Oregon’s trip to the Hofstra Invitational was met with mixed results Friday as the Ducks lost a contested match to Duke and swept Hofstra.
Ronika Stone was consistent throughout, as she lead the team with 17 kills in both matches. Stone also surpassed 1,000 kills in her career with Oregon.
Oregon opened the day with a defeat against the Duke Blue Devils. Oregon began hot, winning the first set 25-9; the rest of the match was a back-and-forth affair. In the second set, Stone had two kills near the end of the set to put the Ducks up 24-22 and Oregon needed only one more point for the win. However, Duke rallied and was able to take the set, 28-26.
Duke dominated the early portion of the third set with a 6-0 run that put them up 15-9. Oregon refused to quit with a Karson Bacon kill and a Georgia Murphy ace to tie the match at 24, but once again Duke out-performed the Ducks late to win 28-26.
Freshman Morgan Lewis carried the Ducks in the fourth set to force a fifth set. She had two kills in the set to secure a 25-19 victory. Lewis had 16 kills in the match.
Duke had a strong start in the fifth, opening with a 9-3 run, but once again the Ducks climbed back thanks to two clutch kills by Brooke Nuneviller. However, the inspired comeback was not enough as Duke won the set 15-13.
Oregon had a far better outing against the host school Hofstra. Stone once again shone bright with 17 kills in the match. She lifted the Ducks in the first set, putting down four kills in eight points. Oregon led 19-13 at one point, but they were challenged by Hofstra down the stretch. They did recover, though, and went on to win the set 25-20.
Oregon went on two big runs to clinch the second set. The first being a 6-1 run in the middle of the match and the other being a 9-3 run to close out the set. Oregon won the second set 25-21.
Stone was especially strong in the final set to secure the sweep. It was tied at 11, but Stone got loose with three kills and a block to give Oregon a 15-11 advantage. Stone also had the final kill to win the set 25-19. Oregon was able to wrap up its east coast road trip on a positive note.
No. 14 Oregon (4-5) will travel to Corvallis to play in-state rival Oregon State to begin Pac-12 play on September 26.
