In the final game of the Oregon Invitational, the Ducks’ volleyball team stayed undefeated as they beat Rice in five sets. 

Despite the continuous back and forth between the two teams during all five sets, the game belonged to Brooke Nuneviller, as she had a team-high of 20 kills.
The first set acted as a call and response between Nuneviller and Rice’s Anota Adekunkle. With the biggest lead of the set being four points, the Ducks handed the first set over after three straight errors to finish the set.
To start the second set, Rice’s Sahara Maruska gave the Owls the lead with two straight kills. It wasn’t easy, but Oregon came back and had 18 kills, the highest of the night, to take the second set to tie the game at 1-1. 

Oregon took the third frame, Rice kept Oregon at 17 points during the fourth set and the matchup went on into a fifth. 

The unsung hero of the night was Hannah Pukis, a transfer from Washington State, who had 52 assists. Pukis started the fifth set with back-to-back kills to give Oregon the lead. The majority of the set was a one point difference, until Rice called their final timeout of the game. Unfortunately, the Owls weren’t able to slow down Pukis and the Ducks as she had three straight assists to win the game. 

Oregon will jump on the road and head to Minneapolis for the Pac-12/Big-10 Challenge. The first game will be against Minnesota at 5:30 p.m. PT and will be available to stream on the Big 10 Network.