The No. 18 women’s volleyball team (19-9, 9-9) ended the regular season on a high note with a 3-1 win over Washington State (18-12, 6-12) on Nov. 25 and a thrilling 3-2 victory over No. 4 Washington (23-5, 13-5) on Nov. 27.
 
With the NCAA tournament approaching, the wins gave the Ducks an all-important boost of confidence. The win over Washington ended a 17-game losing streak to the Huskies that dated back to the 2000 season.
 
“It was important from a confidence standpoint,” head coach Jim Moore said. “Just to know we could get it done … they kept battling and kept working hard, and now they’ve put themselves in a position so at least they feel a lot better about everything going into the NCAA tournament.”
 
After a regular season filled with ups and downs, it was only fitting that the Ducks’ match with Washington lasted all five sets. The Huskies swept the Ducks 3-0 when the teams first met on Sept. 25, and in the first set it looked as if their dominance would continue.
 
Oregon never led in the first set, falling behind 12-5 early and eventually losing 25-15. Senior outside hitter Sonja Newcombe had five early kills, but it was not enough to upset Washington’s rhythm.
 
Newcombe continued her strong play in the second set, and her four early kills gave the Ducks a 9-4 lead. Still, the Huskies showed exactly why they were No. 4 in the nation and bounced back to win the set 25-21. Once again, Washington had a seemingly decisive 2-0 advantage.
 
Yet, the Ducks were not ready to quit, and proved just that in the third set. After Washington took a 22-20 lead, a Washington attack error and a kill by senior middle blocker Neticia Enesi tied the set at 22. Coming out of a timeout, sophomore middle blocker Bianca Rowland’s kill gave the Huskies a 23-22 lead, but junior outside hitter Heather Meyers tied the set once again with a kill. Finally, Newcombe’s ninth and 10th kills of the set gave the Ducks a 25-23 win.
 
The intensity picked up in the fourth set, as the teams found themselves tied at 25 and traded points back and forth until the Ducks finally won 31-29. Meyers delivered the decisive blows with the score tied at 29, racking off a kill and a service ace consecutively to finish the Huskies.
 
The Ducks jumped to a 5-0 start in the final set and never looked back. Although Washington fought to within one at 14-13, it simply could not overcome Oregon’s momentum. Fittingly, it was Newcombe who ended the match with a kill.
 
The last regular season match of Newcombe’s career may also have been her best. The senior reached a new career-high with 36 kills while also hitting .382 and tallying 21 digs.
 
“I told (Sonja) I think that’s the most kills I’ve ever had by a player in a single match,” Moore said. “I’ve had thirty a few times, but I think that’s the most kills I’ve ever had by a single player.”
 
Of course, Newcombe was not the only Duck to step up. Meyers hit .298 with 20 kills (tied for a career-high) and 17 digs, senior setter Nevena Djordjevic had a career-high 70 assists, and freshman Kellie Kawasaki had 22 digs.
 
“Heather was outstanding,” Moore said. “She absolutely came through at crunch time, and had a great match.”
 
It was the first time since Nov. 9, 2000 that the Ducks had beaten the Huskies, and it was only the second time since 1995.
 
The Ducks had a shortened week of practice, but showed no ill-effects in a 3-1 win over Washington State on Nov. 25. Oregon held the Cougars to a mere .127 hitting percentage, and outscored them 95-81.
 
“I thought the first two games was our best defensive performance that we’ve had in a long time,” Moore said. “We needed that, we haven’t been playing very good defense, and that was a very good performance defensively early in that match.”
 
Newcombe had 17 kills and 12 digs, while Enesi hit .611 with 13 kills and nine blocks. Meyers gathered 18 kills and 13 digs, and Kawasaki threw in 17 digs of her own. Each of the Ducks’ three set wins was by at least five points, and the team held the Cougars to just 16 in the first set.
 
Now the Ducks will take on the Clemson Tigers in the first round of the NCAA tournament at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Ky., on Friday.


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