Sunday, September 20
Eugene, OR
1:00 PM
University of Oregon
9-1,0-0Big Ten
3
vs
0
Oregon State
5-6,0-0Pac-12
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oregon St. | 10 | 17 | 15 | 0 |
| Oregon | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
Photo by: Rob Moseley/GoDucks.com
Rivalry Sweep Caps Nonconference Slate For Ducks
09/20/26 | Women's Volleyball
Oregon volleyball opens Big Ten play Thursday after sweeping Oregon State at home Sunday.
EUGENE, Ore. — Bring on Big Ten play for Oregon volleyball. At least based on Sunday, the Ducks are quite ready.
Playing without standout sophomore Alanah Clemente, the Ducks didn't blink in a rivalry matchup at Matthew Knight Arena, sweeping Oregon State before 2,869 fans. Valentina Vaulet and Iva Sucurovic had 10 kills each to lead the UO women in a 25-10, 25-17, 25-15 victory.
The Ducks improved to 9-1 on the season, and did so in their final tune-up before opening the conference slate Thursday at Wisconsin.
"I feel like we've been waiting for us to have a performance like we did today, and thought our team was ready to rip the hinges off the doors; you saw that in set one," UO coach Trent Kersten said. "Obviously not perfect… but it feels really good to get that one, after maybe not our best performance against Portland State earlier this week."
Clemente was sidelined after an injury in practice Saturday, Kersten said. Marlee Arrington filled the void, putting together her most prolific performance since joining the Ducks as a sophomore transfer in 2025. She finished Sunday with seven kills and added two block assists.
"I think a lot of people have been ready for Marlee to come in and have a performance like she did tonight," Kersten said. "She's been working really hard as far as how physically ready she was to start this year; maybe her and Val were the most. She put in a lot of work this offseason, and it was really nice to see her come out and have a performance like she did tonight."
Sjakkie Donkers added nine kills for the Ducks with six aces and seven digs, and Marina Crownover added 29 assists with 10 digs. Vaulet added eight digs and three blocks, on an afternoon that began with her being honored before the match for reaching 1,000 career kills earlier this month.
How It Happened: The Ducks showed they were ready to "rip the hinges off the doors," as Kersten put it, right from the start. Dalia Virlan had an ace as Oregon jumped out to a 4-1 lead in set one, and Donkers had two kills during a three-point run for a 7-2 lead. It was 8-3 when Donkers took over serve and didn't give it up until the UO lead was extended to 15-3, a run that included three straight aces. Donkers then had the kill to set up set point, as Oregon cruised to a win in the opening set.
The second set was a tougher battle. An ace by Vaulet made it 6-2, but Oregon State fought all the way back to take the lead at 14-13. Arrington then had a kill to spark a 4-0 run that put Oregon back in front, and the Ducks scored the last seven points in a row to go up two sets to none. The second set featured seven ties and two lead changes, to the delight of the rivalry series crowd.
"I think it just shows how important this game is, for everyone — not only for the Oregon fans, but also the Beavers," Vaulet said. "It just makes everything more fun to play, just to show everyone how we play in these competitions. I think it's great."
It was 4-3 in the third when the Ducks scored three in a row to open up the lead, with Vaulet recording a pair of kills. After Oregon State closed within 12-9, the UO women went on a 9-2 run to really take control, with Donkers recording another ace early in that sequence and then the kill that capped it for a 21-11 lead. Arrington then put an exclamation point on her breakout afternoon with the kill that clinched the win on match point.
Up Next: The Ducks play at Wisconsin on Thursday (5 p.m., B1G+).
Playing without standout sophomore Alanah Clemente, the Ducks didn't blink in a rivalry matchup at Matthew Knight Arena, sweeping Oregon State before 2,869 fans. Valentina Vaulet and Iva Sucurovic had 10 kills each to lead the UO women in a 25-10, 25-17, 25-15 victory.
The Ducks improved to 9-1 on the season, and did so in their final tune-up before opening the conference slate Thursday at Wisconsin.
"I feel like we've been waiting for us to have a performance like we did today, and thought our team was ready to rip the hinges off the doors; you saw that in set one," UO coach Trent Kersten said. "Obviously not perfect… but it feels really good to get that one, after maybe not our best performance against Portland State earlier this week."
Clemente was sidelined after an injury in practice Saturday, Kersten said. Marlee Arrington filled the void, putting together her most prolific performance since joining the Ducks as a sophomore transfer in 2025. She finished Sunday with seven kills and added two block assists.
"I think a lot of people have been ready for Marlee to come in and have a performance like she did tonight," Kersten said. "She's been working really hard as far as how physically ready she was to start this year; maybe her and Val were the most. She put in a lot of work this offseason, and it was really nice to see her come out and have a performance like she did tonight."
Sjakkie Donkers added nine kills for the Ducks with six aces and seven digs, and Marina Crownover added 29 assists with 10 digs. Vaulet added eight digs and three blocks, on an afternoon that began with her being honored before the match for reaching 1,000 career kills earlier this month.
How It Happened: The Ducks showed they were ready to "rip the hinges off the doors," as Kersten put it, right from the start. Dalia Virlan had an ace as Oregon jumped out to a 4-1 lead in set one, and Donkers had two kills during a three-point run for a 7-2 lead. It was 8-3 when Donkers took over serve and didn't give it up until the UO lead was extended to 15-3, a run that included three straight aces. Donkers then had the kill to set up set point, as Oregon cruised to a win in the opening set.
The second set was a tougher battle. An ace by Vaulet made it 6-2, but Oregon State fought all the way back to take the lead at 14-13. Arrington then had a kill to spark a 4-0 run that put Oregon back in front, and the Ducks scored the last seven points in a row to go up two sets to none. The second set featured seven ties and two lead changes, to the delight of the rivalry series crowd.
"I think it just shows how important this game is, for everyone — not only for the Oregon fans, but also the Beavers," Vaulet said. "It just makes everything more fun to play, just to show everyone how we play in these competitions. I think it's great."
It was 4-3 in the third when the Ducks scored three in a row to open up the lead, with Vaulet recording a pair of kills. After Oregon State closed within 12-9, the UO women went on a 9-2 run to really take control, with Donkers recording another ace early in that sequence and then the kill that capped it for a 21-11 lead. Arrington then put an exclamation point on her breakout afternoon with the kill that clinched the win on match point.
Up Next: The Ducks play at Wisconsin on Thursday (5 p.m., B1G+).
Players Mentioned
OPP
/ Women's Volleyball
OPP
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
OPP/OH
/ Women's VolleyballTeam Stats
OSU
Oregon
Kills
28
43
Errors
19
9
Attempts
98
92
Hitting %
.092
.370
Points
30.0
61.0
Assists
25
40
Aces
0
11
Blocks
2
7
Game Leaders
Kills
10
Aces
1
Blocks
3
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
9
Aces
6
Blocks
0
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
2
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