After going up two sets to none, the Oregon volleyball team dropped the final three sets and lost in disappointing fashion on Friday night in Tempe.
In the first set, Oregon broke a 13-13 tie by winning four of the next five points. After a Sun Devil response, consecutive kills from Willow Johnson and Brooke Nuneviller put the Ducks up 22-18, and a final push gave Oregon a 1-0 match lead.
The Ducks come out of the gates hot in set two, leading 9-3, 14-7 and at one point, 20-8. Arizona State fought back to 22-16, but Oregon eventually put the set away following two Sun Devil miscues. The Ducks went up 2-0 in the match at that point, but that was all they would get.
The third set was all Arizona State, which broke out of an early 8-8 tie to take a commanding 17-10 lead. Oregon was never able to recover, and the Sun Devils took the set without much of a fight.
Set four was a similar story, as Arizona State went up 20-15 after trailing 12-11 earlier in the frame, and once again, the Ducks were unable to respond. With all the momentum on the side of the Sun Devils, the match headed to a fifth and final set.
Arizona State rode a 5-to-1 run mid-set to take a 12-8 lead. A late flurry by the Ducks, highlighted by a three-point stretch from Ronika Stone, fell just short and the Sun Devils earned their fourth win of Pac-12 play.
Oregon has now lost six of its last seven and is sitting at 6-12 overall.
With NCAA Tournament hopes all but out of the picture, the Ducks will have another opportunity to improve as they continue their desert road trip against Arizona in Tucson at 12 p.m.
Follow Brady on Twitter @BradyLim619
