Sweep Of Utes Sets Stage for Senior Night

Wednesday, November 14

Eugene, OR

7:00 PM

University of Oregon

18-9, 11-6Pac-12

Utah

15-13, 7-10Pac-12\

Utah

Oregon

Photo by: Samuel Marshall

11/14/18 | Women's Volleyball

Box Score Box: #16 Oregon 3 Utah 0

Oregon has won six straight sets after sweeping Utah on Wednesday, and will honor its senior class Friday night against Colorado at 7 p.m.

By: Rob Moseley

EUGENE, Ore. — Three back-and-forth sets saw the home team grab momentum down the stretch each time Wednesday night, as the No. 16 Oregon volleyball team swept visiting Utah, 25-22, 25-21, 25-20 before 1,224 fans in Matthew Knight Arena.

The Ducks (18-9, 11-6 Pac-12) kept alive their hopes for hosting NCAA Tournament play in two weeks, and have won six straight sets entering their Senior Night against Colorado on Friday at 7 p.m.

"We have a really confident group right now," UO coach Matt Ulmer said. "I think we're just really starting to click at a high level. We're trying to keep it out there and keep that momentum, and we get another chance Friday."

119022

How It Happened: The opening set established a theme for the night. The teams were knotted in a close battle that Utah led 16-15, before the Utes rattled off three straight points for a 19-15 lead. Ulmer called timeout, after which Lindsey Vander Weide hammered home a kill to spark a four-point run by the Ducks into a 19-19 tie. It was 21-21 when Ronika Stone put a ball on the floor to start another UO run, this time for three points to a 24-21 edge before winning the set 25-22.

Highlights from the Ducks' straight-set win over the Utes in Matthew Knight Arena ?? #GoDucks pic.twitter.com/q3B1EgxlPH
— Oregon Volleyball (@OregonVB) November 15, 2018

The second set developed in remarkably similar fashion. This time, the Utes scored five straight to lead 16-15 midway through the set. Again, Vander Weide spiked down a kill to give the Ducks some traction, and they scored four straight to lead 19-16. After Taylor Borup made it 22-18, the Utes rallied within a point, but Oregon scored the next three in a row and clinched the set on a kill by Sumeet Gill.

Two straight points by Utah midway through the third set had that one close as well, with Oregon clinging to a 16-15 lead. The Ducks won a sideout, and then Vander Weide came through yet again for an 18-15 lead — and yet again after a Utah sideout, to make it 19-16 for the Ducks. Borup and Gill teamed for a block that made it 22-18, Gill's kill got the Ducks to match point and a block by Willow Johnson and Lauren Page ended it in three sets.

119024

Who Stood Out: Vander Weide continued her late-season surge with 12 kills, hitting .370 for the match. Borup played her second complete match since returning from an ankle injury, and added nine kills with 11 digs. Johnson and Stone added eight kills each, August Raskie had six kills to go along with 39 assists and seven digs, and Brooke Nuneviller dug out 16 balls.

What It Means: Ulmer used a lineup and rotation he's only employed four times this season — and the Ducks moved to 4-0 with four three-set sweeps using that personnel grouping. That set of wins began with Oregon's monumental sweep of the L.A. schools in early October, but Borup was injured the next weekend, and didn't return to full participation until last weekend's sweep at California.

Quotable:
Head coach Matt Ulmer
"We're doing a lot of nice things. I liked our lineup. I thought we looked pretty comfortable. I like our energy. I thought we communicated and I thought we played a pretty steady match."

"We're just a different team with (Borup) out there. It's amazing the impact she has on Lindsey; Lindsey is a great player, but (Borup) just makes her calm and makes her better. Having Taylor out there just stabilizes her."

119027

Senior setter August Raskie
"Between all of us we're making eye contact and really trying to communicate what we want to do on defense, and stick to a game plan."

Notable: The Ducks improved to 16-1 when winning the first set, 15-0 when winning the first two sets, 15-3 when leading in kills and 17-1 when leading in attack percentage (.296-.206). … Borup notched her fourth double-double of the year. … Nuneviller now has double-digit digs in 19 straight matches. … Oregon extended its all-time series lead over the Utes to 13-8.

Up Next: The Ducks host the Buffaloes on Friday at 7 p.m., the final regular-season appearance in Matthew Knight Arena for Raskie, Gill, Page and Vander Weide.