Seniors Lead The Way For Ducks

Tuesday, November 21

Eugene, OR

6:00 PM

University of Oregon

25-5,15-4Pac-12

USC

18-11,12-7Pac-12

Southern California

Oregon

Photo by: Molly McPherson

11/21/23 | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

Playing their final regular-season match at Matthew Knight Arena, every member of Oregon's seven-player senior class contributed to a win Tuesday over USC.

By: Rob Moseley

EUGENE, Ore. — Oregon will take a four-match win streak into its regular-season finale Saturday at Oregon State, after the No. 6 Ducks celebrated Senior Night with a four-set win Tuesday over No. 25 USC before 3,497 fans in Matthew Knight Arena.

Morgan Lewis marked her final regular-season match at home by tying her career high with 19 kills, hitting .486 in the process as the Ducks won 25-14, 24-26, 25-16, 25-22. Mimi Colyer added 11 kills with 10 digs, Gabby Gonzales had nine kills with eight digs and Kara McGhee added eight kills with seven blocks.

Playing just two days after completing a weekend sweep in the desert by beating Arizona on Sunday, the Ducks started off hot Tuesday before hitting a lull in the second set. But led by Lewis, they regained momentum and won in four.

"Physically we're pretty tired, and emotionally we're tired too — Senior Day always does that," UO coach Matt Ulmer said. "So I'm really proud of us for a lot of things we did. …

"(Lewis) just felt really unstoppable. The decision-making for her is probably where I've seen the most growth, and just consistency within that. She executed so well."

Lewis, Gonzales and McGhee weren't the only seniors to lead the way Tuesday. Karson Bacon had five kills with three blocks, Hannah Pukis dished out 47 assists with 15 digs, Georgia Murphy had 15 digs with three aces and Elise Ferreira had another of Oregon's 11 aces on the night.

Daley McClellan Jube

USC played without the Pac-12's leading attacker, Skylar Fields, who averages 5.23 kills per set but was out due to injury.

"Skylar is just such a dynamic player, and they feed her so many balls," Murphy said. "… The way they spread it out is completely different than when she's in the game. So it took a little bit to adjust, with all their other weapons. But I think we handled it very well."

How It Happened: Lewis got her night started early with the first two kills of the match for Oregon, though the Ducks trailed 6-4 in the opening minutes. But after a service error by USC, Pukis took over serve and didn't yield it until Oregon had a 13-0 run and a 17-6 lead. The run included two aces, three kills by Lewis, and two kills plus two blocks by McGhee. USC later scored four straight to get within 18-11, but Oregon answered with a 4-0 run of its own and eventually closed out the set.

The aces by Pukis during the 13-0 run were two of Oregon's 11 on the night, led by Murphy with three.

"Service pressure is really huge," Murphy said. "I think it's really obvious how big of an impact it had in that second set, when we had a few errors and they were able to take that set. So I think it's huge, and I think we have to constantly remind ourselves that it so important for us as a team, and makes playing defense so much easier."

The second set appeared to be unfolding in similar fashion as the first, as Oregon trailed 6-4, then put together an 8-2 run to lead 12-8. But with the Ducks up 13-9, USC scored five straight, and the rest of the set was tightly contested. USC led 19-16, before Oregon rallied into a 22-22 tie with kills from Lewis and Colyer. A successful challenge by Ulmer negated what appeared to be a set-clinching point for USC, making it 24-24. But USC scored the next two in a row to even the match.

Mimi Colyer Swing

Back-to-back kills by Lewis gave Oregon a 3-2 lead in the third, and after USC tied it, the Ducks scored five straight — with three kills by Colyer — to lead 8-3. USC scored four straight to rally within 10-9, but the Ducks didn't give up the lead. Colyer had back-to-back kills for an 18-12 cushion, and McGhee had consecutive kills to close out the set.

Prior to this season, Lewis had never reached 19 kills in a match. On Tuesday, she did it for the third time this fall, a complementary weapon for Oregon's offense having evolved into a primary option during her senior year.

"It's really exciting, and having all my family here to support me has been really fun," Lewis said. "The whole season itself has been such an amazing journey. Being able to compete at the level we're currently competing is really exciting."

Oregon led 5-1 in the third, then pushed the lead to 8-2 after an ace by Daley McClellan. After USC got within 9-7, a kill by Gonzales, an ace from Ferreira and a kill by McGhee made it 12-7. Bacon had kills that gave the Ducks leads of 17-12 and later 19-16. USC mounted a 5-1 run to lead 21-20, but Lewis had consecutive kills to put Oregon back in front. After USC tied it, kills by Lewis and Colyer set up match point, and the Ducks clinched it on a USC error.

Matt Ulmer National Anthem

Notable: Pukis' double-double was her 22nd of the season, while Colyer recorded her 11th. … Prior to the match, Pukis received a ceremonial volleyball to mark her 5,000th career assist, achieved earlier this month. … Ulmer sang the national anthem, fulfilling a promise he made if the program set a record for season tickets sold, which it did this fall.

Up Next: The Ducks play at Oregon State on Saturday (2 p.m., Pac-12 Oregon).