By Cuinn Huber
After a clean sweep against Marquette, the No. 6 ranked Oregon Women's Volleyball team is looking forward to facing their top rival – Oregon State. “We will give you a reason to cheer. You just gotta show up and be willing to,” said head coach Matt Ulmer on Wednesday to the press. Oregon coaches and student athletes are entering this game with confidence and they have every reason to. They have won ten of the 11 matches they have played so far this year and have won 33 of the 41 sets played. Leading the team in scoring this season is the sophomore sensation Mimi Colyer, who has averaged 5.24 points and 4.49 kills per set, leading the team in both of these categories. Several other players including Morgan Lewis and Gabby Gonzales have also put up impressive numbers.
The Beavers come into this match with something to prove. They are not in the Top 25 rankings, but that does not mean they are not a powerful squad. Senior opposite hitter Mycheal Vernon has put up stats that are very similar to the likes of Colyer and Lewis with an average of 4.39 points scored per set so far this season. While the team is currently on a three-game losing streak after two back-to-back losses against Portland State, they have every capability of making an upset if the rest of the team can step up their game the way Vernon has.
The distinguishing factor of this game will be the strength in numbers for each team. So far three players for the Ducks are averaging above three points scored per set while the Beavers only have one player averaging above that at this point. Oregon, with the help of Coach Ulmer, has built up a well-oiled machine that so far only one school has been able to defeat this season. If Oregon State wants to win, they are going to need several players, not just Mycheal Vernon to be putting up 3 to 5 points a set. The defense numbers for each team are far more similar with Beavers and Ducks averaging 13.18 and 13.42 digs per set, respectively.
Prediction While the ducks have the advantage in everything on paper whether it be scoring, blocks, kills, and digs, it does not mean they should be declared the winners before the first whistle is blown. There are several variables including surprise injuries and mistakes made by either team that could end up deciding the final result. The Ducks must not think that this game will be a piece of cake otherwise OSU will have an opportunity to achieve what would be the biggest upset up to this point in the season.