Road Trip to Start Big Ten Play

EUGENE, Ore. — The No. 20 Oregon volleyball team takes its 9-1 record into Big Ten play which begins Thursday at sixth-ranked Wisconsin. The Ducks' conference opener is set for 5 p.m. PT at the UW Field House in Madison. The weekend of top-20 match ups continues on to No. 15 Minnesota on Saturday in Minneapolis.

Both matches will be streamed on B1G+.

Series History vs Wisconsin
Thursday's conference opener will be just the sixth meeting in the brief history between Oregon and Wisconsin. Three of the previous five have been played in Madison including two NCAA Tournament matches (2015, '23). Wisconsin leads 4-1 in the all-time series. The teams first met in 1984, a neutral-site victory for the Ducks in Austin, Texas.

Series History vs Minnesota
Saturday will be the 14^th meeting between the two programs. Minnesota leads 7-6 but Oregon has won the last two with its sweep in Minneapolis in 2024 and a four-set victory for Eugene last season. Eight of the past 10 matches have been extended to at least four sets including four five setters. The teams have split the previous four meetings in Minneapolis.

Killing It
Oregon enters Big Ten play ranked second in the league and 14^th in the NCAA with 14.29 kills per set. The Ducks put down at least 15 kills in 20 of 35 sets played during their non-conference schedule. Five Oregon players have 60 or more kills so far this season including a team-high 127 kills from Valentina Vaulet.

Starts With a Serve
The Ducks tied a season high with 11 service aces in their Sept. 20 sweep of Oregon State. Junior Sjakkie Donkers led the way with a career-high six service aces while Dalia Virlan tied her career high with two. Valentina Vaulet leads the team and is tied for sixth in the Big Ten with 18 aces heading into conference play. Vaulet, Marina Crownover and Reese Sheppard each had one ace against Oregon State.

Double Digits for Iva
Junior middle blocker Iva Sucurovic tallied a season-high 10 kills while hitting .750 (10-1-12) in a straight-set win over Oregon State. She finished just one off her career high of 11 kills set last season against the Badgers. Sucurovic had at least six kills in eight of 10 matches during non-conference play, and is hitting .316 entering Big Ten play.

Last Time Out
Oregon closed out its non-conference slate with a sweep of in-state rival Oregon State (Sept. 20). The Ducks hit .370 in the straight-set victory and tied a season high with 11 service aces in victory. The win was also the 12th consecutive in the series and the 35^th in the past 39 meetings against Oregon State.

Up Next
The Ducks' Big Ten home opener is Friday, Oct. 2, against Purdue—Green Out at MKA—followed by an Oct. 4 match up with Illinois. Single-match and season tickets for all UO home matches are currently on sale.

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