Top of the Lineup Shines in Win vs Corban

Thursday, March 23

Eugene, OR

2:00 PM

University of Oregon

Corban

Photo by: Rob Moseley/GoDucks.com

03/23/23 | Women's Beach Volleyball

The Ducks return to action next weekend with the Boise Classic in Idaho.

EUGENE, Ore. – The Oregon beach volleyball team improved to 2-0 on its home courts Thursday on the way to its fifth win of the season, a 3-2 decision over Corban at Amazon Park. The Ducks recorded wins at the No. 1, 2 and 3 spots in victory, and added a fourth win in exhibition play. Playing at No. 1 pairs in the dual, Ella Tyus and Bea Wetton extended their win streak to five.

Oregon 3, Corban 2

Oregon (5-14) took the early 1-0 lead with a 21-13, 21-19 triumph by Zoe Almanza and Chloe Brown at the second spot in the UO lineup. The win over Cameron Keeling and Kianna Keeling snapped the pair's seven-match skid.

Corban, the No. 1 NAIA team in the country, pulled even with a three-set win at No. 4 pairs. Abby Plevin and Batia Rotshtein dropped the opening set to Maya Blake and Kealani Ontai but responded to take the second to force a third. However, the Corban duo jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the final frame on its way to a 21-18, 18-21, 15-9 point.

Tyus and Wetton faced a challenge in Megan Dennis and Avari Ridgway, the reigning NAIA national pair of the week, at the top of the lineup. The visitors led through most of the first set and held a late 18-14 advantage before Tyus and Wetton rallied in extra points—23-21—to go up in the match. The UO team went on to complete the sweep and push the dual lead to 2-1.

Natasha George and Ashley Schroeder won for the fourth time in six matches at the No. 3 spot to clinch the victory for the Ducks. The pair took down Jessica McMillian and Ally Schmidt in straight sets (21-19, 21-16) to record their ninth win of the season together, the second-highest total on the team.

Corban (14-3) tallied its second point of the match with a 21-12, 21-14 sweep at No. 5 pairs.

In the second wave of matches—playing at the same time as No. 1—the Ducks' Presley McCaskill and Valerie Peterson fought their way to a 21-18, 28-26 victory on the exhibition court, saving several set points in the second.

1: Ella Tyus/Bea Wetton (ORE) def. Megan Dennis/Avari Ridgway (COR) – 23-21, 21-15
2: Zoe Almanza/Chloe Brown (ORE) def. Cameron Keeling/Kianna Keeling (COR) – 21-13, 21-19
3: Natasha George/Ashley Schroeder (ORE) def. Jessica McMillian/Ally Schmidt (COR) – 21-19, 21-16
4: Maya Blake/Kealani Ontai (COR) def. Abby Plevin/Batia Rotshtein (ORE) – 21-18, 18-21, 15-9
5: Jolinn Daviscourt/Kalisi Latu (COR) def. Kendall Clark/Lolo Folau (ORE) – 21-12, 21-14
6: Presley McCaskill/Valerie Peterson (ORE) def. Tyra Ching/Emmi Marks (COR) – 21-18, 28-26*
Order of finish: 2, 4, 1, 6*, 3, 5
* exhibition match

The Ducks have an off weekend before returning to the road for the Boise Classic (March 31-April 1) in Idaho. Oregon is set to face Arizona Christian, Pac-12 foe Utah and host Boise State during the two-day competition. Click HERE for the full 2023 schedule

For more news and information about Oregon beach volleyball, follow @OregonBeachVB on Instagram and @OregonVB on Twitter.