Teams seeking revenge are always dangerous, and the women’s volleyball team learned that the hard way this weekend in losses to No. 12 California (17-8, 10-5) and No. 7
Stanford (18-7, 11-4).
The Ducks did not play badly, but California and Stanford simply brought more to the table.
“I thought we played well against Stanford,” Moore said. “Stanford was basically flawless. (Against California) I think we played well, we just didn’t put balls on the floor when we normally have, and that really hurt us.”
The Golden Bears established themselves early on Sunday, jumping out to 20-15 lead in the first set. The Ducks cut the deficit to two, but eventually lost the set 25-21. Bears outside hitter Hana Cutura established herself early with nine kills in the first set.
The story was the same in the second set, as the Ducks stayed close throughout but never pulled away. Senior middle blocker Neticia Enesi had four kills to go along with three from junior outside hitter Heather Meyers, but the Golden Bears still won the set 25-21 to take a 2-0 lead.
The Ducks jumped out to a 10-5 lead in the third set and did not let go of the lead until California tied the set at 23. A kill by senior outside hitter Sonja Newcombe gave the Ducks set point, and a rare attack error by Cutura finished a 25-23 win.
Undeterred, Cutura and the Golden Bears got back in rhythm in the fourth set. Cutura added seven more kills, bringing her total to 28, and California pulled away for a 25-16 win, sealing a 3-1 victory. Enesi, who had 11 kills through three sets, was shut out in the fourth set.
Cutura carried the Golden Bears with her 28 kills, a .442 hitting percentage and 10 digs, while sophomore outside hitter Tarah Murrey added 16 kills, eight digs and five blocks.
As a team, California hit .341 and held the Ducks to a mere .168 hitting percentage. Meyers had 13 kills and 11 digs, while sophomore outside hitter Dana Stephenson hit .545.
“It was a match that we might have been able to win had we been able to put balls on the floor,” Moore said. “We didn’t put balls on the floor today.”
Oregon’s hitting was much more proficient on Friday, but Stanford’s was even better and the Cardinal won in straight sets.
“They applied all the pressure,” Moore said. “They passed very well, they served well…they made no errors, we had no chance to breathe.”
The first set was close, and it looked as if the second meeting between the two teams would be just as nerve-racking as the first. The teams traded points in the beginning until a ball-handling error by senior setter Nevena Djordjevic gave the Cardinal a 10-8 lead.
It would not relinquish that lead for quite some time, though the Ducks continued to nip at its heels. With the Cardinal holding a narrow 23-20 lead, Meyers’ fifth kill of the set brought the Ducks within two. After two attack errors by Stanford, the set was tied at 23. Still, Oregon could not quite eclipse the Cardinal, and two straight kills gave Stanford a 25-23 first set win.
Stanford jumped out to an early 6-1 lead in the second set, and never lost the lead after that. The Ducks cut the lead to 14-11 at one point, but the Cardinal responded with a decisive 5-0 run that essentially put the set away. Stanford took the second set 25-16 despite 5 more kills from Meyers.
The Ducks bounced back in the third set and took an early 7-4 lead. Still, the Cardinal was hungry for a sweep and fought right back to tie the set at seven. From there, the teams went back and forth until they found themselves tied at 23. With the match on the line, Janet Okogbaa stepped up for the Cardinal. The senior middle blocker tallied two straight kills to win the set 25-23 and the match 3-0.
Meyers finished with team highs in hitting (.481) and kills (14), while Enesi hit .353 with eight kills of her own. Newcombe had 11 kills and seven digs, but hit only .184 for the match, while freshman outside hitter Katherine Fischer had a team-high 11 digs.
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