Consecutive losses in Las Cruces, N.M., finished off an improving, yet still disappointing season for the Oregon volleyball squad.
The expectations of a breakthrough year under first-year head coach Carl Ferreira officially came to an end during Thanksgiving weekend. The Ducks’ 10-19 record, though, is the school’s best since the 1996 team was 11-20.
Despite crushing New Mexico State and Texas-El Paso in the first games of both matches, the Ducks could not hold off their opponents and fell in both cases at the Hilton Classic.
On Saturday, Oregon opened the match with a 15-2 win against UTEP, but was plagued by errors throughout the contest to allow the Miners to come-from-behind and win the final three games.
After narrowly losing games two (12-15) and three (14-16), Oregon committed 11 errors in the fourth set to end their season with a 3-1 loss.
Junior Monique Tobbagi paced the Ducks with 19 kills, eight digs and four service aces. In her final match for Oregon, senior Halie Mazza recorded a double-double (17 kills, 10 digs) and led the team with four blocks.
Sophomore setter Sydney Chute just missed her second consecutive triple-double with eight kills, 27 assists and 13 digs.
As a team, Oregon tallied a .215 hitting percentage, but were outkilled (72-65) and outblocked (18-12). The Ducks also recorded 11 services aces.
Friday’s match against the host school would have belonged to the Ducks — if it were played on paper.
Oregon posted a better hitting percentage — .210 to .113 — and had more kills, assists, digs and blocks than New Mexico State.
But Oregon ended up losing the five-game thriller.
After an easy 15-1 victory in game one, the Ducks found themselves down 2-1 heading into game four. A 15-8 win forced the Aggies into a deciding fifth game on their home floor.
And the 404 fans helped their team pull out the victory, 15-13.
With 10 kills, 30 assists and 12 digs, Chute had her second triple-double of the year.
Mazza (15 kills, seven digs, seven blocks) and Tobbagi (13 kills, 17 digs, four blocks) again led the Ducks, posting .375 and .333 attack percentages, respectively.
Senior Amy Banducci finished her career with a double-double — 12 kills and 11 digs.
The Aggies (14-17 overall) defeated UTEP on Saturday to win the Hilton Classic Championship.