A September conference matchup against a Big Ten program was uncharted territory for No. 11 Oregon (9-1, 1-0).
But the Ducks handled the matchup against Illinois (8-3, 0-1) with poise and efficiency from their attack to claim the sweep.
“For us, it’s really about trying to get better every day,” Oregon head coach Matt Ulmer said. “We have a lot of things that we need to continue to be more consistent no matter who we play. You know, it really is about us.”
The Ducks conceded the first two points of the match but found their groove with a 3-0 run — which included two points off the block.
Set 1 was messy with a combined nine service errors. Oregon gained some separation with 14 early kills coming from five different players.
Michelle Ohwobete slapped the volleyball to the hardwood to break the tie at 15-14. After that, the Ducks had all the confidence and momentum to carry them to a 25-21 set win.
The Ohwobete point was a crucial moment in delivering the Ducks their ninth-straight victory — each win coming after their loss in the first match of the season.
“It takes us to change each other and hold each other accountable, and that starts in practice,” defensive specialist Daley McClellan said. “I think both sides have been really competitive in practice lately and I think that has just upped our bar, just so much more.”
The Illini took over in the second set. Oregon had seven attack errors in the second game, following a first set with only three.
“They hit the ball very hard and they’re physical blockers. They served very aggressive,” Ulmer said. “We knew that going in and that’s something we’ve been trying to prepare for but that’s something we’re gonna have to handle better than we did in the second set.”
Once again, it was an Ohwobete kill in a critical moment to even the score. The Ducks played clean for the rest of the second to clinch the set 25-23.
“The big thing for us lately has been adjusting super quickly, and I think we did a good job,” McClellan said. “It took us a little bit in the second set to do that, but then once we figured it out, we were solid on that.”
Illinois appeared to have run out of gas in the final set. Oregon opened with a dominant 7-1 run, partially due to the performances of Mimi Colyer and Onye Ofoegbu.
The duo both had four blocks, while Colyer led the team with 12 kills. Ohwobete added seven kills and setter Cristin Cline assisted on 30 plays.
Perfectly placed attacks caused the Illini to consistently scramble in the third set. Ofoegbu slammed the ball for the final time to give the Ducks the 25-13 set and the match.
“I can see better habits forming for us each and every week when we get out to competition,” Ulmer said about the team’s standard. “It tells me we’re doing some things right. Again, we have a long way to go with that, but I think we’re on a good path.”
The Ducks will return to Matthew Knight Arena on Saturday to face off against Indiana (7-3). Oregon will look to secure its first double-digit winning streak since 2022 with the first serve set for 5:30 p.m.
