Friday, November 2
Eugene, OR
8:00 PM
University of Oregon
15-8, 8-5Pac-12
0
vs
3
USC
17-7, 9-4Pac-12
1
2
3
F
USC
30
25
25
3
Oregon
28
23
17
0
Photo by: Samuel Marshall
Ducks Drop Weekend Opener to No. 15 USC
11/02/18 | Women's Volleyball
EUGENE, Ore. – The No. 16 Oregon volleyball team was unable to complete a season sweep of USC on Friday night, falling 30-28, 25-23, 25-17 to the 15th-ranked Trojans in front of 2,680 fans in Matthew Knight Arena.
The Ducks, who moved to 15-8 overall and 8-5 in Pac-12 play, will look to rebound on Sunday in another top-25 showdown at MKA against No. 22 UCLA (12 p.m.).
How it Happened: Willow Johnson broke an 8-8 tie in the first with a kill, igniting runs of 5-0 and 9-3 for Oregon as the Ducks took a 17-11 advantage. USC (17-7, 9-4) answered right back with three straight points and six out of eight to get within 18-17, but Ronika Stone took back momentum with a kill and the Ducks built their lead back to three, 23-20. A USC attack error gave Oregon set-point at 24-22, but the Trojans battled back with three in a row to take the lead. After the Ducks fought off four set-points to stay alive, all-American Khalia Lanier put down back-to-back kills to steal a tight first set for the Trojans.
The second set was a back-and-forth battle from the start, with Oregon and USC playing to a 20-20 tie. USC took a 23-21 lead on a kill and a UO error, and then traded points the rest of the way to win another deuce set. Oregon hit .386 in the first set and .312 in the second set, but was unable to come up with the big points late in the games as the Ducks went into intermission down 2-0.
USC was especially aggressive on serve in the third set, using three aces to build a 12-7 lead and force Oregon into burning both of its timeouts. The Trojans extended their lead to 20-11 before the Ducks scored six out of nine, but the comeback attempt came too late as USC finished off the set and the match.
Who Stood Out: Lindsey Vander Weide led the Ducks with 13 kills on .275 hitting, and Stone hit .444 with 11 kills. August Raskie finished with 36 assists, seven digs and seven kills, Lauren Page had a team-best six blocks and freshman Brooke Nuneviller led all players with 14 digs. Brooke Botkin led all players with 19 kills for the Trojans, and Lanier added 15.
What it Means: The Ducks are now a game back of USC for second place in the Pac-12, and tied for third at 8-5 with Washington State, which lost to Arizona on Friday. Oregon will have a chance to bounce back against another top-25 team on Sunday as the Ducks try to build up their postseason resume for a potential host bid in the opening rounds of the NCAA Tournament.
Quotable: Head Coach Matt Ulmer
On the difference in the match…
"This was our worst passing night of the year…USC served fantastic with constant pressure. They were working us and we just were not responding and handling the pressure well. I'm proud of August for handling the bad passes and still getting us to hit a decent percentage. I thought our hitters did a really nice job, but we just didn't respond in the backcourt."
Notable: Nuneviller now has double-digit digs in 15 straight matches and 19 of 21 this season … The Ducks are now 7-4 at home this season and 3-4 in conference home matches.
Up Next: Oregon will face No. 22 UCLA at noon on Sunday in MKA (Pac-12 Network).
The Ducks, who moved to 15-8 overall and 8-5 in Pac-12 play, will look to rebound on Sunday in another top-25 showdown at MKA against No. 22 UCLA (12 p.m.).
How it Happened: Willow Johnson broke an 8-8 tie in the first with a kill, igniting runs of 5-0 and 9-3 for Oregon as the Ducks took a 17-11 advantage. USC (17-7, 9-4) answered right back with three straight points and six out of eight to get within 18-17, but Ronika Stone took back momentum with a kill and the Ducks built their lead back to three, 23-20. A USC attack error gave Oregon set-point at 24-22, but the Trojans battled back with three in a row to take the lead. After the Ducks fought off four set-points to stay alive, all-American Khalia Lanier put down back-to-back kills to steal a tight first set for the Trojans.
The second set was a back-and-forth battle from the start, with Oregon and USC playing to a 20-20 tie. USC took a 23-21 lead on a kill and a UO error, and then traded points the rest of the way to win another deuce set. Oregon hit .386 in the first set and .312 in the second set, but was unable to come up with the big points late in the games as the Ducks went into intermission down 2-0.
USC was especially aggressive on serve in the third set, using three aces to build a 12-7 lead and force Oregon into burning both of its timeouts. The Trojans extended their lead to 20-11 before the Ducks scored six out of nine, but the comeback attempt came too late as USC finished off the set and the match.
Who Stood Out: Lindsey Vander Weide led the Ducks with 13 kills on .275 hitting, and Stone hit .444 with 11 kills. August Raskie finished with 36 assists, seven digs and seven kills, Lauren Page had a team-best six blocks and freshman Brooke Nuneviller led all players with 14 digs. Brooke Botkin led all players with 19 kills for the Trojans, and Lanier added 15.
What it Means: The Ducks are now a game back of USC for second place in the Pac-12, and tied for third at 8-5 with Washington State, which lost to Arizona on Friday. Oregon will have a chance to bounce back against another top-25 team on Sunday as the Ducks try to build up their postseason resume for a potential host bid in the opening rounds of the NCAA Tournament.
Quotable: Head Coach Matt Ulmer
On the difference in the match…
"This was our worst passing night of the year…USC served fantastic with constant pressure. They were working us and we just were not responding and handling the pressure well. I'm proud of August for handling the bad passes and still getting us to hit a decent percentage. I thought our hitters did a really nice job, but we just didn't respond in the backcourt."
Notable: Nuneviller now has double-digit digs in 15 straight matches and 19 of 21 this season … The Ducks are now 7-4 at home this season and 3-4 in conference home matches.
Up Next: Oregon will face No. 22 UCLA at noon on Sunday in MKA (Pac-12 Network).
Team Stats
USC
ORE
Kills
53
45
Errors
15
14
Attempts
128
114
Hitting %
.297
.272
Points
67.0
58.0
Assists
45
45
Aces
8
4
Blocks
6.0
9.0
Game Leaders
Kills
13
Aces
1
Blocks
1
Kills
11
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
7
Aces
2
Blocks
2
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Players Mentioned
RS
/ Women's Volleyball
L/OH
/ Women's Volleyball
MB/OH
/ Women's VolleyballS/RS
/ Women's VolleyballMB
/ Women's VolleyballOH
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