No. 6 Ducks Complete Rally at Cal

Saturday, November 11

Berkeley, CA

11:00 AM

University of Oregon

22-5,12-4Pac-12

California

15-12,4-12Pac-12

Team	1	2	3	4	5	Final F
Oregon	23	25	20	25	15	3
California	25	12	25	15	13	2

Photo by: Molly McPherson

11/11/23 | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

Senior middle blocker Kara McGhee had a career-high 18 kills Saturday afternoon.

BERKELEY, Calif. — Facing a 2-1 match deficit, the No. 6 Oregon volleyball team rallied past Cal in five sets Saturday afternoon at Haas Pavilion. Senior Kara McGhee had six of her match-high 18 kills in the fifth set including the final tally of the day. With the win, the Ducks improve to 22-5 this season with a 12-4 mark in Pac-12 play.

Oregon dropped the first and third sets before coming away with a 23-25, 25-12, 20-25, 25-15, 15-13 result. The Ducks have now won eight straight against Cal. Saturday marked the first five setter in the head-to-head since the 2013 season.

McGhee hit .452 in the match, boosted by a .769 figure (10-0-13) over the final two sets. McGhee was joined in double figures by teammates Gabby Gonzales and Morgan Lewis with 14 each. Gonzales had 12 digs to complete one of two double-doubles for the Ducks. Lewis had six kills on nine swings in the fourth to help keep the Ducks alive in the eventual comeback.

Colby Neal registered a career-high nine blocks against Cal with McGhee not far behind with seven in the match. Senior libero Georgia Murphy had a team-high 17 digs to go along with seven assists.

How It Happened: In the decisive fifth, the Ducks won the first four points in the race to 15 featuring a pair of kills by McGhee. Oregon led 8-3 when the team switched sides after a kill by Colyer. Though the Ducks never trailed in the set, Cal stayed close and eventually tied the score at 13-all which forced UO head coach Matt Ulmer to call a timeout.

Out of the huddle, McGhee and Lewis teamed up for a block and on the ensuing rally, McGhee sealed the victory with her career-high 18^th kill. It was Oregon's second five setter of the weekend after going the distance with fourth-ranked Stanford Thursday night.

With the Ducks leading 23-22 in the first thanks to a trio of Gonzales kills, the host Bears rattled off the last three points of the opener to take the 1-0 match lead.

Oregon answered immediately with a 6-1 surge to start the second set and force an early Cal timeout. The lead ballooned to 15-4 on a block by Neal and Hannah Pukis. With their advantage down to seven, the Ducks put together a 7-0 run to go ahead 23-9 on a second-touch kill by Pukis. To close out the set, McGhee and Mimi Colyer teamed up for a block.

Pukis ended the afternoon with 42 assists, 13 digs, six blocks, four kills and an ace. She leads the team with 20 double-doubles this season and tied her career high in blocks.

After committing nine attack errors in the opener, Oregon generated a .370 efficiency (13-3-27) in the second on its way to pulling even.

Cal (15-12, 4-12) took control of play to start the third, winning six of the first eight points on its way to the 9-3 lead to force an Oregon timeout. The Ducks steadied and pulled to within three points—Cal, 15-12—after a block by Neal and Pukis, one of three blocks by the duo in the third set. However, the Bears never gave up the lead. Oregon saved three set points but Cal got a kill from Sam Taumoepeau to go up 2-1 on the match scoreboard.

In another momentum shift at the start of a set, the Ducks jumped out a 5-2 lead in the fourth. Holding on to a 9-7 lead, Oregon ran off with five in a row to double up the Beats at 14-7 after a kill by McGhee.
Another block, this one by Lewis and Neal, pushed the advantage to 18-10 and a Cal timeout. From 21-15, Oregon won the final four points of the fourth, extending the match with a kill by McGhee.

Notable: Oregon had swept Cal in the previous seven meeting entering Saturday's match…the first-set win for Cal was its first set win in the series since 2019…Colby Neal registered the 100^th career block of her career.

Up Next: The Ducks' road swing continues next weekend at No. 17 Arizona State and Arizona. The next home match is Tuesday, Nov. 21, against USC which will also be Senior Day at Matthew Knight Arena.

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