Four-Set Win Completes 2-0 Home Weekend

Sunday, October 4

Eugene, OR

1:00 PM

University of Oregon

12-2,3-1Big Ten

Illinois

11-4,3-1Big Ten

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
Illinois	29	25	20	22	1
Oregon	31	15	25	25	3

Team winning celebration vs Illinois (Oct. 4, 2026)

Photo by: GoDucks.com

10/04/26 | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

No. 17 Oregon (12-2, 3-1 B1G) beat Illinois Sunday afternoon at Matthew Knight Arena.

EUGENE, Ore. — The No. 17 Oregon volleyball team handed Illinois its first conference loss of the season with Sunday's four-set victory (31-29, 15-25, 25-20, 25-22) at Matthew Knight Arena. Sophomore Alanah Clemente led all players with 16 kills while libero Reese Sheppard picked up a career-high 27 digs to help lead the Ducks to their third-consecutive win.

Oregon moves to 12-2 overall with a 3-1 record in league play through the first two weekends of the Big Ten slate. The Fighting Illini came into Sunday's match on a seven-match win streak including three in a row over ranked teams.

Clemente hit .406 to go along with those 16 kills and added six digs and a pair of blocks. Sjakkie Donkers and Valentina Vaulet each had 14 kills with Donkers posting a fourth double-double in a row; she had 12 digs in the match. Fifth-year setter Marina Crownover tallied a season-high 51 assists and 14 digs for her team-leading sixth double-double.

Sheppard replaced her previous career high of 20, a figure she tied last weekend in the Ducks' road win at Minnesota (Sept. 26). She also had two assists and served up her 10^th ace of the year. Sheppard takes over the Ducks' high for the season, eclipsing the 26 digs from Crownover against Washington State last month.

Freshman middle Alaina Pollard made her official MKA debut in Sunday's wins and came away with five kills on eight swings. Iva Sucurovic tied her season high with seven blocks coupled with eight kills.

How It Happened: The end of the extended first set featured nine total set points, eight of those for the Ducks. Oregon led 24-21 before Illinois (11-4, 3-1) rattled off the next four points to arrive at its own set point but Clemente kept the opener going with a kill out of the back row. An Illini service error gave the home team its eighth set point at 30-29 and Clemente teamed up with Sucurovic for a block and the 1-0 match lead.

The 31-29 set score was tied for Oregon's longest set of the season, mirroring the fourth frame against Washington State in early September.

With the score tied 3-all in the second set, the visitors put together a decisive eight-point run and kept the Ducks at arm's length for the remainder of the frame. Illinois closed out the set win with a kill from Alyssa Aguayo and pulled even on the match scoreboard.

Aguayo led the Fighting Illini with 12 kills followed by Taylor de Boer and Ashlyn Philpot with 11 and 10 kills, respectively.

Oregon never trailed in the third set and led 7-3 after a kill by Vaulet and an ace by Clemente. Later in the set, Clemente and Vaulet posted back-to-back kills for a 21-16 lead to force Illinois into a timeout. The team arrived at set point with another Vaulet kill and two rallies later, Donkers pushed the Ducks back into the lead—up 2-1—with a thump down the line.

The Ducks hit .486 in the third set with 18 kills and just one attack error on 35 swings. Vaulet had eight of her 14 kills in the third, as well.

Neither team led by more than two points early in the fourth until Oregon went on a 6-0 run, capping the surge with a kill by Sucurovic and an Illinois timeout. The Fighting Illini answered out of the huddle and pulled to within two a couple of times but at 18-16, Vaulet and Donkers had consecutive kills to re-establish some cushion on the scoreboard.

Clemente had the Ducks' last three kills including the match-winning tally on their third match point.

Up Next: The Ducks hit the road next weekend to take on Michigan State and Michigan on back-to-back nights. Oregon's next home match is Oct. 16 when the team hosts No. 15 Indiana.

Single-match and season tickets for all Oregon home matches are currently on sale.

For more news and information about Oregon Volleyball, follow @OregonVB on Instagram and Twitter, and @OregonVolleyball on Facebook.