By Logan Thompson
Eugene, Oregon — The #17 Oregon Ducks (20-6, 11-5) defeated the UCLA Bruins (25-23, 25-17, 25-20) Saturday afternoon. With this win, the Ducks have now won 5 straight matches in a streak that includes beating 2 top 25 teams.
The Ducks won three straight sets against the Bruins giving them the sweep
The First set started out slow for the Ducks as the Bruins were able to build up a 6 point lead early on in the set as the Ducks would go down 6-12. The Ducks however were able to keep their heads in the game and rally back and take the lead after taking 9 out of 10 points later on giving them the lead in the set 16-14. The Ducks would hold onto this lead for the rest of the set eventually taking it 25-23.
The second set looked a lot like the second part of the first set as the Ducks continued to outplay the Bruins as they were able to take an early lead. While the Scoring for the ducks started with a kill from Karson Bacon, It would be Brooke Nuneviller, as per usual, who would lead the way with 7 kills for the ducks as they would take the set in convincing fashion by a score of 25-17.
The third set would start out closer than the other two as the two teams would come to a tie at a score of 11-11. This tie wouldn’t last long though as the Ducks would rattle off 4 straight points, 3 of which were errors on the Bruins. Oregon would then hold on to this lead for the rest of the set eventually taking the set and the match by a score of 25-20.
The Ducks would like to keep this momentum strong as the end of the regular season approaches as if they can secure a top #16 ranking they will be hosts for the NCAA tournament. The Ducks will play The Washington State Cougars on the road Thursday, November 18th at 6 P.M. PT.
Statistics:
Team:
UCLA
Hitting percentage: .185
Kills: 37
Errors: 17
Blocks: 9
Digs: 36
Oregon
Hitting percentage: .297
Kills: 44
Errors: 14
Blocks: 6
Digs: 44
Individual Leaders:
UCLA
Kills: Mac May (8)
Blocks: Anna Dodson (5)
Digs: Zoe Fleck (10)
Oregon
Kills: Brooke Nuneviller (15)
Blocks: Kiari Robey (4)Digs: Brooke Nuneviller (11)