Oregon’s youthful exuberance was on display during Friday’s volleyball match with Arizona State. Unfortunately for the Ducks, their youthful inexperience crept into the equation as well.
Oregon was in position to win each game Friday but fell to the Sun Devils, 3-1 (30-28, 27-30, 30-28, 30-28) in front of 1,127 fans in the Ducks’ 2003 home finale at McArthur Court.
After being edged in game one, Oregon captured momentum by securing game two when freshmen Kristen Bitter and Sarah Mason blocked a Sarah Watkins attack for the game-winning point. The Mac Court crowd erupted as Oregon headed to the locker room tied, 1-1, a situation the team had been in only once all season.
The momentum would carry into the late stages of game three when Oregon built a 27-25 lead. Arizona State, however, put the game away with a 5-1 run coming out of a timeout.
Game four looked like a repeat of game three. After Oregon (3-22 overall, 0-16 Pacific-10 Conference) took a 28-26 lead, Arizona State head coach Brad Saindon called a timeout. The Sun Devils (9-16, 4-12) returned to the court as the more focused team and scored the next four points. Senior Courtney Blocher, who finished with 10 kills and 19 digs, ended the match with a kill.
As the Ducks walked off the floor they looked like a team that knew they let one slip away.
“We can’t ask any more of ourselves than to give 100 percent,” Mason said. “We deserved to have that win.”
Overshadowed by the Oregon loss was a excellent individual performance by Bitter. The 6-foot-4-inch middle blocker finished with a double-double, including 10 total blocks and a career-high 11 kills. Bitter finished the match with a .368 hitting percentage and provided the Mac Court crowd with plenty to cheer about.
“She was awesome,” head coach Carl Ferreira said. “She showed herself, her teammates and the fans the kind of potential she has. That kid has got All-Pac-10, All-American potential.”
After the match, Bitter chose not to focus on personal accolades, instead wanting to focus on how Oregon could get better.
“Losing sucks,” Bitter said. “It’s frustrating because we’re so close. We just need to finish.”
Oregon also received a double-double from sophomore middle blocker Kelly Russell, who finished with 14 kills and 10 digs. Mason tied for the team lead with 14 kills, while junior libero Katie O’Neil hammered out a team-high 16 digs.
Another positive for Oregon was the play of freshman setter Heather Madison, who started her second match in place of the injured Jodi Bell. Madison ran the Duck offense with the focus of a three-year veteran, dishing out 53 assists. The former high school All-American was able to spread the ball around to outside hitters and middle blockers alike, keeping the offense in rhythm.
Ferreira said he is pleased with the way the Ducks competed.
“Personally, I think (the players) are remarkable,” Ferreira said. “Their resiliency; their persistency; their toughness. They have unbelievable character, and it’s always on display. I’m real proud of them.”