Press Release courtesy of Utah Athletics.
Match 14: #15 Utah vs. #12 Oregon
Friday, Sept. 29 | 6 p.m. MT
Salt Lake City, Utah | Huntsman Center
TV: Pac-12 Network (Thad Anderson, Amy Gant)
Stream: Pac-12 NOW
Live Stats: SideArm Stats
Match 15: #15 Utah vs. Oregon State
Friday, Sept. 15| 8 p.m. MT
Salt Lake City, Utah | Huntsman Center
TV: Pac-12 Network (Thad Anderson)
Stream: Pac-12 NOW
Live Stats: SideArm Stats
FIVE THINGS TO KNOW
• Utah opened Pac-12 Conference play with a pair of wins this past weekend. It is the second straight season the Utes have begun conference play with a 2-0 mark.
• Utah moved up to No. 15 in this week’s AVCA Top-25 Coaches Poll. It is Utah’s highest ranking since coming in at No. 15 in the final poll of the 2006 season (Dec. 20).
• The Utes tallied its second-highest hitting percentage of the season, hitting at a clip of .407 in a win over California this past Sunday. Utah’s season hitting percentage of .299 ranks second in the Pac-12 and No. 6 in the nation.
• Utah now has four players with 100+ kills on the season. Senior Adora Anae leads the way with 188 kills and she is followed by junior Carly Trueman (109), junior Berkeley Oblad (108) and freshman Dani Barton (103).
• Senior Adora Anae is five kills away from overtaking the No. 2 spot in career kills She heads into the week with 1,561 kills, four shy from tying Brenda Barton-Whicker’s (1994-96) total of 1,565 kills.
FIRST SERVE
The No. 15-ranked Utah Utes (11-2, 2-0) continue Pac-12 Conference play this week with a couple of home matches, hosting No. 12-ranked Oregon (8-2, 1-1) this Friday, Sept. 29, at 6 p.m. and then taking on Oregon State (10-4, 0-2) the following Saturday, Sept. 30, at 8 p.m. Both matches will be played inside the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
Oregon Ducks
Oregon moved to 8-2 on the season and 1-1 in Pac-12 play after splitting its pair of matches last week. Oregon opened its conference schedule at home against in-state foe, Oregon State, and picked up its first conference win in sweeping fashion. The Ducks went on the road to face then No. 11-ranked UCLA and fell in four sets, 3-1. Junior Lindsey Vander Weide leads the Duck offense with 3.49 k/s, while senior Maggie Scott hands out 6.69 a/s and junior August Raskie totals 5.20 a/s. Vander Weide also adds in 3.09 dig/s defensively for Oregon, while junior Sumeet Gill and sophomore Ronika Stone control the net with 1.29 blk/s and 1.23 blk/s, respectively.
Oregon State Beavers
Oregon State began the conference slate on the road, facing both Oregon and USC. The Beavers dropped both matches to begin Pac-12 play and moved to 10-4 overall on the season. Oregon State fell in straight sets by then No. 8-ranked Oregon, and later in the week fell to No. 21 USC in four sets. Senior Mary-Kate Marshall registers 4.65 k/s and freshman Kylee McLaughlin dishes out 10.54 a/s for the Beaver offense. Defensively, junior Kayla Ellis chips in 3.52 dig/s for Oregon State and junior Maddy Gravley totals 1.25 blk/s.
SERIES HISTORY
Oregon leads the all-time series with a 12-8 mark against the Utes, which includes a 7-4 record since Utah joined the Pac-12 Conference. Utah split the season series last year, falling in five sets to the Ducks at home, but then registering a four-set win at Matthew Knight Arena. Utah and Oregon have swapped wins with each other dating back to 2014. Utah is 3-2 against the Ducks during that span. The Utes are 4-6 when facing the Ducks in Salt Lake City.
Oregon State leads the all-time series 10-8, but the Utes have won three straight and six of the past eight matches dating back to the 2012 campaign. Utah is 6-5 against the Beavers since joining the Pac-12. Utah swept the season series between the two teams a year ago. Utah, who is 4-6 all-time when facing the Beavers at home, are on a current four-match winning streak when playing OSU in Salt Lake City. Utah’s last defeat at home to the Beavers came back on Sept. 23, 2011.
COVERING THE UTES
Both contests this weekend will be televised live on the Pac-12 Networks with Thad Anderson calling play-by-play and Amy Gant providing color commentary. Fans can also follow the action on-line by logging onto Pac-12.com/live or watching via smart phones and tablets using the Pac-12 Now App, which can be downloaded at the Apple Store, Google Play Store or Amazon Apps Store.
Live stats will be provided for both contests this weekend, with links to these matches found at www.UtahUtes.com.
LAST TIME OUT
Utah opened Pac-12 play with a pair of wins at the Huntsman Center this past weekend, downing No. 25 Colorado in four sets (25-14,16-25,25-20,25-17) and then earning a three-set sweep over California (25-19, 25-21, 25-12).
The Utes stormed out to a 1-0 lead against the Buffs, but CU evened the match winning the second set. Utah countered with wins in sets three and four to take the match. Utah hit just .218 on the night, but limited CU to just a .144 hitting percentage. Senior Adora Anae notched her second 20+ kill effort of the season and added a double-double stat line with 21 kills and 13 digs. Sophomore Bailey Choy added a double-double of her own, collecting 40 assists and 13 digs.
Utah registered its third straight sweep over California, downing the Golden Bears in straight sets on Sunday. The Utes tallied its second-highest hitting percentage of the season with a .407 effort. Junior Berkeley Oblad led the charge notching a .625 hitting percentage and Anae chipped in with a .545 hitting effort. Oblad also posted a season-high three service errors in the match.
UP NEXT
Utah remains at home next week, closing out a span of five out of six matches played at the Huntsman Center. Utah opens a two-day affair against both Oregon schools next Friday, Sept. 29, against the No. 8-ranked Ducks (7-1, 0-0) at 6 p.m. The Utes then face the Oregon State Beavers on Saturday, Sept. 30, with a first serve set for 8 p.m.
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