University of Oregon
16-10, 9-9Pac-12
Washington
22-7, 12-6Pac-12
Ducks Fall to No. 10 Huskies
11/19/17 | Women's Volleyball
No. 20 Oregon dropped its third match in a row, falling to No. 10 Washington in straight sets, 25-22, 25-19, 26-24
EUGENE, Ore. - The 20th-ranked Oregon volleyball team dropped its third match in a row on Sunday afternoon, falling to No. 10 Washington in straight sets, 25-22, 25-19, 26-24, in front of 2,266 fans in Matthew Knight Arena.
How it Happened: Oregon (16-10, 9-9 Pac-12) started the match well, jumping out to an 8-4 lead in the first before playing to a 12-7 advantage. The Huskies then started to find their groove, ripping off a 7-1 run to move ahead, 19-18. Oregon fought back into the lead, 22-21, but Washington scored the final four points of the frame to take the opening set. Taylor Agost was the focal point of the UO offense with six first-set kills on 10 swings.
Washington (22-7, 12-6 Pac-12) carried its momentum from the end of the first set into the second, mounting a pair of 5-0 runs to take control, 15-7. Oregon scored four straight to cut the lead to four, 16-12, but UW answered with a 5-1 run to take back the momentum before holding off a late Duck rally to take a 2-0 lead into intermission.
The third set played out similar to the first, with the Ducks taking an initial 8-4 lead before the Huskies rallied back to pull even, 19-19. UW scored three straight to take a one-point lead after the Ducks moved ahead 22-20, and the Ducks responded with a kill by Lindsey Vander Weide and an ace by Agost to earn set point, 24-22. Oregon was unable to close out the set and force a fourth, though, as UW scored the final three points of the frame to seal the sweep.
Who Stood Out: Agost finished with a team-high 11 kills and added 11 digs for a double-double. Vander Weide and Ronika Stone each put down seven kills, and Jolie Rasmussen had six with a team-high 12 digs. Senior Maggie Scott led UO with 17 assists while digging nine balls. Washington finished the match out-hitting the Ducks, .211 to .185.
What it Means: Now 9-9 in Pac-12 play with two matches left in the regular season, the Ducks will look to finish strong over the final week to try to end at or above .500 in conference play and build some momentum entering the postseason.
Quotable: Matt Ulmer, Head Coach
Thoughts on the match...
"I thought we did what we needed to do to put ourselves in a position to be successful, so it's always frustrating when you get there and you don't make plays down the stretch. I thought we were much tougher today, I thought our defense was miles better than it has been in a really long time, so I was really proud of the way we fought on defense."
On the current mindset of the team...
"I thought this was maybe the best attitude we have had playing in a long time, maybe since Utah. I like that part about it, I thought we were really in it.
Notable: Oregon out-blocked Washington, the best blocking team in the Pac-12, 8-6 … Agost's double-double was her second in as many matches and fifth of the season … Oregon has lost three straight matches for the first time this season … Washington now leads the all-time series 65-23 … The Ducks fall to 11-4 at home this season.
Up Next: Oregon will host No. 14 USC in MKA on Wednesday at 2 p.m. PT (Pac-12 Network) before going to Corvallis on Friday to wrap up the regular season against Oregon State at 7 p.m. Wednesday's home finale will also be Oregon's senior day.
