Postseason Run Ends In Elite Eight

Saturday, December 10

Louisville, KY

1:00 PM

University of Oregon

26-6,17-3Pac-12

Louisville

30-2,17-1ACC

Oregon

Louisville

Photo by: Molly McPherson

12/10/22 | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

Oregon had match point in the fourth set Saturday at Louisville, but the Cardinals came back to win and advance to the Final Four.

By: Rob Moseley

LOUISVILLE — The Ducks were a point away. And then, it slipped away.

The Oregon volleyball team battled back from losing the first set Saturday at Louisville, and was within a point of winning in four to clinch their NCAA Tournament regional final and advance to the Final Four. But the regional top seed Cardinals fought off match point, rallied to win the fourth and handily won the fifth to end Oregon's season.

The UO women saw their school-record win streak end at 16 matches, and will bid farewell to all-time program great Brooke Nuneviller and fellow seniors Karson Bacon and Gloria Mutiri. The Ducks finished the season 25-6, in the process enjoying the best conference season in program history with a 17-3 mark in Pac-12 play.

"I just told my teammates that I would rather lose in the Elite Eight with them than play in the Final Four with any other team," Nuneviller said after the match with cotton stuffed into one nostril to control a bloody nose, a fitting look for one of the most tenacious competitors in the history of UO athletics. "This group is so special, and I've cherished every single moment I've had with his team.

"Truthfully, I think Louisville and us are pretty neck-and-neck. We had a chance to win that match, and that's what it makes it hurt that much more."

Down 20-18 in the fourth set, the Ducks got three straight kills from Nuneviller to take the lead. The set was tied 23-23 when Pac-12 freshman of the year Mimi Colyer recorded her 17th kill of the evening to set up match point. But her swing on the ensuing point sailed long, Louisville came back to win the set and the Cardinals carried that momentum into the fifth.

The final scores in the match were 25-23, 23-25, 13-25, 27-25, 15-6. Nuneviller had 15 kills with 16 digs, Morgan Lewis capped a phenomenal weekend with 13 kills, Bacon had 10 and Kiari Robey added nine. Setter Hannah Pukis had 50 assists with 12 digs, and libero Georgia Murphy also had 12 digs.

Nuneviller, Lewis and Colyer all were named to the all-regional team.

Colyer's kill to set up match point in the fourth ended up being her last of the match. One more on the ensuing point, and Oregon would be off to Omaha for the Final Four.

"I was feeling pretty good there," UO coach Matt Ulmer said. "It was a great swing, and I love how aggressive she was in that — she was really aggressive the whole time. Credit to them: they did a great job and she didn't score as much as she normally does. But what a great learning opportunity for her moving forward. And again, her aggression is what has gotten us to this point."

Two days after beating Nebraska in the Sweet Sixteen, the Ducks had a chance for their second five-set win of the weekend in the Elite Eight. But Louisville scored five straight after Oregon took an early 3-2 lead in the fifth, and after the Ducks got within 7-5, the Cardinal ripped off another six in a row to the delight of their raucous home crowd.

So often this season, Oregon had battled back from deficits. This one proved too great.

"It's very tough to stay 'eyes on the prize' every time, when we started to lose by three and then four, and the errors started to pile up," Nuneviller said. "That's never a good sign. I kept trying to emphasize that we've come back; we had an 8-0 start to the third set, we're capable of anything. But we could definitely feel the momentum switch a little, and you see Louisville cheering harder and playing better."

Indeed, when the Ducks rattled off the first eight points of set three, destiny seemed to be on their side. They had gritted out a second-set win despite hitting just .185 against Louisville's top-five defense nationally, then hit .500 to dominate the third.

Oregon might have been in position to finish off a sweep of the Cardinals at that point, if not for some late breakdowns in the opening set. The Ducks led that one 22-21 before their fifth service error of the set sparked a three-point Louisville run to lead 24-22; after Oregon fought off one set point, Louisville clinched the opener on the Ducks' sixth service error of the day already.

"Whenever you're on the road in this type of environment, you gotta win the close ones," Ulmer said. "If my experience tells me anything, it's that. We lost the first one by two, and we lost the fourth one by two. We're in the third set and we're really rolling, and all I'm thinking is, dang, that first set — that got away from us."

The fourth set was even throughout, with Louisville scoring three straight to lead 20-18 and Nuneviller putting the Ducks on her back with three in a row to make it 21-20. The Cardinals tied it 21-21, Oregon went up 23-21, Louisville tied it again and then Colyer got the kill that set up match point.

For a moment, Omaha was in sight. But the tide turned.

"This team has been so resilient and it's just been so tough, whether it's going well for us or not," Ulmer said. "So that, it's so strange to have that losing feeling — it's just feels weird. But you know, so much credit to Louisville."

All season long, the Ducks have believed they could play with anyone in the country. Next fall, players like Colyer and Lewis will have proof they can thrive on the biggest of stages, even if they fell a bit short Saturday.

"I think we have to let it hurt and really understand the situation that we were in," Lewis said. "And then next fall, once we get back on the court, really just take it and run with it. We're so capable and we know that, and so it sucks right now. But we've gotta use it."

By that point, Nuneviller will be off chasing her dreams on the international level. But she and Bacon provided memories aplenty in five-year careers bookended by Elite Eight appearances, when they were freshmen in 2018 and again as seniors this fall.

"I just couldn't be more proud of a group, the group that we have — they're really special," Ulmer said. "And I'm going to be very sad to not have these seniors back. It's been a joy, and I'm just so thankful to be their coach."