Much has changed since Oregon opened its season 104 days ago with a 3-0 loss against Pitt. Practices have been had, games have been won, and a team that welcomed eight newcomers and returned just two starters has gelled together through a trying Big Ten season.
This Oregon team has improved significantly since the start of the season, pushing the now-top-ranked Panthers to five sets months later. But ultimately, the result, a 3-2 Panthers (31-1, 19-1 ACC) win over No. 4-seeded Oregon (24-8, 14-6 Big Ten) was the same. Despite a remarkable effort from the Ducks, Oregon fell in a five-set loss to the top-ranked Panthers Thursday evening at Pitt’s Petersen Events Center.
The loss ends the Ducks’ season, and the careers of five Oregon seniors. This Oregon campaign will no doubt be viewed as a success, however, for a program that suffered another second-weekend defeat, this time with the Ducks a set away from a massive upset, the loss will leave the Ducks returning to Eugene wanting more.
Pitt’s 17th-straight win of the season began in predictable fashion, with the Panthers firing on all cylinders in a set one win.
Pitt boasts three players on the AVCA Player of the Year list and looked as dominant as itsone-loss record would suggest. However, for the majority of the match, Oregon hung with the top team in the nation. For the fourth-seeded Ducks’ upset chances to take flight, they needed a near-perfect performance — something they were unable to accomplish with occasional struggles in the loss.
After falling in that first set, Oregon opened the second with leads of 5-1, 7-4, 12-8 and 20-15, before Pitt rattled off four straight points to tie the frame at 24 apiece. With the set on the line, the Ducks relied on senior Daley McClellan, who gave them the lead with an ace before a Pitt error ended the set and knotted the match at one. It was just the Panthers’ eleventh set lost all season — a stark example of just how lofty the Ducks’ upset bid was with three sets to play.
Mimi Colyer led the Ducks with 15 kills. Michele Ohwobete and Onye Ofoegbu added 14 and 13 apiece. Olivia Babcock led the Panthers with a game-high 31 kills.
Oregon was almost the first team to upset the No.1 seed in the regional semifinal since 2010.
“For us belief is a huge thing,” head coach Matt Ulmer said on the ESPN+ broadcast after the second set. “Believing we are a top team, and believing we can beat a top team is huge.” head coach Matt Ulmer said on the ESPN+ broadcast after the second set.
But belief was only able to get the Ducks so far. Execution — a caveat that plagued the Ducks in the third set with a service error and rotational miscues — was necessary for the Ducks’ to best the top-ranked Panthers.
Pitt took a 2-1 lead after a 25-16 Set 3 win, and was on the doorstep of moving on, but Oregon had more to say.
The Ducks fought remarkably well and, after the Set 3 loss, pushing the Panthers to the brink on their home court by jumping out to a 10-point lead in a fourth set they won convincingly. Pitt was able to trim the deficit to three late, but a set-point challenge was unsuccessful, moving the Ducks even closer to history.
Ultimately, the Panthers’ skill took over when it mattered most, and the Ducks made too many mental and execution mistakes. Oregon finished with six service errors in the loss. Pitt jumped out to an early five-point lead before Oregon was on the board, putting the Ducks into an uphill climb from the start of the set — a climb they were unable to make. Babcock was the primary antagonist on the night (she finished with nearly 70 total attempts), and was the Panthers’ main source of offense down the stretch.
Moral victories will have to suffice for an Oregon team that deserves ample credit for the near-upset of the superpower Panthers. Pitt has advanced to the regional final for the fifth straight season. Oregon, meanwhile, will miss out on the Elite Eight Round for the first time in three seasons.
As currently constructed, the Ducks will return 12 rostered players to next season, with more additions expected via the transfer portal and high school recruiting.
