Friday, November 29
Eugene, OR
5:00 PM
University of Oregon
9-20,5-15Pac-12
3
vs
1
Oregon State
9-22,3-17Pac-12
1
2
3
4
F
Oregon St.
25
23
20
15
1
Oregon
23
25
25
25
3
Photo by: Samuel Marshall
Seniors Enjoy Night Of Celebration
11/29/19 | Women's Volleyball
Ronika Stone and Willow Johnson wrapped up their storied UO careers Friday night by leading the Ducks to a victory over Oregon State.
EUGENE, Ore. — Two legendary Oregon volleyball careers were celebrated prior to Friday night's Civil War match, and about 90 minutes later the Ducks also were celebrating a victory over the Beavers, by scores of 23-25, 25-23, 25-20, 25-15 before 3,098 fans in Matthew Knight Arena.
Oregon's seniors led the way, with Ronika Stone tallying 16 kills with seven blocks and Willow Johnson recording 14 kills with six blocks. Stone finished her career with program records for hitting percentage (.336) and block assists (429), and Johnson's third kill Friday gave her 1,000 for her career.
The Ducks wrapped up a frustrating season overall, finishing 9-20 with a 5-15 Pac-12 mark, but ended it in unforgettable fashion.
"We've been competitive in basically every match, every set we've played, and haven't found a way to win," UO coach Matt Ulmer said. "There's lots of reasons for that, but it's definitely not for lack of leadership, and Ronika and Willow have provided that."
How It Happened: Only a late-set rally by Oregon State in the opening set denied the Ducks a Senior Night sweep. The Beavers (9-22, 3-17) led a couple times early in set one, but Oregon rallied back into the lead on the serve of Kylie Robinson. A kill by Karson Bacon began a run of four straight points, as the Ducks took a 12-9 lead. OSU fought back into a couple of ties, and finally regained the lead at 22-21. A block by Johnson and Bacon and a kill for Johnson brought the Ducks back into a tie at 23-23, but OSU rattled off consecutive points to win the set.
In set two, Oregon rallied from an early deficit and never trailed again after an ace by Taylor Williams tied it 12-12. Williams held serve for two more points as the Ducks took a lead, and they pushed it to five for the first time at 22-17 on an ace by Johnson. Stone set up set point with a kill for a 24-20 lead, and though OSU stayed alive for a few more moments, a kill by Brooke Nuneviller evened the match at one set each.
Bacon really asserted herself in set three, with three kills that denied OSU momentum. Her first of the set sparked a run of six straight points by the Ducks, giving Oregon an 11-9 lead. The Beavers finally ended the run with a point, but Bacon didn't let them get the ball rolling themselves, recording another kill for a 12-10 lead. The Ducks maintained a slight edge, and after OSU closed within 20-19 later in the set, Bacon recorded yet another kill to regain serve for Oregon. The Ducks scored the last four points of the match, one by Johnson, two by Williams and the last by Stone.
Williams, Stone and Nuneviller gave the Ducks command of the fourth set, with three straight points to put Oregon up 9-6. Bacon had two more sideouts, giving Oregon leads of 12-11 and 16-12, and then the UO block took over. Stone and Morgan Lewis teamed for consecutive blocks that made it 21-14, and a solo block by Stone put Oregon up 22-14. Fittingly, it was Bacon who ended the set and the match, sending the Ducks out on a high note to end their season.
"Everyone knew going in that it was the end," Stone said. "But it's a new beginning for that team; they're so young. I think this just showed how good they can be. So many people stepped up in big moments."
Who Stood Out: Stone hit .361 on the night, and Johnson hit .333. Bacon had 11 kills without an error, and hit an outstanding .579 with seven blocks. Nuneviller also finished with 11 kills, along with 21 digs, and Williams had six kills with just one error, plus nine digs. Setters Robinson and Elise Ferreira teamed for 52 assists and 15 digs, Georgia Murphy had 19 digs and Lewis was in on six blocks.
"I'm sad we have to leave, but I think there's a lot of people on the team you can see who are growing into those leadership positions," Johnson said. "I'm sad I have to move on to the next chapter, but I'm so excited about where this program's going."
Notable: After the match, the Ducks sat courtside to watch tribute videos recorded for the two seniors. ... Along with her two UO records mentioned above, Stone is fifth in career points (1,605.5) and third in total blocks (485). … Johnson wrapped up her career 10th in school history in hitting percentage (.272). … Nuneviller's 21 digs gave her 997 for her career, through just two seasons.
