Ducks Lose Road Finale at Colorado

Wednesday, November 27

Boulder, CO

1:00 PM

University of Oregon

8-20,4-15Pac-12

Colorado

13-16,5-14Pac-12

Oregon

Colorado

Photo by: Samuel Marshall

11/27/19 | Women's Volleyball

Box Score Box Score | Colorado 3, Oregon 0

By: Zach Lawson

EUGENE, Ore. – In their last road match of the season, the Oregon volleyball team lost in three sets Wednesday afternoon at Colorado. Senior Ronika Stone led the Ducks with nine kills and registered a match-high seven blocks. Brooke Nuneviller and Morgan Lewis added seven kills each in the loss.

How It Happened: Trailing 20-17 in the first set, Oregon (8-20, 4-15 Pac-12) rattled off four of the next five points to pull even at 21-all. Stone and fellow senior Willow Johnson teamed up on the play for the set-tying block. The teams traded points before Colorado (13-16, 5-14 Pac-12) won two-straight points and had two set points at 24-22.

The Ducks responded with three in a row including a kill from freshman Taylor Williams to save the first set point. After a Colorado error and a Lewis-Stone block, Oregon led 25-24 for its first of two set points. In a back-and-forth finish, the Ducks saved two additional set points with kills from Nuneviller and Lewis.
Oregon had another set point at 28-27 but the Buffs won the final three points of the set to take the 1-0 match lead.

The score was tied at six in the second set when Oregon pushed ahead and led 12-9 with another kill by Lewis. In pattern with the rest of the match, play evened out and the score was tied at 15-all after a kill out of the middle from Abby Hansen. Colorado pulled away for a 21-18 advantage but again, the Ducks fought back and tied the set at 23-all. However, the Buffs posted back-to-back kills to win the set.

Holding on to a two-point lead in the third, Colorado put together a 6-2 run and led 17-11 to force head coach Matt Ulmer to call a timeout. Out of the break in action, the Ducks put together a surge of their own with a 7-2 run. The deficit was down to one—CU up 19-18—when the Buffs called a timeout.

The home team steadied and regained momentum, eventually getting to match point after taking three in a row. Down 24-19, Oregon saved three points to pull to within two and force the Buffaloes to call a timeout. The Ducks' run featured a Hansen-Nuneviller block, a Nuneviller service ace and a Williams kill. On the first play out of the timeout, Colorado secured the sweep with a kill on the right side.

Who Stood Out: Coupled with her nine kills, Stone tallied a .364 hitting percentage. Defensively, Stone has seven or more blocks in three of the past six matches. Nuneviller had a team-high 11 digs against the Buffs and now has double-digit digs in 23 of 28 matches this season. Lewis' seven kills are her high during Pac-12 play.

Notable: Johnson finished the match with six kills, and now heads into Friday's match needing just three kills to reach the 1,000 mark for her career. The team's .269 hitting percentage is its highest mark since a 3-0 road win at California. Oregon posted 10.0 total team blocks against Colorado, the team's 10^th match of the year in double figures. The Ducks are averaging 2.32 blocks per set over their past seven matches.

Up Next: After Wednesday's match, the Ducks return to Matthew Knight Arena on Friday, Nov. 29, for Senior Day against Oregon State. The match will air on Pac-12 Oregon at 5 p.m. (PT) and serve as the career celebration for seniors Willow Johnson and Ronika Stone.