No. 17 Oregon won a crucial five-set thriller (16-25, 25-23, 12-25, 25-20, 15-13) against its rival No. 19 Washington, Wednesday in Seattle.

Washington shot out to a fast start in set one as it jumped out to a quick 8-3 lead while hitting .750% during that span. Washington dominated set one, ending its set hitting .385%.  

Washington’s offense came from Kara Bajema, who tallied 21 kills on 41 takes, hitting a .415% for the match.  

Oregon and Washington traded points in set two, but Washington went on a 7-2 run to take a 20-17 lead late in set two. Oregon rallied with an 8-3 run to cap off a comeback and win set two. Willow Johnson ended set two with back-to-back kills and ended the day with 13 kills while hitting .353% for the match.

The Huskies offense and service, which troubled the Ducks all match, gashed the Ducks’ defense in set three and dominated to win set three 25-12. Avie Niece lead the Huskies in set three hitting .833% for the set.

August Raskie led the Ducks in set number four. Raskie finished the match with eight kills, 61 assists and 12 digs, nearly her second triple-double of the season. Raskie propelled the Ducks to a 25-20 set-four victory.

Oregon and Washington traded points in the fifth set, setting up for a thrilling finish. Ronika Stone, who finished the match with 12 kills, hitting .391% and three blocks, ended the match with a kill off the block of Washington to seal the victory for her team.

Oregon got a much needed win if it wants to keep its chances alive for hosting an opening round of the tournament. Oregon’s RPI coming into this match was at 21, and with this win it will rise. The Ducks now find themselves not only hunting for a chance to host an opening round of the tournament but for a second-place finish in the Pac-12, which would be Oregon’s best finish since 2012.

Oregon will look to close out its season with a win when it heads to Corvalis for the Civil War matchup against Oregon State on Saturday Nov. 24.

Follow Gabriel on Twitter @gabe_ornelas