Road Trip Begins Wednesday at Rutgers

EUGENE, Ore. – The Oregon volleyball team hits the road for the last week of the regular season, taking on Rutgers and Maryland. The Ducks' week begins Wednesday in Piscataway, N.J., against Rutgers. First serve is scheduled for 1 p.m. PT on B1G+. Oregon enters the Thanksgiving road trip with a 15-13 record and 6-12 mark in Big Ten play.

Series Info vs Rutgers
Oregon and Rutgers will be playing for the sixth time, but for the first time on the Scarlet Knights' home floor. Oregon has a 4-1 advantage in the previous five meetings including last season's straight-set victory in Eugene. In that match, Maya De Los Reyes, the Ducks' lone returner from 2024, notched a career-high three service aces.

Series Info vs Maryland
Friday's meeting will be just the second between Oregon and Maryland. The Ducks recorded a home sweep in last season's first-ever match between the two programs. The Oregon-Maryland match is set for a 10 a.m. PT start on B1G+.

Last Time Out
Oregon saved a pair of match points before falling to Michigan in four sets (Nov. 22) at Matthew Knight Arena. Freshmen Alanah Clemente and Reese Sheppard had 23 kills and a career-high 20 digs, respectively, in the loss. Valentina Vaulet had 17 kills (.343 pct.) and three aces, and Sophia Meyers had 15 kills and 10 digs for her fourth double-double of the year.

Hey 'Bro
Over the past six matches, freshman libero Reese Sheppard is averaging 3.65 digs per set with four outings of 18 or more digs. She established a career-high 20 digs in the Ducks' four setter against Michigan (Nov. 22). In that same stretch of six matches, Sheppard has 23 assists and five service aces.

Val-iant Effort
Junior Valentina Vaulet enters the week with 10 or more kills in 22 of 28 matches this season, hitting .300 or higher in nine of those outings. Most recently, she had 17 kills coupled with a .343 hitting percentage against Michigan (Nov. 22). Vaulet is hitting .261 this season, 70 points higher than her previous high in a single season (.191 in 2024), and with four more kills she will set a new high for kills in a single season.

Where She Stands (and Sets)
Senior setter Cora Taylor enters the final week of the regular season with 3,992 career assists, good for ninth among active Division I setters. Taylor is averaging 9.87 assists per set during Big Ten play and leads the team with five double-doubles this season. Taylor registered a career-high 59 assists and set the team to a season-high .338 hitting percentage in the Ducks' five-set win at No. 9 Purdue (Nov. 15).

Service Pressure
Oregon enters Wednesday's match tied for second in the Big Ten with 189 service aces this season; tied with Rutgers. Individually, freshman Alanah Clemente and junior Valentina Vaulet are tied for the conference lead with 47 aces each. The Ducks have six players in double digits with Clemente, Vaulet, Cora Taylor (23 aces), Iva Sucurovic (18), Sophia Meyers (15) and Reese Sheppard (14). The team has at least seven aces in 17 of 28 matches including three double-digit outings.

Blocking is Fun
Sophomore Iva Sucurovic is seventh in the Big Ten with 119.0 total blocks this season, also good for 1.09 blocks per set. She has five or more blocks in 13 matches this year with a season high of 12 in a straight-set win at Montana State (Aug. 31). As a team, Oregon is 12-2 when out-blocking its opponent.

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