It was a tale of two Oregon volleyball teams this weekend in Washington. Unfortunately for the Ducks, neither tale resulted in a win.
A night after losing a quick match to Washington State (12-8, 7-6 Pacific-10 Conference) in Pullman, Wash., on Friday, the Ducks traveled to Seattle to take on conference rival Washington on Saturday.
What happened during the match has been unparalleled for the Oregon women this season.
Despite a three-game loss to the Huskies by scores of 30-28, 30-25 and 30-26, the Ducks made a statement with their strong play.
Tied at 15 in the first game, Oregon (8-14, 0-11) was looking for a run of points to put away the pesky Huskies (11-11, 4-9). Instead, Oregon saw Washington put away the Ducks.
A 7-3 run put Washington ahead at 22-18. But the Ducks’ resiliency began to show, when kills by seniors Monique Tobbagi and Julie Gerlach, as well as junior Stephanie Martin, pulled Oregon to within one point, at 22-21.
Five points later, the Ducks tied the score at 24, and were looking for their first game-win in almost a week. But it wasn’t Oregon’s night, as a 6-3 Washington run gave them the first game and control of the match.
In the second game, Washington’s controlled offense kept the Ducks from getting close, and Oregon fell behind quickly at 24-16. Kills by Washington senior Allison Richardson and junior Paige Benjamin put the Ducks away for good, and put the Huskies ahead 2-0.
The third game would end with the same results, but not in the same fashion as the first two. Oregon led early, 11-8, and moved ahead to 18-17 before finally letting up and allowing the Huskies to take the lead. A service ace by junior Gretchen Maurer tied the score at 18. An 11-8 Washington run put the Ducks away for good, and allowed them to take the season series from their Eugene rivals for the fourth time in five years.
However, it was different game for the Oregon women against the Huskies. Tobbagi, coming back strong after an early-season slump, led the Ducks with 15 kills. Her 10 digs gave her a double-double in the match.
“I’m probably more impressed with her character,” Oregon head coach Carl Ferreira said when asked about Tobbagi’s resurgence. “It’s like she hit her head on a cement floor and has been recovering ever since. But how she’s dealt with it has been something I’ve been proud for in terms of the adversity she’s been in.”
Martin followed up Tobbagi’s 15 kills with 15 of her own, while fellow junior transfer Lindsay Closs pitched in with nine kills and four blocks. Sophomore Lindsay Murphy led Oregon once again with 13 digs.
More importantly, the Ducks played stronger than usual as a team, hitting for a .262 percentage and totaling 51 kills, only four shy of the Huskies’ 55.
Friday was an entirely different story, but one with which the Ducks are accustomed.
Friday’s three-game loss (30-18, 30-23, 30-21) to the Cougars marked Oregon’s 22nd straight loss to Washington State, with their last win coming in 1990 at McArthur Court. Bohler Gym in Pullman has not been a favorable place for the Ducks, who haven’t won at Washington State since 1989.
Tobbagi’s nine kills and 13 digs against the Cougars paced Ferreira’s squad in the match, but as a team, the Ducks were entirely overmatched.
Washington State had nine service aces, while Oregon could muster only one against the Cougars’ strong defense. Five service errors by both teams helped even the score, but Wazzu had 52 kills to the Ducks’ 38. Washington State also held the advantage in digs, 48-38.
“The crowd was really into it tonight and it was a lot of fun,” Cougar head coach Cindy Fredrick said about Washington State’s dominance. “We didn’t play the prettiest volleyball. It was fun to not be uptight and that doesn’t happen very often in this conference.”
One bright spot for the Ducks over the weekend came in the form of freshman Lauren Westendorf. Listed as a setter in the Oregon media guide, Westendorf has come of age recently. Her eight digs against the Washington schools have reinforced her defensive ability.
“Pac-10 (play) is so much faster and the girls hit the ball harder,” she said. “Here, the competition is better and you’re always playing against the top teams in the country, and you have to be ready every single point.”