Donkers Shines in Four-Set Win Over San Diego

Sunday, September 13

Tempe, AZ

2:00 PM

University of Oregon

7-1,0-0Big Ten

San Diego

3-5,0-0WCC

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
San Diego	25	19	25	17	1
Oregon	16	25	27	25	3

Sjakkie Donkers cele vs UC Davis (Sept. 12, 2026)

09/13/26 | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

Oregon improves to 7-1 through the first three weeks of the season.

TEMPE, Ariz. — The No. 24 Oregon volleyball team dropped the opening set Sunday but recovered to beat San Diego in four sets (16-25, 25-19, 27-25, 25-17) in the final match of the Snyder-Park Classic in Tempe, Ariz. Junior Sjakkie Donkers led all players with 17 kills including the match-winning put away.

The Ducks improve to 7-1 ahead of this week's home matches against Portland State on Thursday and Oregon State on Sunday. Single-match and season tickets for UO home matches are currently on sale.

Donkers entered the match to start the second and hit .441 against the Toreros. Valentina Vaulet put down 12 kills and had 14 digs to complete her second double-double of the year, and also had three service aces. Iva Sucurovic tied her season high with eight kills followed by Alanah Clemente who had seven after coming off the bench to start the second.

Both Sucurovic and Clemente had five blocks in the victory.

Sophomore Reese Sheppard and Maila Ribeiro picked up 17 and 14 digs, respectively, while Sheppard also tied her career high with six assists. Fifth-year setter Marina Crownover continued her strong play with 40 assists, eight digs, two kills, one ace and a solo block.

How It Happened: Oregon opened the scoring with a kill by Dalia Virlan but San Diego (3-5) won 13 of the next 15 points. The Ducks steadied and began to chip away, pulling to within four points—USD up, 16-12—but the Toreros answered with seven of the next eight to pull away. The Ducks saved a pair of set point but Meghan Scholz had a kill to get her team the early 1-0 match lead.

San Diego led early in the second but a four-point surge gave Oregon a 15-12 advantage at the media timeout. Donkers had two kills while Crownover had a kill and a block during the push. Clemente and Virlan teamed up for a block followed by an ace from Vaulet for a 21-18 lead and a USD timeout. The Ducks went on to secure the frame after three kills from Donkers and an ace by Virlan on set point.

Donkers had eight kill on 12 errorless swings in the second set.

Oregon carried the momentum into the third, wining eight of the first 11 points. The Ducks stretched their lead to eight and held a 20-12 advantage before San Diego rattled off eight in a row to pull even. Oregon regained the lead with three in a row and had set points at 24-22 but once again, the Toreros rallied and had a set point of their own at 25-24.

The Ducks extended the third set with a Donkers-Virlan block, and then after a San Diego attack error, Clemente and Sucurovic teamed up for another block to end the set in favor of Oregon.

Needing just one set to win, the Ducks jumped out to a 6-2 advantage with the help of two Vaulet kills. Oregon pushed its lead to 16-8 after a four-point run that began with a Donkers' kill and solo block. San Diego got as close as four—UO leading, 20-16—but the Ducks ended the match on a 5-1 run. On match point, Donkers tapped down an overpass kill caused by a tough serve by Vaulet.

Like the second, Donkers did not commit an attack error in the fourth set. She posted five kills on eight swings in the decisive frame.

Notable: Oregon improves to 5-2 against San Diego; three meetings in the past four seasons … Donkers entered the match with a season high of five kills (Aug. 29 at Southeast Missouri) … Vaulet has 10+ kills in six of eight matches this season … Ribeiro had double-digit digs for the first time in her career … team hit .405 with 18 kills in the fourth set … Crownover had at least eight digs in six-consecutive matches.

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