The No. 11 Oregon Ducks (16-3, 8-2 Big Ten) came into Sunday looking to play a clean and efficient game against a feisty Rutgers Scarlet Knights (5-16, 0-10 Big Ten) team that has struggled as of late.
The Ducks opened up the first set with a 6-1 rally, immediately putting Rutgers on its backfoot. Rutgers would not let Oregon pull away, though, and eventually, the Scarlet Knights rallied to hold a three-point lead over the Ducks as they reached the 20-point milestone.
The Ducks would remain resilient and coming out of a timeout pep talk from head coach Matt Ulmer, the team appeared rejuvenated as they began to lean on their offensive firepower that had been so far lacking.
Led by star junior Mimi Colyer, the Ducks flew around the court, rattling off a series of kills that snatched a Set 1 victory from the hands of the Scarlet Knights.
Strong upfront play by Duck middle blocker Onye Ofoegbu would be key in the match, as her seven kills in the first set would ultimately propel the rest of the Oregon offense the rest of the game.
With set two underway, it was clear the momentum of the match was now strongly behind the Ducks. Jumping out to an early 10-6 lead, Oregon would deny Rutgers the chance to get the deficit back within three points for the rest of the set, ultimately winning the set 25-18
Filling in for an injured Cristin Cline, setter Roberta Purashaj was unexpectedly thrust into the starting lineup. Despite some miscues in set one, Purashaj was able to flip the script in Set 2, playing a key role in setting up scoring opportunities for the Oregon offense.
“I thought she adjusted well as the match went on,” Ulmer said. “She kept looking for Noemie [Glover] and the middles, and I thought they had a really nice match offensively.”
Another unexpected key player who would take on an elevated role today was junior defensive specialist Maya De Los Reyes. A sniper from the service line, De Los Reyes recorded three service aces with zero errors, while also providing a defensive boost to the Ducks’ defense.
“Maya was great,” Ulmer said. “We have a serving sub that is also a great defender, great energy and I think a fan favorite, as she should be.”
As the third set began, Rutgers looked determined to avoid a sweep, clearly still hungry after barely missing out on a set one victory. The Ducks and Scarlet Knights would go blow for blow at the beginning of Set 3, and Rutgers seemingly had a response for everything the Oregon offense threw at it.
Then, with the score sitting at a 10-9 Oregon lead, a switch flipped for the Ducks offense, and a deluge of points began raining down onto the Rutgers defense. All the cogs clicked for the Oregon offense, and soon the lead ballooned to 21-12 in mere minutes.
Rutgers would succeed in scoring only twice more the rest of the set, and Oregon triumphantly won the third and final set of the match, 25-14.
Despite a slow start, the Ducks were able to get on the correct tempo to solidify a dominant win over a conference foe. With excellent serving all match long, paired with largely mistake-free play, Oregon looks strong as it continued its season with another victory.
The Ducks will return to the court Wednesday night in Seattle to face their familiar foes up north, the Washington Huskies, with the match starting at 6:30 p.m.