The Ducks stay undefeated in Pac-12 play after sweeping Stanford.
The No. 21 Ducks extend their win streak to four straight games after beating No. 5 Stanford in three straight sets at home
Matthew Knight Arena was packed with students preparing for the new school year, and the Oregon volleyball team gave them a show to welcome them back to Eugene.
In the first set, Stanford started from behind but quickly took a lead early in the set. A kill by Mimi Colyer tied the game at seven. The Ducks started to gain momentum after three straight points and two big blocks from Gloria Mutiri for a six point run forcing a Stanford timeout.
The timeout unfroze the Cardinals, but not enough to slow down Oregon. The Ducks took set one 25-19. Colyer led Oregon with six kills and Hannah Pukis had 13 assists.
When the Ducks switched sides, Stanford was ready to bounce back. An early momentum shift was in the Cardinals’ advantage. A line call that originally awarded the Ducks a point was reversed to keep the Cardinals’ fire going.
A timeout called by Oregon and an energy boost from the stands led to the Ducks closing in on Stanford’s lead and eventually pulling out the win after Colyer had back-to-back service aces. A kill by Brooke Nuneviller put the game away with a final score of 27-25.
In the third set, the Ducks took their first lead early on when the score was 6-5 and kept building it from there. After three strong and aggressive serves from Elise Ferreria, Stanford called a timeout in an attempt to slow Oregon down. Their plan didn’t work as the Ducks took a seven point lead, the biggest of the day, and forced the Cardinals’ to call their second timeout.
Once the huddles broke apart, Stanford challenged an out-of-bounds call but it would not work in their favor. The break in the game allowed the Cardinals to reset and prepare the red-hot Oregon Ducks and they managed to close the gap a few points, but after Pukis dove into the stands for a ball, the Ducks proved that they are hard to beat.
“We have a ladder, we have a step-by-step mindset,” Nuneviller said. “This is the group that I believe can win a Pac-12 championship and we proved that today.”
After back-to-back kills from Oregon, they took game three 25-16 to sweep the Cardinals.
“I’m really proud of this group. Stanford is a really strong and aggressive team, and we came out ready to play, and this win showed that we are ready,” head coach Matt Ulmer said.
Oregon will continue its three-game homestand on Sept. 30 against Arizona State. The first serve will be at 6 p.m. and will be available to watch on Pac-12 Network.
