulder on Saturday morning. Oregon no doubt will have things to work on as they return to Eugene, but a split on a grueling road trip with a win over a top-15 team should be an encouraging sign for a Duck team that continues to deal with some injuries at outside hitter.
Notable: The Ducks are now 1-2 on the road this season and 12-4 all-time against Colorado … The Ducks' loss to CU is the first since 2015, and their first in Boulder since 2003 … Oregon finished with nine service errors to three aces … The Buffaloes were big on the block, finishing with 17 total to Oregon's nine.
Up Next: The Ducks will return to Eugene for a pair of home matches next weekend at Matthew Knight Arena, beginning next Friday, Oct. 9, against defending national champion Stanford at 8 p.m. PT on ESPNU. The Ducks are aiming to break the MKA volleyball attendance record in that match as they #DriveFor6500.
