University of Oregon
8-0
Utah Valley
5-5
No. 12 Ducks Continue Roll With 3-0 Win At Utah Valley
09/17/09 | Women's Volleyball
*A boxscore and play-by-play is located in the LINKS box to the right, and updated season/career stats are available via the link above.
OREM, Utah - The undefeated No. 12 University of Oregon volleyball team (8-0) relied on its senior leadership to pull together for another 3-0 win Wednesday evening at Utah Valley (5-5).
The Ducks utilized nearly its whole team to win by a 25-20, 25-23, 25-22 count for its second victory over Utah Valley in as many years.
In the kills category, senior outside hitter Sonja Newcombe had a three-set season high for the team (17), and also hit .324, posted four digs, two blocks and two assists.
Senior middle blocker Neticia Enesi added 13 kills and paced the team in hitting (.550), and added two blocks.
"Today was a little sloppy at times," Newcombe said, "but it was also good that we came back at the end of each set. We were tied 20-20 several times and didn't buckle under the pressure and that mental toughness is important. I also liked how Emilee (Sisco) really stepped up tonight as Jocelyn (Levig) did last night - it's good to turn to be able to turn to a different person every night, and that depth is great to have."
Sophomore outside hitter Dana Stephenson also added another balanced effort with five kills and a team-high three blocks. Other Duck category leaders included senior setter Nevena Djordjevic (36 assists) and senior libero Amanda Westrick (3 aces).
At match's end, UO held advantages in hitting (.292-.228), service aces (5-2), digs (42-29) and blocks (6.0-5.5) and tied in assists (41-41).
Oregon marked the third Pac-10 opponent of the season already for Utah Valley as USC also won 3-1 and 3-0, and Washington State topped UVU, 3-0.
"Utah Valley is a team that has a good shot at being in the NCAA tournament," Oregon head coach Jim Moore, "and they played with intelligence and intensity. They served well, had good outside hitters, and weren't afraid to challenge us. That said, we responded and won. Sonja and Neticia continued to carry us as a lot of younger players are continuing to gain experience and shape this team. This was another important test since our starting lineup changed this week, and the things that we need to work on are being exposed."
The night before, the Ducks opened its final non-conference trip of the season Tuesday with a 3-1 win at Utah, 22-25, 25-17, 25-20, 25-17.
With the stats from this week's two matches, Newcombe climbed a position on the UO all-time career list in kills (seventh, 1203), and Enesi improved likewise in the career block assists category (third, 315).
Looking ahead, UO continues its Rocky Mountain road trip in the Pioneer Classic in Denver vs. No. 9 Minnesota Friday at 4 p.m. PT (5 p.m. MT) and against host Denver University Saturday at 10 a.m. PT (11 a.m. MT).
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