The Civil War wasn’t much of a war Friday night, as the Oregon volleyball team kept on rolling. The Ducks beat the Beavers in straight sets to extend their winning streak over Oregon State to six games.
Oregon (20-5 overall, 8-4 Pacific-10 Conference) beat Oregon State (14-11, 3-9) by scores of 25-16, 25-21, 25-21 in front of a crowd of 3,547 people at Gill Coliseum, and despite a scare in the second set, the Beavers didn’t put up much of a fight.
“(OSU) walked out on the court confident, but we stayed aggressive and tried to score points early to get the momentum,” Oregon head coach Jim Moore said. “Every win is important in the Pac-10, and it gives you more confidence for the matches that follow.”
The Ducks should feel confident. They’ve won six of their last seven games, and nine of their last 11. Their only losses in that stretch have come against No. 5 Washington and No. 10 USC – both on the road.
As for the Beavers, who have lost four in a row and five of their last six matches, things are continuing to pile up. They are now tied for ninth in the Pac-10, after being ranked No. 24 in the nation at one point.
In the first set, the Ducks led 7-6 then went on an 11-4 run to go up 18-10. After three points by the Beavers, Oregon reeled off another five points and cruised to the 25-16 win.
In the second set, the Beavers rallied late to make it close. With Oregon up 16-12, Oregon State went on an 8-4 run to tie the score at 20 and after a timeout by Moore to settle his team, the Beavers tied the score back up at 21.
But late in the set Oregon outside hitters Sonja Newcombe and Gorana Maricic stepped up when the Ducks needed them the most. Maricic had two kills, including the game-winner, and Newcombe had a kill to lead a 4-0 Oregon run to end the set and put the Ducks up two sets to none.
“We’re continuing to work on various parts of our game, and one thing we’re doing better is keeping our focus,” Maricic said. “It was a noisy atmosphere to play in, so we needed to really pull together on those key points late, especially the second set when they tied it and forced a timeout at the end.”
Oregon State’s gritty play in the second set carried over to the third. The Beavers stayed within just a few points, tied the score four times, and even briefly took the lead at 14-13. But the Ducks showed why they are the ones ranked eighth in the nation, running off five unanswered points on two kills by Newcombe. From there the score was never in doubt, as Oregon won yet again in straight sets.
Senior Kristen Forristall ended the match with nine kills and four blocks, and Newcombe and Maricic both had 13 kills for the Ducks.
“This is always an important match for us,” Forristall said. “It’s nice that it’s in-state so you don’t have to travel, but you’re also playing at their place so you have to come out ready to play, and apply pressure and keep pushing.”
Maricic said setter Nevena Djordjevic was the reason Oregon hit .378 for the match, and that her setting kept the Beavers off-balance and allowed the Oregon hitters to get favorable matchups. Forristall agreed, saying they got a lot of kills in the middle of the court because
Oregon State left it wide open.
“Nev did a great job of distributing the balls, and many of our attempts were against only one blocker,” Maricic said.
Next up for the Ducks is a home series with Washington State on Nov. 14 at 6 p.m., followed by a Nov. 16 matinee with the No. 5 Washington Huskies at 12:30 p.m. The game against the Cougars will immediately be followed by a men’s basketball game against Northern Colorado, which accounts for the early start time.
Oregon, who lost to Washington in Seattle on Oct. 17, is looking to tie the season series and break a losing streak to the Huskies that dates back eight years to the year 2000.
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Ducks continue momentum with drubbing of Beavers
Daily Emerald
November 9, 2008
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