The last time Oregon volleyball played Utah the Ducks’ rotation consisted of a six-player rotation for most of the match due to a three-player suspension (Brooke Nuneviller, Brooke Van Sickle and Willow Johnson) and a Taylor Borup foot injury that happened during the second set.

It was a different story this time around.

Oregon (18-9, 11-6 Pac-12) was at full strength and swept Utah (15-13, 7-10 Pac-12) in straight sets (25-22, 25-21, 25-20) on Wednesday night at Matthew Knight Arena.

“That was a memorable experience as a coach, but I’d much rather have this stable lineup,” head coach Matt Ulmer said.

Utah caught the Ducks napping in the first set.

Sophomore outside hitter Dani Drews led the Utes in set one and was able to put her team ahead 19-15, trying to steal set one.

Ulmer took a timeout and woke up the sleeping giant. Oregon rallied and went on a 10-3 run to end the set.

Borup was part of an offensive barrage that helped her team carry the offensive load in set one with six kills on nine takes, hitting .556%.

She still hasn’t fully recovered from her foot injury but still continues to play during the Ducks final stretch of the season.
“She’s really become a captain-like figure for us, she’s really is pretty special,” Ulmer said.

Oregon carried its barrage of offense into sets two and three.

The Ducks’ offense was led by Lindsey Vander Weide who had 12 kills. Their offense also came from Johnson (8), Ronika Stone (8), and Borup (9).
Senior setter August Raskie contributed to not only the offensive side but also on the defensive side. Raskie finished the match with six kills, 39 assists and seven kills, nearly notching her second triple-double of the season.

A key defensive component that was missed from Oregon’s’ last match against the Utes was freshman libero Nuneviller. Heading into Wednesday’s match, she led the Pac-12 with 4.94 digs per set but has also been the backbone of their defense all season. She capped the match off with 16 digs for the Ducks.
Stone, who before Wednesday was fifth in the Pac-12 with 1.25 blocks per set, continues to be strong for the Ducks on the block after finishing the match with three blocks, leading all Ducks.

Oregon, when at full strength, has been unbeatable during Pac-12 play. The team has gone 4-0 in matches and 12-0 in sets.

“I think with this lineup we don’t really have holes,” Ulmer said. “If we lose its because somebody is going to have to out execute us and be better than us but not any other excuses.”
Oregon might have to stay undefeated for the rest of the season to have a chance to host an open round of the tournament.

Oregon will say goodbye to its seniors and host its last home match of the regular season on Friday, Nov. 16, as they take on Colorado.

Follow Gabriel on Twitter @gabe_ornelas