By Cuinn Huber
After two clean sweeps in a row, the No. 6 Oregon Ducks Women’s Volleyball team (12-1, 2-0 PAC-12) is preparing for yet another rivalry game against the University of Washington (9-4, 0-2 PAC-12) in what is sure to be a thriller. The Ducks are currently on a roll winning, twelve of thirteen matches so far this season and have swept the last three teams they have played (Marquette, Oregon State, and UCLA). The team dominance is being spearheaded by several players including Mimi Colyer, last year’s PAC-12 Freshman of the Year, and Karson Bacon, who was just awarded PAC-12 Defensive Player of the Week. Bacon averaged two blocks a set during last weekend’s matches against OSU and UCLA. Having not lost a home game since 2021, the Ducks are looking very good to keep the streak alive.
While the Washington Huskies are not ranked, they are by no means out of this match. Both May Pertofsky and Madi Endsley are both averaging above three points scored per set, similar numbers to the likes of Colyer and Morgan Lewis. The fact that this is also such a tense rivalry will add further motivation to the Husky team. They are also coming off of two consecutive losses against Arizona and Washington State so they are both eager and urgent to break their losing streak and what better match the end it at than against one of their main rivals in enemy territory.
The main factor going into this game is the depth of both teams and where the game is being played. The energy of the crowd at Matthew Knight will be extremely motivating for the Oregon squad however ultimately it comes down to the team itself. If Mimi Colyer, Morgan Lewis, Karson Bacon, and co can continue to play like they have it will be very hard to beat them. The way the Huskies win this match is if they prevent Oregon from getting into a rhythm, this means they can not allow any long scoring streaks against them.
Oregon no doubt has the advantage coming into this match, they have only lost one match of the thirteen they have played so far. Washington has lost four and is on a two-match losing streak. The Ducks also have a deeper squad on paper, as well as the home-court advantage being at Matthew Knight Arena. Washington will be extremely motivated to show their archrivals that they are a force to be reckoned with regardless of whether or not they are ranked. The teams split this matchup last year, so this is no way a shoo-in for either team.
Final Score Oregon 3, Washington 1