University of Oregon
6-1
Wichita State
7-1
Ducks Roll Past No. 23 Shockers for Fifth Straight Win
09/08/17 | Women's Volleyball
The No. 14-ranked Oregon volleyball team turned a top-25 matchup into a one-sided affair on Friday night at Matthew Knight Arena, sweeping No. 23 Wichita State in emphatic fashion, 25-16, 25-19, 25-12
EUGENE, Ore. - The No. 14-ranked Oregon volleyball team turned a top-25 matchup into a one-sided affair on Friday night at Matthew Knight Arena, sweeping No. 23 Wichita State in emphatic fashion, 25-16, 25-19, 25-12, to wrap up the second day of the Nike Classic.
The Ducks (6-1) hit an impressive .394 as a team while holding the Shockers (7-1) to a .059 clip, and they never trailed in the match after five lead changes in the first set. Oregon has now won its last five matches and each of its last 11 sets.
"I'm really proud of us," said head coach Matt Ulmer. "I've been preaching to them that this was a national match tonight. The volleyball nation is going to see this match and I wanted them to show everyone how good we are.
"This was the first time I thought we started strong; we've been starting very poorly. I am just really proud of us because this is a match we had to win. Wichita State is an excellent team, but that's just how good we were tonight."
How it Happened: The opening set went back and forth at first, with Wichita State playing to a 13-12 lead before the Ducks put together a flurry of scoring runs. Oregon took the lead with its first of three 3-0 scoring runs to take control, 21-16, and the Ducks finished the set with four straight points. Taylor Agost put down five kills on seven swings to lead Oregon to a .452 team hitting percentage, and the Ducks ended the set on a 13-3 scoring stretch.Check out some of the top highlights from tonight's 25-16, 25-19, 25-12 sweep of No. 23 Wichita State #GoDucks pic.twitter.com/7FOK0XwZlP
— Oregon Volleyball (@OregonVB) September 9, 2017
The Ducks carried their momentum into the second set, using a pair of 4-0 runs and an 8-0 run to take a commanding 21-7 lead. Wichita State was able to chip away at the lead with a couple scoring runs of its own to get within five, 24-19, but a kill by Lindsey Vander Weide, her team-best sixth of the set, secured the set and a 2-0 lead for the Ducks.
It was all Oregon in the third set, with the Ducks jumping out to a 14-7 lead before a 7-0 run made it 21-8. A kill off of the left arm of Willow Johnson ended the set, 25-12, and clinched the straight-set sweep for the Ducks.
Who Stood Out: Johnson hit .409 with 11 kills to tie for the team-lead with Vander Weide, who added 11 digs for her team-best fourth double-double of the season. Agost enjoyed an incredibly efficient night, setting her career-high for hitting percentage for the second night in a row at .750 with nine kills. Ronika Stone also set a career-high at .692 with nine kills, Jolie Rasmussen hit .375 with six kills and nine digs and senior libero Alex Hojnar added 10 digs. Maggie Scott paced the Ducks with 19 assists and joined Vander Weide, Rasmussen, Stone and Hojnar with an ace.
What it Means: The Ducks are now 2-1 against ranked teams this season, with their lone loss on the season still a four-set decision to then-No. 1 Texas. Oregon moves to 5-0 at home this season and 2-0 in the Nike Classic, and has now won four matches by way of sweep. The Ducks also hand Wichita State its first loss of the season.
Notable: Oregon has now hit .300 or better three times this season … The Ducks are now 6-0 when leading in attack percentage … Former Duck great Amanda Benson was in attendance.
Up Next: The Ducks will close out the Nike Classic at 7 p.m. PT on Saturday night against Duquesne at MKA. Fans coming from the Oregon-Nebraska football game at Autzen Stadium can gain free entry into the volleyball match with their football ticket. Cal Poly and Wichita State will kick off the day at 2 p.m.
Matt Ulmer Post-Match Interview
