Oregon volleyball’s trip to Pullman ended in defeat as they fell to No. 24 Washington State, 3-1. With the loss, Oregon has now fell to 1-4 in conference play. Willow Johnson led the Ducks with 16 kills, and Brooke Nuneviller left the match with an undisclosed injury.

Oregon was outpaced in the first set, as the Cougars scored in a flurry to put themselves up 22-13, and they held on for the 25-17 win.

The Ducks shined in the second set and grinded out a victory. With the match tied at 19-19, Willow Johnson put home a kill that ignited a 3-0 run. Washington State rallied to 23-22, but Ronika Stone’s clutch block and Brooke Nuneviller’s closing kill clinched the win for the Ducks.

However, the Ducks were outplayed in the final two sets. Oregon was defeated in the third set 25-22. The match was tied 20-20, but Washington State scored three in a row to win the set. In the final frame, Washington State was finally able to break away from Oregon, dominating the set 25-13. The Cougars went on an 11-1 run that Oregon was not able to answer.

The Ducks are now 5-9 overall of the season. Oregon has played four consecutive ranked teams and will continue that streak with a trip to No. 11 Washington in Seattle.