The Oregon volleyball team ended Pacific-10 Conference play Friday the same way it began on Sept. 18: With a loss to California.
The Ducks gave the No. 9 Golden Bears all they could handle in game one, but dropped the match, 3-0 (30-27, 30-11, 30-13) in front of 1,234 fans at Haas Pavilion.
Oregon started the match on a positive note. The Ducks led from the beginning of game one until a service ace by California freshman setter Samantha Carter tied the score at 23. The Golden Bears built a 28-27 lead and put the game away on back-to-back service aces by junior middle blocker Camille Leffall.
California (21-6 overall, 12-6 Pac-10) dominated the final two games. Oregon managed only 24 points and an .091 hitting percentage while dropping games two and three, 30-11 and 30-13. The Golden Bears hit .491 during the two-game stretch.
The Ducks (3-24, 0-18) closed their season on a 19-match losing streak and finished winless in the conference for the second time in three years.
Despite Oregon’s struggles, head coach Carl Ferreira said the Ducks have stayed positive throughout the season and have a promising future.
“I think we had the right frame of mind about how we wanted to finish the season,” Ferreira said. “I’m not disappointed in anything my players have done. I know they have a bright future and they know they have a bright future as well.”
Sophomore middle blocker Kelly Russell led the Oregon attack with 11 kills and a .391 hitting clip. Junior outside hitter Lauren Westendorf added eight kills and freshman setter Heather Madison dished out 29 assists. Defensively, Westendorf, Russell, junior libero Katie O’Neil and freshman defensive specialist Kandice Feola hammered out six digs apiece.
California was led by junior All-American Mia Jerkov, who finished the match with 15 kills and a .500 hitting clip. Jerkov, who has been named Pac-10 Player of the Week four times this season, added five service aces and hammered out nine digs.
Sophomore outside hitter Jenna Brown ended the match with 12 kills and a .500 hitting clip, while senior outside hitter Jessica Zatica added seven kills. Carter finished with a match-high 41 assists.
The loss puts Oregon’s overall record at 33-85 — including 3-69 in the Pac-10 — during Ferreira’s four-year tenure.

Final statistical count
Russell finished as Oregon’s kill leader with 278 in 91 games this season. Freshman outside hitter Sarah Mason entered Friday’s match as the Ducks’ kill leader, but posted only three against the Golden Bears, bringing her season total to 275 in 90 games. Mason ended with a slight edge in kills per game, finishing with 3.06 compared to Russell’s 3.05.
Mason led the Ducks in hitting percentage, posting a .257 clip. Russell (.230) and sophomore setter Jodi Bell (.210) were the only other Oregon players with an attack percentage above .200.
As a team, Oregon was out-hit percentage-wise by its opponents, .303 to .189.
Russell finished as the team’s point leader with 330. Mason also finished above the 300-point mark with 304.5. One point is earned for a kill, service ace or a solo block, while a half-point is earned with a block assist.
Middle blocker Kristen Bitter proved to be quite the force at the net for Oregon this season. The 6-foot-4-inch freshman led the team with 98 total blocks while averaging 1.1 a game.
Bell dished out a team-high 732 assists in 77 games before going down with a ligament injury to her right knee Nov. 8 against Washington. Madison finished with 247 assists.
O’Neil led the way defensively by hammering out 266 digs. Westendorf finished with 158, while Bell added 127.