Top-20 Road Win Over No. 15 Minnesota

Saturday, September 26

Minneapolis, MN

4:00 PM

University of Oregon

10-2,1-1Big Ten

Minnesota

6-4,0-2Big Ten

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
Oregon	25	25	23	27	3
Minnesota	20	20	25	25	1

Team celebration, huddle at Minnesota (Sept. 26, 2026)

09/26/26 | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

Oregon improves to 10-2 overall with Saturday’s four-set win in Minneapolis.

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — The No. 20 Oregon volleyball team picked up a top-20 road victory Saturday with a four-set win (25-20, 25-20, 23-25, 27-25) over No. 15 Minnesota. Alanah Clemente and Sjakkie Donkers each had a match-high 19 kills and the Ducks tied a season high with 11 blocks including the final stuff on the team's fifth match point.

Oregon improves to 10-2 overall with a 1-1 mark in conference play. The Ducks are back at Matthew Knight Arena for their Big Ten home opener next Friday, Oct. 2, against No. 10 Purdue. Tickets for all Oregon home matches are currently on sale.

Saturday's result was the Ducks' third straight over Minnesota.

Donkers and Clemente added 15 and 11 digs, respectively, to complete double-double performances against the Golden Gophers. Fifth-year setter Marina Crownover directed the Ducks to a .291 hitting percentage and finished with 41 assists, eight digs, four kills and three blocks. Donkers had just one attack error in 37 swings, good for a .486 efficiency.

Defensively, Iva Sucurovic led the team with seven total blocks followed by five from Clemente. Dalia Virlan filled her stat line with seven kills (.412), three blocks and three service aces. Behind the block, libero Reese Sheppard tied a career high with 20 digs while fellow sophomore Maila Ribeiro reached double figures for a second time this season with 11 digs.

How It Happened: With the score tied at 15-all in the first set, Clemente found the floor with her 500^th career kill to give her team the lead. The Ducks maintained the advantage for the remainder of the set. Donkers and Clemente secured the 1-0 match lead with back-to-back kills to end the opening frame.

A five-point surge by the Ducks turned a 12-all game in the second into a 17-12 lead, a run capped by a Donkers' kill. Oregon kept a lead of at least three points the rest of the way and on its second set point, Clemente took care of an overpass dig for the 2-0 lead going into the break.

Minnesota (6-4, 0-2) extended the match with a win in set three. The score was tied at 23-23 when the home team rattled off the next two points, getting on the match scoreboard with an ace. The third set was tied 11 times including three times after both teams reached 20.

Virlan served up her third ace for a 6-5 lead in the fourth which ended up being the last lead change in a long final frame. Donkers had eight of her 19 kills in the fourth set including a backrow tally for the 15-8 lead at the media break. The Gophers pulled to within two—UO leading 18-16—with consecutive kills by Mckenna Wucherer.

Crownover and Virlan combined for a block that gave the Ducks a handful of match points at 24-21 but Minnesota answered with three in a row featuring a pair of blocks by Jordan Taylor. The teams traded the next two points, first a kill by Valentina Vaulet followed by another Wucherer kill to fight off a fourth match point.

The Ducks' fifth and final match point came on a Minnesota attack error; the home team challenged the no-touch call but the original play stood for a 26-25 Oregon lead. After an extended rally on the ensuing point, Clemente and Virlan teamed up for the match-winning block.

Kelly Kinney and Wucherer led Minnesota with 16 and 15 kills, respectively, while Taylor led all players with 10 blocks.

Notable: Improves to 3-0 against Minnesota as Big Ten foes … ties the all-time series with Minnesota at 7-7 … fourth ranked win under head coach Trent Kersten … with her fifth kill, Clemente reached 500 for her career.

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