The frustration was mounting for No. 12 Oregon. Between a first-set loss and seemingly every review going Colorado State’s way, the Ducks appeared to be headed toward their second loss in three matches.

That frustration immediately turned into grit when the Ducks’ middle blocker Colby Neal had a monstrous block in the back half of the second set. Oregon took the set and never looked back.

The Ducks (2-1) started their season with a loss against No. 4 Pittsburgh at home last weekend. They followed it up with a sweep versus Long Beach State, something they looked to build on in Fort Collins, Colorado.

But the Rams (0-3) had all the confidence in the first set. They began the match with two straight points, including a service ace by Delaney McIntosh. 

Oregon responded with a 3-0 scoring run, but Colorado State had an answer for everything the Ducks sent its way. A critical challenge also flipped the score to 19-13 in the Rams favor en route to their 25-20 first-set victory.

Set two was much closer with Oregon starting on the front foot. The front row kept the Ducks in the match but the two sides still traded the first nine points. 

Colorado State took its first lead at 5-4 off an attack error by Sophie Gregoire to seize back some of the momentum.

Then came the block by Neal to take control of the set 19-17.

Neal tallied three blocks to go along with her four kills. Mimi Colyer finished the match with a team-high of 19 kills, while Gregoire and Noemie Glover each contributed 11 kills.

Set three was just as back and forth as the second one. A series of kills by the Ducks forced a pair of Rams timeouts but the latter wasn’t able to rally back.

It took Oregon a few minutes to settle into the fourth. After early attack errors, the Ducks got into a groove that they rode to finish the match.

Colorado State stayed in the game until the very last rally. It came within one with Oregon leading 24-23. Ultimately, Glover had the final kill to seal the Ducks’ victory in four sets.

Malaya Jones led the Rams with 20 kills and 11 digs. Oregon finished with the higher hitting percentage of the two squads, while Colorado State also had 15 service errors to the Ducks’ 12.

Oregon continues its journey in the Ram Volleyball Classic in Fort Collins. It’s set to face Grand Canyon University at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday before finishing the trip against Central Arkansas on Sunday.