Despite a thrilling first set win, Oregon volleyball couldn’t pull off the match win against No. 7 Stanford, falling 27-25, 23-25, 10-25, 15-25.
Three Ducks posted double digit kills Sunday in Palo Alto, but their defense was no match for true freshman Hayley Hodson, who led the Cardinal with 22 kills.
Familiar faces took charge for Oregon early. Freshman Lindsey Vander Weide smashed her first kill of the night to give the Ducks an 8-6 advantage in the first set. Senior outside hitter Martenne Bettendorf put up five digs by mid-set. The score was tied at 22, but a successful block and a forced error helped Oregon pull away to win 27-25.
The second set did not start as favorably for the Ducks. Stanford began with a 5-0 lead, although a 4-2 scoring run by the Ducks got things back on track. Oregon took a 19-16 lead after another kill by Vander Weide, but Stanford rallied back to win 23-25.
Oregon barely made it to double digits before Stanford clinched the third set 25-10.
Oregon struggled to keep up with the speed of Stanford’s offense again in the fourth and final set. The Ducks only trailed by two mid-set, but Stanford’s 10-2 scoring run ended their upset dreams. They finished the match with a 15-25 fourth set loss.
Oregon’s chance at redemption will come on Friday, when the Ducks travels north to take on the Washington schools. They will play Washington at 8 p.m. on Friday, then Washington State Sunday afternoon.
Follow Madison Layton on Twitter @MadisonLayton01