After splitting the first two sets between Oregon and Stanford, the Ducks looked as if they could upset the No. 2 team in the nation, but those two sets would quickly become a distant memory going into set three and four.
No. 16 Oregon (13-7, 6-4 Pac-12) lost in four sets (16-25, 25-21, 25-17, 25-15) against the No. 2 Stanford Cardinal (18-1, 10-0 Pac-12) Sunday afternoon at Matthew Knight Arena.
“We’re not ready to sustain at that level yet,” head coach Matt Ulmer said.
The Ducks looked ready to sustain at that level in set one as they held the number one offense in the Pac-12 to a .147 hitting percentage in the first set. Their defense would hold the reigning 2017 national player of the year, Kathryn Plummer, to only two kills in the first set. The Cardinal offense came alive in set two, roaring back and hitting .419 to win a close second set.
Plummer came back after the first set and finished the match with 19 kills on 45 takes with a .333 hitting percentage. Oregon had three players finish with double digit kills: Brooke Van Sickle (12), Willow Johnson (11) and Lindsey Vander Weide (13).
The Ducks traded points early on in set three with the Cardinal. Once the score reached 14-12, Stanford never looked back. Stanford went on a relentless 7-0 service attack run that would put them ahead 21-12. The Ducks rallied on a late run led by Willow Johnson, who ended the match with a .318 hitting percentage and would account for 13 points. Oregon would eventually drop that set.
“They are just a really aggressive serving team,” outside hitter Lindsey Vander Weide said. “They were getting us out of system a lot.”
The Matthew Knight arena crowd came alive in the first two sets of the match as Oregon was on a relentless attack but once the pressure of serve-receive came from Stanford, Oregon quickly lost their identity.
“We started to panic, we started to loose what we were doing and we started to focus on what they were doing,” said Ulmer. “We definitely lack that competitive nature to just keep going after it and even if we make a mistake, bouncing back.”
The Cardinal have now won 16 straight matches and remain unblemished in Pac-12 play to continue their conference dominance. Oregon’s confidence did not waver as the match went on when they continued to fight back each set but the Ducks are still searching to reach an elite level.
“We are one of the elite teams but the difference is the mindset..that’s really the last piece,” said Ulmer. “That’s the difference from a Sweet 16 and a Final Four.”
Oregon will seek redemption next weekend as it travels to Arizona to take on Arizona State and Arizona in an attempt to avenge its early conference losses.
Follow Gabriel on Twitter @gabe_ornelas