Up Next: The Civil War win brought to a close Oregon's 2019 season.
Oregon's seniors led the way, with Ronika Stone tallying 16 kills with seven blocks and Willow Johnson recording 14 kills with six blocks. Stone finished her career with program records for hitting percentage (.336) and block assists (429), and Johnson's third kill Friday gave her 1,000 for her career.
The Ducks wrapped up a frustrating season overall, finishing 9-20 with a 5-15 Pac-12 mark, but ended it in unforgettable fashion.
"We've been competitive in basically every match, every set we've played, and haven't found a way to win," UO coach Matt Ulmer said. "There's lots of reasons for that, but it's definitely not for lack of leadership, and Ronika and Willow have provided that."
How It Happened: Only a late-set rally by Oregon State in the opening set denied the Ducks a Senior Night sweep. The Beavers (9-22, 3-17) led a couple times early in set one, but Oregon rallied back into the lead on the serve of Kylie Robinson. A kill by Karson Bacon began a run of four straight points, as the Ducks took a 12-9 lead. OSU fought back into a couple of ties, and finally regained the lead at 22-21. A block by Johnson and Bacon and a kill for Johnson brought the Ducks back into a tie at 23-23, but OSU rattled off consecutive points to win the set.
In set two, Oregon rallied from an early deficit and never trailed again after an ace by Taylor Williams tied it 12-12. Williams held serve for two more points as the Ducks took a lead, and they pushed it to five for the first time at 22-17 on an ace by Johnson. Stone set up set point with a kill for a 24-20 lead, and though OSU stayed alive for a few more moments, a kill by Brooke Nuneviller evened the match at one set each.
Bacon really asserted herself in set three, with three kills that denied OSU momentum. Her first of the set sparked a run of six straight points by the Ducks, giving Oregon an 11-9 lead. The Beavers finally ended the run with a point, but Bacon didn't let them get the ball rolling themselves, recording another kill for a 12-10 lead. The Ducks maintained a slight edge, and after OSU closed within 20-19 later in the set, Bacon recorded yet another kill to regain serve for Oregon. The Ducks scored the last four points of the match, one by Johnson, two by Williams and the last by Stone.
Williams, Stone and Nuneviller gave the Ducks command of the fourth set, with three straight points to put Oregon up 9-6. Bacon had two more sideouts, giving Oregon leads of 12-11 and 16-12, and then the UO block took over. Stone and Morgan Lewis teamed for consecutive blocks that made it 21-14, and a solo block by Stone put Oregon up 22-14. Fittingly, it was Bacon who ended the set and the match, sending the Ducks out on a high note to end their season.
"Everyone knew going in that it was the end," Stone said. "But it's a new beginning for that team; they're so young. I think this just showed how good they can be. So many people stepped up in big moments."
Who Stood Out: Stone hit .361 on the night, and Johnson hit .333. Bacon had 11 kills without an error, and hit an outstanding .579 with seven blocks. Nuneviller also finished with 11 kills, along with 21 digs, and Williams had six kills with just one error, plus nine digs. Setters Robinson and Elise Ferreira teamed for 52 assists and 15 digs, Georgia Murphy had 19 digs and Lewis was in on six blocks.
"I'm sad we have to leave, but I think there's a lot of people on the team you can see who are growing into those leadership positions," Johnson said. "I'm sad I have to move on to the next chapter, but I'm so excited about where this program's going."
Notable: After the match, the Ducks sat courtside to watch tribute videos recorded for the two seniors. ... Along with her two UO records mentioned above, Stone is fifth in career points (1,605.5) and third in total blocks (485). … Johnson wrapped up her career 10th in school history in hitting percentage (.272). … Nuneviller's 21 digs gave her 997 for her career, through just two seasons.
Up Next: The Civil War win brought to a close Oregon's 2019 season.
Team Stats
OSU
ORE
Kills
52
60
Errors
29
18
Attempts
168
155
Hitting %
.137
.271
Points
61.0
80.0
Assists
51
58
Aces
1
6
Blocks
8.0
14.0
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
16
Aces
1
Blocks
7
Kills
14
Aces
2
Blocks
6
Kills
11
Aces
1
Blocks
1
Kills
11
Aces
0
Blocks
7
Players Mentioned
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's VolleyballRS
/ Women's Volleyball
MB/RS
/ Women's Volleyball
L
/ Women's VolleyballOH/L
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's VolleyballMB
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
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