As the Ducks made their way up north for the first of two weekend matches, Washington’s hitting placement turned out to be too much for Oregon to handle, leaving the Ducks with another Pac-12 loss (20-25, 21-25, 16-25.)
Oregon’s main difficulty through this year, which was evident in tonight’s match, is finishing sets when given the opportunity. In the first two sets, Oregon had the chance to take the win but was unable to make the final surge, ultimately leading to its 0-3 demise.
The loss left Oregon with a now loosing Pac-12 record, 3-4, but the Ducks maintain a winning overall record, 9-7.
As Oregon fans have seen before a few times this year, the Ducks came out looking ready to play in the first set, quickly tying the score at six after scoring leaders Martenne Betterndorf and Lindsey Vander Weide put up back-to-back kills for Oregon. Oregon continued with a strong offense, putting up another kill and tying the score at 13. But nerves struck the Ducks and the Huskies took advantage with a 7-4 scoring run at the end of the set, winning set one 25-20.
In set two, it wasn’t long before Oregon fell behind.
Libero Amanda Benson did her part, adding nine digs by mid-set. Oregon worked its way back from a 12-8 deficit to trail the Huskies near the end of set two by just two points, 22-20. But, as the ghost of sets-past reared its ugly head, Oregon was unable to get the win, falling in set two 25-21.
The third set was Oregon’s toughest of the night. The Ducks trailed 14-8 at mid-set, only scoring eight more points before Washington finished out the set 25-16. This final set won the match with a sweep for the No. 4 Huskies 3-0.
Despite the loss, some lesser-known Ducks made big plays for Oregon.
Freshman Sumeet Gill put up five kills for Oregon and Frankie Shebby added four more. But, for the Ducks to win at Washington State in the second away match of the weekend, they’re going to need more than a few kills. For Oregon, a winning-mentality is going to be key.
Oregon will have little time to turn things around though, as the Ducks take on WSU at 1 p.m. Sunday.
Head Coach Jim Moore spoke earlier this week about his team’s difficulty finishing sets.
“We’ve been playing not to lose, and you can’t do that,” Moore said.
Follow Madison Layton on Twitter @MadisonLayton01