No. 12 Oregon volleyball (9-1, 1-0 Big Ten) played its first conference match as a member of the Big Ten against Illinois (8-3, 0-1 Big Ten). After falling by a sweep against a Pittsburgh team that’s now ranked No. 1 in the country, the Ducks have bounced back and won nine straight after defeating the Fighting Illini in straight sets, 25-21, 25-22 and 25-13.
Set 1 was a nail-biter from start to finish, featuring 12 ties and five lead changes as neither team looked willing to give in to the other.
The Ducks struggled early with four service errors, but as the set progressed, they tightened up their game and found their rhythm.
Mimi Colyer was a standout recording five kills, two assists and two blocks in the first set. Cristin Cline ran the offense masterfully, dishing out 18 assists and distributing the ball to all of her options.
Illinois, meanwhile, had trouble breaking through the Ducks' defense, managing just 10 kills on 34 attacks as Oregon's net presence, with four blocks scoring, was extremely difficult.
Michelle Owhobete powered the Ducks to a 4-0 scoring run, extending their lead to 23-16 in the first set. The Fighting Illini rallied with a late push, but their momentum was cut short by a set-ending service error from Christina Martinez Mundo, sealing the set for Oregon.
“I feel like tonight everything just came together,” said Daley McClellan. “I feel like every aspect of our game was super balanced.”
Much like the first set, Set 2 was back and forth and neither team looked better than the other. Illinois had an aggressive attack from the service line which allowed for a 5-0 scoring run. Illinois was leading 19-15 and in complete control of the second set.
Oregon head coach Matt Ulmer called a time out to stop the momentum and switch up defensive looks in an attempt to slow down Illinois.
“I thought they adjusted really well to our triple block so we backed off that,” said Ulmer. “And then I thought that was a nice response by us. We started picking up more balls in floor defense.”
The defense was much better following the timeout and mid-set adjustments. Oregon's defense responded with more clutch blocks that led the Fighting Illini into making multiple crucial attacking errors that allowed the door to open for Oregon. The Ducks were able to match the score at 20.
Ohwobete again put the Ducks on a 4-0 scoring run, including a service ace. This pushed the score to 24-21. Averie Hernandez stepped up to the service line looking to give her team more late life but her serve hit off the net. Service errors ended both the first and second sets.
“I think we just needed to figure out our certain pass a little,” said McClellan when asked about how the team was able to switch the momentum when trailing late in the second set. “A big thing for us lately has been adjusting super quickly and I think we did a good job.”
The third set started out hot with a service ace for McClellan and the Ducks would never look back. Oregon got out to a 9-2 advantage, their largest lead of the night. The Fighting Illini were never able to bring the score with five points in the final set.
The 3,847 in attendance at Mathew Knight were loud all night but as the Ducks crept closer to the finish line the arena was rumbling, making life miserable for Illinois. There were several plays where a pass would fall to the floor resulting in a point for Oregon.
Middle blocker Onye Ofoegbu ended the match with a powerful shot from the right antenna.
The Fighting Illini became predictable with nearly half of the total attacks coming from Raina Terry. After adjusting in the second set Oregon was able to control her offensively which led to a complete shutdown.
It was an aggressive night for Illinois from the service line they tallied eight service aces and at times it looked like Oregon had no answer. However, they also committed 11 errors.
Colyer finished the night with 12 kills. Ohwobete and Ofoegbu both had seven and Cline had five.
Oregon cruised to its fourth straight sweep as it has now won 13 straight sets dating back to the final set against No. 17 BYU.
“I can see better habits forming for us every week so it tells me we are doing something right,” said Ulmer. “I think we are on a really good path.”
Oregon will be back at home Saturday to face Indiana, trying to continue what would be a ten-match win streak. The Ducks haven’t won 10 straight regular-season contests since they ended their 2022 season on a 13-match win streak.