Volleyball is a weird sport. 

It’s a frustrating sport. It’s an intense sport. It’s a fun sport. It keeps fans on your toes and it’s hard to look away. Where the ball lands  on the court changes everything. The moment you think you have it all figured out, it changes. 

The No. 5 Oregon Ducks seemed to have figured out what works best for them and what makes them unstoppable. Having an .889 total winning percentage and only losing one conference game, in one of the toughest volleyball conferences in the nation, is an impressive thing. It’s also a sport fully built on momentum. Once a team finds a groove, it’s hard to stop it. 

Well, it all stopped on Sunday. 

“We are so good,” Mimi Colyer said. “We thought we had the will to win, but we didn’t make the adjustments we needed.”

No. 19 Arizona State (18-2, 6-2 Pac-12) swept the Ducks (16-3, 6-2 Pac-12) for the first time this season (27-25, 25-18, 25-19) for Oregon’s second loss at home, aplace where head coach Matt Ulmer’s squad was unstoppable a few weeks ago. 

“We should be more comfortable in our own gym,” Ulmer said. “We didn’t look that way.”

From the start, Arizona State kept the game close and eventually took the lead at 7-6. On the wrong side of three different 3-0 runs, Oregon was forced to continue playing from behind. The Ducks would occasionally score to break up the cycle, but wasn’t able to string consecutive points themselves. 

After the teams returned from the first timeout of the set, the Sun Devils used the holes in the Ducks’ defense to their advantage, extending their lead. 

But with good blocking angles and strong spins on kills, Oregon was able to bring itself within two points as the set was winding down.
“Attention to detail is really important,” Ulmer said. “Both on offense and defense.” 

After ASU attempted to get creative by punching the ball over the net, it gave Kate Thibault, the freshman in the top five in team service aces, another opportunity to serve and ended up tying the game.

Between seven total service errors between both teams in the first set and Oregon struggling to dig the ball in the first set, it became an exchange of points until the end with eight ties. 

The Sun Devils ended the first set with a 1-0 lead after one of their three service aces. The Ducks had zero. 
The only way Oregon was able to score in the beginning of the second set was Arizona State’s two service errors. But, Karson Bacon brought the Ducks within one herself with a kill and a solo block at 5-4. The following drive, an assisted block between Bacon and Morgan Lewis tied the game. 

Bacon was the point leader for the Ducks before the media timeout with seven out of Oregon’s 12. 

Even with a low hitting percentage, one that didn’t get out of the negatives until the halfway point, the Ducks stayed competitive. But killing the ball can only take you so far, especially when the team hitting percentage was held to .029 in the set.

The only scoring category that Oregon led in was service errors. Arizona State played well all around, forcing the Ducks to play from behind for consecutive sets, something they rarely have to do. 

“They’re really good at what they do, all the way around,” Colyer said.

A 25-18 win for the Sun Devils gave them a 2-0 lead. It was the first time all season Oregon has been in danger of getting swept. 

Needing to change the rhythm, Ulmer made some lineup changes. Colby Neal, Elise Ferreira and Noemie Glover all entered the game for the first time in the third set. 

The disruption gave the Ducks an advantage, leading the set for most of the time in the race to 15 before the media timeout. But, Arizona State ended up winning that race, taking its first lead since the opening points. 

From that point on, the Sun Devils maintained the lead but Oregon didn’t go away. The Ducks continued fighting back, cutting defects as soon as Arizona State would build a cushioned lead. Being four points away from the game ending, ASU called a timeout because Oregon went on its first scoring run of the entire game. 

A kill from ASU and three straight errors from the Ducks led to Oregon getting swept for the first time in 2023. 

“They knew what they were doing,” Ulmer said. “They were more intentional, their energy was better and they were more prepared. Good for them.”
But like most sports, volleyball is a game of inches and momentum. Small things can lead to big results, but all that matters is how a team builds from it.