University of Oregon
17-11, 10-10Pac-12
Oregon State
21-11, 11-9Pac-12
Ducks Snap Skid With Civil War Win, Await NCAA Fate
11/24/17 | Women's Volleyball
The No. 24 Ducks snapped a four-match losing streak on Friday with a thrilling five-set win at Oregon State, and now wait to learn their fate in the NCAA Tournament
CORVALLIS, Ore. - The 24th-ranked Oregon volleyball team snapped a four-match losing streak and closed out the regular season with a win in the Civil War on Friday night, beating Oregon State in a five-set thriller, 25-22, 16-25, 25-21, 21-25, 15-9, in front of 2,293 fans in Gil Coliseum.
The Ducks finish the regular season at 17-11 overall and 10-10 in Pac-12 play, and now wait to learn their fate in the NCAA Tournament. The NCAA Tournament field will be announced Sunday at 6 p.m. PT on ESPNU.
"This was a big win and a win that we really needed," said head coach Matt Ulmer. "It's really about fight for us. We have the talent and we have every part of the game, it's just a matter of us having confidence and just going for it and risking more. Tonight, other than the second set, I thought we were really aggressive and really pushed it, and when we're aggressive we are pretty special."
How it Happened: Oregon State (21-11, 11-9 Pac-12) trailed 11-9 in the first set before scoring five straight to take the lead, but the Ducks were able to play their way back to a 21-21 tie. The Beavers called a timeout to try and slow Oregon's momentum after the Ducks scored five out of seven, but the Ducks put down four kills in the final five points to take the opening set, 25-22.
Aside from an early 3-3 tie, Oregon State led the entire second set as the Beavers won 25-16 to pull the match even at intermission. OSU used a 13-3 run in the middle of the set to open up a 21-9 lead, holding the Ducks to .018 hitting. Oregon was able to mount a 7-2 lead late in the set to close the gap a bit and gain some momentum back going into the locker room.
Trailing 7-4 in the third, Oregon ripped off five straight points to ignite a 12-3 scoring run and take a 16-10 lead. OSU pulled within 20-17 before a Taylor Agost kill and a Beaver error pushed the Ducks' lead back to five, and Lindsey Vander Weide capped a great set by scoring Oregon's final three points of the frame to secure a 25-21 win and a 2-1 lead in the match.
Oregon led 4-1 to start the fourth set, but Oregon State responded with a pair of 4-0 runs to take the lead. The Ducks trailed 12-8 before scoring five straight to move ahead, 13-12, but OSU answered again, playing to a 19-15 lead. Oregon then scored four out of five to get within a point, 20-19, but the Beavers scored four straight of their own and five of the final six points of the set to win, 25-21, and force a decisive fifth frame.
Tied 4-4 in the fifth, the Ducks scored five out of seven to take a 9-6 lead and force an OSU timeout. The Beavers fought back within one, 10-9, but Oregon scored the final five points of the match, capped with a block by Ronika Stone and Willow Johnson on OSU star Mary-Kate Marshall, to win the match and end the regular season with some momentum.
Who Stood Out: Five players finished with double-digit kills, led by Stone's 14 on .417 hitting. Agost finished with 12 kills, Johnson and Vander Weide each had 11 and Jolie Rasmussen put down 10. Agost (11) and Vander Weide (16) each finished with double-digit digs to record double-doubles, and setters August Raskie (29 assists, 14 digs) and Maggie Scott (24 assists, 13 digs) also finished with double-doubles. Senior libero Alex Hojnar also enjoyed a good match with a team-high 21 digs, and Lauren Page factored in on seven blocks.Check out some of the top highlights from tonight's victory as the Ducks win their sixth straight #CivilWar match #GoDucks pic.twitter.com/keRPj4ZRu1
— Oregon Volleyball (@OregonVB) November 25, 2017
What it Means: Entering the match on a four-match losing streak, the Ducks got a much-needed win to close out the regular season on a high note and finish the year at .500 in conference play. Oregon began to regain its form from earlier in the season and got a good breakout performance from Vander Weide, and the Ducks earned some important momentum with the NCAA Tournament looming.
Quotable: Matt Ulmer, Head Coach
On Vander Weide's play…
"Lindsey was the game-changer after the second set. I couldn't be more proud of her response, and really in every area she stepped up. How clutch was she at the end serving, and she was so tough putting the ball exactly where I wanted it time and time again. Just really proud of her. She really needed this and our team really needed this. It's an exciting way to go into the postseason."
Notable: Oregon has now won the last six Civil War matchups … The Ducks improve to 15-0 this season when holding their opponent to under .200 hitting (.182) … Vander Weide earned her team-best ninth double-double, Scott recorded her eighth and Agost and Raskie each tallied their sixth.
Up Next: The NCAA Tournament field will be announced Sunday at 6 p.m. PT on ESPNU.
