Road Trip Begins at No. 22 Michigan State

EUGENE, Ore. — The No. 13 Oregon volleyball team faces a ranked opponent for the fourth time in the past five matches when it visits No. 22 Michigan State Friday night (4:30 p.m. PT, B1G+) in East Lansing, Mich. The Ducks' weekend road trip continues on to Michigan the following day in a back-to-back test.

Series History vs Michigan State
Friday will be the fifth all-time meeting between the two programs with the series tied, 2-2. Each team has won on the other's home floor including Oregon's straight-set win in East Lansing in 2024 and MSU winning in five last season in Eugene.

Series History vs Michigan
Oregon and Michigan have played six times, and the series is tied 3-3 entering their match Saturday. In their two previous meetings as Big Ten opponents, the teams have split with each winning as a visitor. The Ducks' lone win (1-2) in Ann Arbor was a sweep during the 2024 season.

Killing It
Oregon enters the week averaging 14.27 kills per set, good for first in the Big Ten and 10^th in the NCAA. The Ducks have put down at least 60 kills in five matches this season including 64 in their last match, a four-set win over Illinois (Oct. 4). The Ducks are 12-1 when they out-kill their opponent this season.

Last Time Out
Sophomore Alanah Clemente led all players with 16 kills and the Ducks snapped Illinois' seven-match win streak with a four-set win in Eugene. Sjakkie Donkers and Valentina Vaulet each had 14 kills while Reese Sheppard had a career-high 27 digs in the victory.

Getting Defensive
On the strength of 5.00 digs per set, sophomore libero Reese Sheppard was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week. She picked up a career-high 27 digs in a four-set victory over Illinois, replacing her previous best of 20 digs. In the Big Ten home opener, Sheppard registered 18 digs and four assists in a reverse sweep of then-No. 10 Purdue. Sheppard became the second-ever UO players to win the award, joining MB Onye Ofoegbu who earned the honor in late September 2024.

Lucky No. 7
Sophomore opposite Alanah Clemente has at least 15 kills in three-consecutive matches entering the weekend. She had a season-high 19 kills against Minnesota followed by 15 and 16 kills against Purdue and Illinois, respectively. In that stretch, Clemente is hitting .318 and averaging 3.85 kills per set.

Active Ace
Senior outside hitter Valentina Vaulet has 175 career service aces, good for third among active NCAA Division I players. She trails Autumn Martinez-Robinson (George Mason) and Olivia Babock (Pitt) who each have 177. Vaulet leads Oregon with 20 aces this year and is seventh in the league with 0.43 aces per set.

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