CORVALLIS, Ore. – The way Sonja Newcombe saw it, Friday’s match-up with Oregon State was like any other match.
No more, no less.
Newcombe slammed home 21 kills in making sure Oregon completed its three-match road trip with a win. She tied for the team lead with 13 digs and led the team with five service aces.
“She did everything (Friday night),” Oregon coach Jim Moore said.
As a whole, the Oregon volleyball team survived a back-and-forth game-one performance to cruise past Civil War rival Oregon State in three games. The win upped Oregon’s record to 16-4 and 6-4 in the Pacific-10 Conference.
Oregon now returns to McArthur Court to host Washington State Thursday and the Washington on Friday.
After winning the opening frame against Oregon State, featuring 10 ties and nine lead changes, Oregon outplayed the Beavers in the final two games.
Newcombe racked up eight kills and three service aces in game one.
“The kid dug everything,” Moore said. “She served the crud out of the ball. She was spectacular.”
Oregon built a 10-6 lead in game two on kills by Mira Djuric and Erin Little. Karen Waddington’s kill made it a six point lead at 16-10, and Newcombe closed the game with a kill and a service ace.
The Ducks built an early seven-point lead, 13-6, in game three, pushed it to 17-7 on a shot hit wide by Oregon State and closed the same match in similar fashion with a Beavers’ attack falling out of bounds.
Oregon’s three seniors – Heather Madison, Kristen Bitter and Little – won for the first time in Corvallis in their Oregon careers. The win marked the first time Oregon has swept the season series since 1996.
“I really couldn’t ask for more,” Madison said. “We didn’t play amazing, but we played well enough to win, and it’s awesome to finally go out and sweep them.”
The three seniors emphasized that point, no longer satisfied simply by winning, but instead noting where the team can improve.
“There were a few balls that we dig normally that we didn’t and it’s not acceptable anymore,” Little said.
Said Bitter, “I think we were a little anxious on the block. We needed to wait a little bit more and not swing our arms quite as much.”
Oregon received 10 kills each from Neticia Enesi and Mira Djuric. Swoboda matched Newcombe’s 13 digs in front of a season-high Oregon State crowd of 2,517.
“For me, it is definitely intimidating – a little bit – just to experience all the new gyms and coming in and seeing all the new colors and how everybody reacts,” Newcombe said. “There were a lot of people here … so it just takes me a little while to ease in to it but it was OK (Friday).”
Oregon’s win Friday came a week after upsetting California in four games and losing to Pac-10-power Stanford in three.
“Stanford is a non-issue to us,” Moore said. “If you’re building a program, you have to know what you can do and what you can’t do. We weren’t beating Stanford at Stanford after a huge emotional win at Cal. It wasn’t happening.”
The seniors said they looked at the win as what it was – another stepping stone toward an NCAA Tournament bid. Oregon, just outside the top 25 in the AVCA Poll, must continue to earn respect by winning matches they’re supposed to, Little said.
“I honestly don’t think everyone thought we would win,” Little said. “There’s still a lot of people that are kind of like, ‘Well, they’re just playing really well now, but.’ There’s always a but. We’re starting to squash those buts.”
The Ducks allowed themselves to savor the win on its trip back to Eugene.
“In years past it’s been a very quiet bus ride,” Madison said. “This year, it will be a little different.”
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