EUGENE, Ore.
? Just as when it seemed the Oregon volleyball team had righted its course, the
Ducks' short-lived two-match winning streak was snapped at Mac Court on Friday
in a 1-3 loss (23-30, 28-30, 30-22, 24-30) to Arizona State.
No. 16 Oregon falls to 16-7 on the year, and 5-6 in the
Pacific-10 Conference. Arizona State climbs to 13-11 in 2007, and 5-6 in
league, with both teams resting in the middle of the pack trailing top 10 programs;
No. 3 Stanford, No. 4 Washington, No. 6 USC, No. 7 UCLA and No. 9 Cal.
The loss to the Sun Devils marked the first time this year Oregon
was defeated by a Pac-10 team not in the nation's top 10.
Arizona State
was led by the duo Sarah Reaves and Margie Giordano, who each totaled 18 kills,
while the Pac-10's leading libero Sydney Donahue racked up a match-high 27
kills.
Oregon was led
by junior Gorana Maricic's 25 kills and five block assists. As a team, the
Ducks hit .216 (65-27-176), compared to the Sun Devils' .238 (66-25-172).
Also reaching double figures for Oregon
was freshman Heather Meyers with 14 kills and seven assists. Junior Kristen
Forristall led the Ducks with seven total blocks, while Katie Swoboda added 16
digs, aided by Sonja Newcombe and Rachel Morris, who totaled 12 digs apiece.
Arizona State
and Oregon split their series
this year, with Ducks winning in four games in Tempe
on Sept. 27.
Oregon is now
1-4 in four-game matches this year.
The Ducks will head out on the road next week to
third-ranked Stanford (Thursday) and ninth-ranked Cal (Friday). The Ducks will
return to Mac Court on Nov.
8-9 to host USC and UCLA.
