MATCH STATS
- #16 Oregon def. Arizona State 3-0 (25-20, 25-21, 25-14)
- #16 Oregon improves to 13-5 (6-4, Pac-12); Arizona State falls to 10-12 (0-10, Pac-12)
- Eugene, Oregon (Pac-12 Match)
- Attendance: 1,414
- Box Score
Eugene, Oregon – #16 Oregon completed a perfect week of play against the Arizona schools with a sweep of Arizona State to improve to 6-4 in conference play as they kept the Sun Devils winless in Pac-12 action.
It was an all-around match for the Ducks as they out-blocked the Sun Devils 11-4 and also out-hit Arizona State .323 to .165. Beyond that, Oregon had more aces (7-3) on less serve errors (5-7) while Arizona State had more digs (42-38).
The Ducks were led by Jolie Rasmussen (10 kills, .360, eight digs, two aces, two digs) and Sumeet Gill (nine kills, .643, six blocks) as five different players had six or more kills, while all hit .333 or better.
In the losing effort, Oluoma Okaro posted big numbers again with 14 kills and eight digs while Ivana Jeremic had 11 kills and four digs.
The match largely had Oregon in front as just nine ties and three lead changes occurred in total over the course of three sets. The majority actually came in the third set, although Oregon used a 21-9 run to finish off Arizona State for the sweep.
The week is now over for both of these schools, as Oregon will take on Utah and Colorado next week in Eugene. Arizona State will also be home next week to match up with Stanford and California.
PRESS RELEASES:
EUGENE, Ore. – The 15th-ranked Oregon volleyball team won its third straight match and second in as many nights on Saturday with a straight-set sweep of Arizona State, 25-20, 25-21, 25-14, in front of 1,414 fans in Matthew Knight Arena.
After going to five sets in each of their last three matches, the Ducks (13-5, 6-4 Pac-12) used a balanced offensive attack and hit .323 as a team to sweep Arizona State (10-12, 0-10 Pac-12). Oregon picks up its eighth sweep of the season and improves to 10-1 at home this season.
How it Happened: The Ducks and Sun Devils played to 12-12 tie to open the match before Oregon scored three out of four to move ahead. The Ducks led 18-17 when Willow Johnson sparked a 3-0 run with a kill, and the sophomore lefty put down another kill with Oregon up 22-19 as the Ducks scored three of the final four points of the set to take a 1-0 lead.
Oregon came out on fire to start the second frame, taking a 9-1 lead with nine straight points that included six kills and two Jolie Rasmussen aces. The Ducks extended their lead to 16-6 before ASU found its footing, going on an 11-3 run to cut the Oregon lead to two, 19-17. The Ducks responded with a 4-1 run to earn set point, but ASU stayed alive with three straight points before a Sumeet Gill kill sent the Ducks into the locker room with a two-set lead.
The Ducks led by three in the third when a Johnson kill followed by two kills from Gill gave Oregon a 15-9 lead. Leading 16-11, UO used four kills and two Alex Hojnar aces to mount a 7-1 run and take a commanding 23-12 lead before kills by Ronika Stone and Rasmussen secured the sweep. Oregon hit .483 in the final frame to run away with it, and Gill was perfect in the set with five kills on five swings.
Five players finished with 6+ kills as the Ducks hit .323 to sweep ASU. Check out some of the top highlights here #GoDucks
Who Stood Out: In her second match since returning from a concussion, Rasmussen hit .360 with a team-best 10 kills while adding eight digs and two aces. Gill tied her career-high with nine kills while hitting an astounding .643 and adding six blocks, and Johnson finished with eight blocks (.375) and five blocks. Stone hit .625 with six kills and five blocks, Taylor Agost had six kills and Alex Hojnar paced the Ducks with 10 digs.
What it Means: Playing two teams near the bottom of the Pac-12 standings, the Ducks protected their home court and a top 10 NCAA RPI ranking with back-to-back wins as they finish the first half of Pac-12 play with three straight victories. Oregon will now look to finish its four-match homestand strong next week as Utah and Colorado come to Eugene for matches on Wednesday and Friday, respectively.
Quotable: Matt Ulmer, Head Coach
On the match…
“I thought we played more of a complete game. I liked our energy throughout, they tested us a few times and I thought we responded really well. They’re a very aggressive team, they swing hard and high and they serve tough. Jolie means a lot to us and tonight you could see what she is capable of, and where we could go with her.”
On how the team is playing together…
“It’s not so much about the wins and losses, it’s about how we’re playing. I thought we played one of our cleanest games in a very long time from start to finish. That was exciting. I liked our responses, I liked our attitudes, I liked our energy, I liked our execution, I liked our balance. That’s what can make us so dangerous, when we can have everyone firing.”
Willow Johnson, Sophomore Right Side Hitter
On tonight’s win…
“I think we played well. I think that any game in the Pac-12 anyone can win, so we always have to play our best. I think that Sumeet has been playing really well and I think that’s opening up other players. I’ve been having one-on-one or middles late on me so it’s nice for me and other people.”
Notable: Oregon improves to 13-1 this season when leading in attack percentage, 12-0 when its opponent hits worse than .200 (.165) and 10-0 when winning the first two sets … Stone finished the weekend with 15 blocks, 10 against Arizona and five against ASU … The Ducks have now won the last five meetings against the Sun Devils.
Up Next: Oregon will stay home for two more matches next week in MKA, beginning Wednesday against No. 12 Utah at 7 p.m. PT (Pac-12 Networks). The Ducks will wrap their four-match homestand on Friday against Colorado at 7 p.m.
EUGENE, Ore. — The Arizona State volleyball team (10-12, 0-2 Pac-12) fell in three sets to No. 15 Oregon (13-5, 6-4 Pac-12), 20-25, 21-25, 14-25, on Friday at Matthew Knight Arena.
“In order to compete at a high level in the Pac-12 Conference it requires a program to meet a certain standard,” noted Sun Devil assistant coach Carlos Moreno. “Tonight, despite having a few good moments, we unfortunately were unable to play up to par with the standard. Consistency and being able to maintain a high level play throughout a match is going to be a focus of ours moving forward.”
Sun Devil senior Oluoma Okaro paced the Maroon and Gold with 14 kills, while Sophomore Ivana Jeremic added 11. Okaro, who also posted eight digs in the effort, has recorded double-digit kills tallies in 20 of the Sun Devils’ 22 matches on the season.
Senior libero Halle Harker buoyed the Arizona State defensive effort with 19 digs to her credit, moving her career total to 1.832. The mark, which accounts for the third-best in program history only behind Sydney Donahue (2007-07, 2385) and Stephanie Preach (2010-13, 2010), remains the 12th-best in the NCAA among active players.
Making her third consecutive start at the setter position, Nicole Peterson logged 32 assists, while adding six digs.
Up next, the Sun Devils return to Tempe to play host to the Bay Area schools. The Maroon and Gold will welcome No. 2 Stanford on Friday, Oct. 27 (8 p.m. PT) and California on Sunday, Oct. 29 (11 a.m. PT). Both matches are slated to be televised via the Pac-12 Network.
Match Notes
Kills: Okaro (14), Jeremic (11)
Assists: Peterson (32)
Digs: Harker (19), Okaro (8)
ASU Career Dig Leaders
1. Sydney Donahue, 2004-07 – 2385*
2. Stephanie Preach, 2010-13 – 2010
3. Halle Harker, 2014-present – 1832
4. Christy Nore, 1985-88 – 1597
5. Jami Coughlin, 1998-2001 – 1528
*Pac-10/12 Record
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