University of Oregon
Arizona
?Cats Claw Back, Upset No. 24 Ducks in Five
11/10/06 | Women's Volleyball
TUCSON, Ariz. ? Pac-10 road trips to the Desert have never been kind to the Oregon volleyball team, but Thursday's loss at Arizona was both painful and unexpected.
The 24th-ranked Ducks (17-6, 7-6 Pac-10) built a 2-1 lead before the Wildcats (11-15, 2-12) came storming back to win 29-31, 30-25, 26-30, 30-23 and 15-8.
“This was the first time in a long time that we have worried about mistakes, and it cost us,” said head coach Jim Moore. “We dwelled on missed points instead of looking ahead to the next opportunity to score.”
Tied at 15-all in the fourth set, UA swung the momentum in its favor with a 15-8 run to even the match and never surrendered the lead the rest of the night.
“They passed great in Game 4 and we failed to put pressure on them with our serving,” Moore said. “They got in a rhythm and every ball they touched turned to gold.”
The Ducks dropped the first three points of Game 5 before rallying back with three of the next four. But the Wildcats, an NCAA Elite Eight squad last season, ripped off six straight points for a commanding 10-3 lead, effectively ending the match.
Freshman middle blocker Sonja Newcombe, who was recruited by Arizona before signing with the Ducks, led Oregon with 20 kills and 24.5 points. Newcombe also hit a team-high .296 (20-4-54).
UA frosh Whitney Dosty, a 6-3 hitter, had match-highs of 29 kills and 32.0 points.
Senior Erin Little had 15 kills, and sophomore Mira Djuric 14 for the Ducks, who also received a match-best 26 digs from sophomore Katie Swoboda.
Oregon dropped Game 4 despite hitting .308 (17-5-39) as UA converted at a .370 (19-2-46) clip.
For the match, the Wildcats hit .284, the highest percentage by a UO opponent this season. UA also had a big edge on the block, 19-9, including eight total stuffs from freshman blocker Jacy Norton.
Oregon will look to salvage a split on the trip Friday night in Tempe against Arizona State. The Sun Devils (12-13, 4-10) defeated Oregon State, 3-1, on Thursday.
QUACK TRACKS: SO OH Mira Djuric recorded her 99th career service ace, taking over 10th place by herself on UO's career list ... Oregon has lost its last two matches ? both in five games - matching the team's longest losing streak of the season ... The Ducks and Wildcats split the season series, 1-1 ... Oregon is 3-3 on the road in conference play ... UO has five matches remaining, three on the road ... The Ducks are 2-3 in five-set matches this season.
