MATCH STATS
- No. 8 Washington def. No. 16 Oregon 3-0 (25-22, 25-19, 26-24)
- Washington moves to 22-7, 12-6 Pac-12; Oregon falls to 16-10, 9-9 Pac-12
- Eugene, Oregon
- Attendance: 2,266
- Box Score
EUGENE, Ore. – No. 16 Oregon has dropped three matches in a row for the first time in 2017 as No. 8 Washington dispatched the Ducks via sweep Sunday.
The Huskies, led by sophomore outside hitter Kara Bajema‘s 14 kills, outdid Oregon in kills (46-35), hitting efficiency (.211 to .185) and aces (8-4). The Ducks won the block 8-6.
Bajema hit at a .357 clip and added an ace and two blocks for UW. Senior outside Courtney Schwan followed with nine kills, eight digs and team-best three aces. Three other players – sophomore middle blocker Avie Niece, senior outside Crissy Jones and senior outside Carly DeHoog – put down six kills apiece. Niece put up a team-high four stuffs, while senior libero Tia Scambray pulled up 16 digs to pace the Washington backcourt.
Senior right side hitter Taylor Agost carried the Ducks with 11 kills, 11 digs, three blocks and two aces. Junior outside Lindsey Vander Weide (7), sophomore middle Ronika Stone (7) and sophomore outside Jolie Rasmussen (6) followed offensively. Stone notched four of the team’s eight blocks, while Rasmussen was tops in the backcourt with 12 digs. Senior libero Alex Hojnar added 10 saves.
Oregon led by as many as five in Set 1, last at 17-12, but couldn’t hold on for the victory. The Ducks used four Agost kills, three blocks and six UW errors to build the advantage. Washington turned things around with a 7-1 run, including kills by three different players and an ace by Shayne McPherson, to go up 19-18. A kill and a block by Rasmussen put the Ducks back on top 20-19. A pair of Agost putaways gave Oregon a 22-21 edge, but Washington stole away the set with four straight points. A Schwan ace and a kill and a block by Avie set up the final kill by Bajema.
The Huskies carried the momentum into Set 2, racing ahead 7-3. Three Bajema kills and a Scambray ace aided the early run. Oregon was within three at 10-7, but UW answered with five straight points, including two Schwan kills. Oregon managed to pull within four at 16-12, but would get no closer. A 5-1 run, featuring four DeHoog putaways, lifted UW to an eight-point edge at 21-13, and a Jones kill later made it 24-16. Kills by Rasmussen and Agost kept the set going, before Lauren Sanders ended it at 25-19.
Oregon reorganized at the intermission and scored eight of the first 12 points of Set 3. The teams went on to take a 13-8 lead with help from four UW errors and kills by four different players. Down 18-13, Washington mounted a comeback with six of the next seven points to knot the score at 19. A Bajema ace and three Duck miscues brought the set to a tie. Oregon countered with a 3-1 run to vault ahead 22-20. Schwan notched a kill and an ace to grab a 23-22 edge, but a Vander Weide putaway and an Agost ace gave the Ducks the first set-point try at 24-23. A service error, a Scambray ace and a final stuff by Bajema and Lauren Sanders clinched the sweep at 26-24.
THE BIG BLOCK TO END IT!! Dawgs take the final three points to knock off No. 20 Oregon in Eugene! #PointHuskies #MatchHuskies pic.twitter.com/6EnyeiZ2Mf
— UW Volleyball (@UWVolleyball) November 19, 2017
PRESS RELEASES
Courtesy: Oregon Athletics
The 20th-ranked Oregon volleyball team dropped its third match in a row on Sunday afternoon, falling to No. 10 Washington in straight sets, 25-22, 25-19, 26-24, in front of 2,266 fans in Matthew Knight Arena.
How it Happened: Oregon (16-10, 9-9 Pac-12) started the match well, jumping out to an 8-4 lead in the first before playing to a 12-7 advantage. The Huskies then started to find their groove, ripping off a 7-1 run to move ahead, 19-18. Oregon fought back into the lead, 22-21, but Washington scored the final four points of the frame to take the opening set. Taylor Agost was the focal point of the UO offense with six first-set kills on 10 swings.
Washington (22-7, 12-6 Pac-12) carried its momentum from the end of the first set into the second, mounting a pair of 5-0 runs to take control, 15-7. Oregon scored four straight to cut the lead to four, 16-12, but UW answered with a 5-1 run to take back the momentum before holding off a late Duck rally to take a 2-0 lead into intermission.
The third set played out similar to the first, with the Ducks taking an initial 8-4 lead before the Huskies rallied back to pull even, 19-19. UW scored three straight to take a one-point lead after the Ducks moved ahead 22-20, and the Ducks responded with a kill by Lindsey Vander Weideand an ace by Agost to earn set point, 24-22. Oregon was unable to close out the set and force a fourth, though, as UW scored the final three points of the frame to seal the sweep.
Who Stood Out: Agost finished with a team-high 11 kills and added 11 digs for a double-double. Vander Weide and Ronika Stone each put down seven kills, and Jolie Rasmussen had six with a team-high 12 digs. Senior Maggie Scott led UO with 17 assists while digging nine balls. Washington finished the match out-hitting the Ducks, .211 to .185.
What it Means: Now 9-9 in Pac-12 play with two matches left in the regular season, the Ducks will look to finish strong over the final week to try to end at or above .500 in conference play and build some momentum entering the postseason.
Quotable: Matt Ulmer, Head Coach
Thoughts on the match…
“I thought we did what we needed to do to put ourselves in a position to be successful, so it’s always frustrating when you get there and you don’t make plays down the stretch. I thought we were much tougher today, I thought our defense was miles better than it has been in a really long time, so I was really proud of the way we fought on defense.”
On the current mindset of the team…
“I thought this was maybe the best attitude we have had playing in a long time, maybe since Utah. I like that part about it, I thought we were really in it.
Notable: Oregon out-blocked Washington, the best blocking team in the Pac-12, 8-6 … Agost’s double-double was her second in as many matches and fifth of the season … Oregon has lost three straight matches for the first time this season … Washington now leads the all-time series 65-23 … The Ducks fall to 11-4 at home this season.
Up Next: Oregon will host No. 14 USC in MKA on Wednesday at 2 p.m. PT (Pac-12 Network) before going to Corvallis on Friday to wrap up the regular season against Oregon State at 7 p.m. Wednesday’s home finale will also be Oregon’s senior day.
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