University of Oregon
6-0
Portland State
2-5
No. 12 Ducks Conquer Vikings, 3-1
09/09/09 | Women's Volleyball
* A link to a final 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.
EUGENE - The No. 12 University of Oregon volleyball team (6-0) fought off a pesky Portland State (2-5) squad by a 3-1 count Tuesday evening at McArthur Court to win its final non-conference home match of the early season.
The returning Big West tournament champion and NCAA qualifier was the first team to take a set off UO in 2009 who had swept its prior five opponents by 5-0 counts.
UO ultimately won 25-18, 22-25, 25-12, 25-15 to claim its third straight win over PSU since 2005 thanks to another balanced effort. Tuesday's victory also raised fifth-year head coach Jim Moore's regular season, nonconference ledger with the program to 50-3.
For the first time this season, the Ducks had three hitters with double-digit kill tallies - senior middle blocker Neticia Enesi (15, .520), senior outside hitter Sonja Newcombe (11), and junior outside hitter Heather Meyers (12, .348).
"This match provided us with a challenge," Enesi said. "We experienced losing a set for the first time this year, and forced us to react to a new experience and come together. I was just happy to be able to help the team respond in a positive fashion. (In previous matches) I had helped hold other teams' blocks in the middle, which created openings on the outside for others, so tonight I was able to turn the tables a little."
The Dalles, Ore., native Enesi has topped .500 now in five straight matches, including a team season high vs. Missouri State in the Oregon Classic finale (.727) that was just off her two best tallies from '08 (.786, .750) that rank her fourth and seventh all-time in a match for the Ducks. She also nearly doubled her previous season-high eight kills Tuesday that she had posted in three of those four contests (while she had seven in the other match).
Newcombe had her team-best fourth double-digit kill effort of '09. The Lake Arrowhead, Calif., native also led the team in digs (11) for the fourth time this year, and tied the team's season high en route to UO's first double-double of the season and team-leading 35th of her career.
Meyers had a career-high five aces for the fourth time this season to again lead UO in the catgory, and she also added seven digs and three blocks. Tuesday also marked her second straight double-digit kill effort and third of '09, and she has posted at least seven digs and three blocks the last three contests.
Senior setter and starter Nevena Djordjevic came up with 40 assists - a season high - and she also ranked second on the team in digs with freshman libero Haley Jacobs (8) who played only the final two sets and had a season high.
Sophomore outside hitter Dana Stephenson led UO in blocks (5) with a career high, and freshman outside hitter Katherine Fischer also tied her career best in the category (4).
UO hit .259 for the match, compared to .153 for PSU, and the Ducks also held advantages in kills (50-42), assists (44-37), aces (15-3), blocks (10-5) and digs (47-41).
UO's service ace tally (13) was a season high by one - over its three-set tally at Portland Sunday - and featured multiple aces by Newcombe (3), senior libero Amanda Westrick (2), Fischer (2) and Djordjevic (2).
"I didn't like losing the set," Oregon head coach Jim Moore said, "but conversely it was an experience that will help us prepare for the rest of the season and all the great teams that we will we will continue to face. I tried to plan out the schedule so our younger players could build confidence and experience before the Pac-10 season. However, we need to be able to respond quicker and fix things that go wrong and limit how it effects us mentally in latter plays."
Looking ahead, UO looks ahead to its four final preseason tilts on the road next week at Utah (9/15), Utah Valley (9/16), vs. No. 9 Minnesota (9/18) and at Denver (9/19). Utah also received votes in this week's national poll and was an NCAA regional advancer last year.
UO then opens the Pac-10 slate at home vs. No. 3 Washington and Washington State, Friday and Sunday, Sept 25 and 27, at 7 p.m. and 1 p.m., respectively. The latter match will offer $1 admission to kids 12 and under who are also invited to attend a free, post-match clinic with the Duck team and coaches.
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