The Oregon volleyball team defeated the Cal Bears, 3-0, in Matthew Knight Arena on Sunday. The Ducks extended their winning streak to five and improved their overall record to 13-3. After taking down the Bears on Friday in three straight sets the Ducks looked to build on that performance.
Similar to Friday, the Bears traded points with the Ducks to kick off the initial set. Katarina Pantovic slammed the ball across the Ducks blockers for a kill that gave the Bears an 11-9 lead.
The Ducks came racing back with an impressive 14-1 run. The Bears could not keep up as Morgan Lewis delivered three straight kills to close out the first set. Oregon took the first set 25-14.
“Serves from Elise Ferriera and Taylor Borup set the tone and propelled us on an early surge.” Oregon head coach Matt Ulmer said.
Cal found their footing early in the second set after struggling in the back half of the first set. The Bears traded points with the Ducks until Brooke Nuneviller committed a service error giving the Bears a 5-3 lead.
Oregon weathered the storm as Gloria Mutiri came off the bench and provided three straight kills to give the Ducks a four-point lead. Cal responded with a four-point run of their own as Lydia Grote picked up where she left off on Friday. She provided two kills to tie the set at 12.
The Bears were searching for their first set victory of the weekend, but a 6-1 run by the Ducks would kill the Bears’ momentum. Nuneviller came through with her fifth kill of the match to give Oregon a 19-13 lead.
Oregon retained its lead for the remainder of the second set. Abby Hansen rose up above the net and blocked the Bear’s hit, giving Oregon the second set 25-19.
To kick off the third set, Cal came out hot with a 3-0 run capped by a Pantovic kill, her fifth of the match. The two squads traded points until Oregon began to dominate the back-half of the set.
A five-point surge from the Ducks gave them a 13-7 lead as Mutiri continued to shine. Through the midpoint of the third set, she led all players with 11 kills.
After taking that lead, the Ducks wouldn’t look back as they went on to finish off the Bears in the third set. In a similar fashion to Friday, a commanding kill from Nuneviller put the nail in the coffin. Oregon took the third set 25-19.
“Today, we benefited from better pace on the ball,” Ulmer said. “Our constant movement kept Cal on its toes.”
Nuneviller led the team with 13 kills, but Mutiri’s performance deserves high praise as well. She provided timely hits and delivered 11 kills. With the win, Oregon volleyball improves its record to 13-3 and completes a two-game sweep over the Cal Bears without conceding a single set.
Oregon’s next volleyball game is in Tempe, on Thursday, April 1st, against the Arizona State Sun Devils.
