Oregon volleyball was defeated 3-1 by the No. 19 UCLA Bruins on Friday at Matthew Knight Arena.
The visiting Bruins took control early, capitalizing on multiple blown serves and illegal net touches from the Ducks. After a kill from Elan McCall, the Bruins took an 8-3 lead into the first break.
UCLA increased its lead to 16-9 until the Ducks found some life. They went on an 8-4 run and cut UCLA’s lead to 20-17 with a Karson Bacon kill.
The Bruins responded to Oregon’s surge by closing out the first set with a dominant run capped off by a kill from Mac May. Bruins won the first one 25-20.
The second set had a different feel, as Oregon came out mistake-free, trading points with the Bruins. The ball started to fall their way as Brooke Nunneville set up Taylor Borup for a ferocious hit, putting the Ducks up 10-6.
UCLA was caught off guard, but they found a way to respond. They fought back relentlessly and recaptured the lead at 16-15 after a powerful hit from Sabrina Smith. Smith’s kill put UCLA in a position where to control the set. They used that momentum to establish a 21-18 lead forcing Oregon to burn a timeout in hopes of preventing another lost set.
Coming out of the timeout, Oregon looked poised to tie up the match as they cut the lead to 21-20. But their efforts fell short as UCLA ended the second set on a 4-0 run highlighted by another kill from May. 2-0 Bruins.
Heading into the third set, the Bruins were ready to use the momentum garnered from the first two sets to close out the match. They did just that and established an early 4-0 lead. These early leads paid dividends for the Bruins, as they had the Ducks on their heels.
But Oregon dug in and fought back. After a kill from Nunneville, the Ducks tied the third set at seven. UCLA answered that comeback by pulling out to a three-point lead, but Oregon came roaring back, with a five-point run of their own. The Ducks took a 12-10 lead and forced the Bruins to call a timeout and regroup.
Oregon extended their lead after the break by mitigating service errors and making the best of its opportunities. The Ducks pulled out to their biggest lead of the match after a kill from Taylor Williams made it 21-15.
The Ducks continued their impressive third set, winning a back-and-forth rally that was highlighted by libero Georgia Murphy diving over the scorers’ table to save the ball. The Ducks closed out the set after Allison Jacobs’ serve sailed out of bounds. 2-1 Bruins.
Heading into the fourth set, UCLA was looking for a knockout punch. They started the set on yet another hot streak, taking a 6-0 lead.
UCLA looked to close the door in the fourth set as Emily Ryan made her presence felt with three fierce kills giving the Bruins a 15-8 lead. The Ducks struggled to find their footing in the fourth set while the Bruins didn’t let up. They put the finishing touches on their victory with a kill from Iman Ndiaye closing out the fourth set 25-13.
UCLA took control of the match early and never looked back. The Bruins victory stemmed from a collective effort, but blocker Emily Ryan’s six kills in the fourth set highlighted the win. Although this was a disappointing loss for the Ducks, there were some positive takeaways.
“UCLA is coached well and they are a really good team… we got some good service runs that we’ll look to build on going forward,” said Taylor Borup
Oregon volleyball takes on UCLA on Sunday at 1 p.m. in Matthew Knight Arena.
