By Liam Baker

The fifth-ranked Ducks (15-2, 5-1 Pac-12) head back to home court after a successful road trip to Colorado and Utah which saw them drop just one set all weekend. The Ducks put together another strong defensive performance holding both teams to a sub-.130 hitting percentage. The defense was anchored by Morgan Lewis and Karson Bacon, who both totaled 13 blocks. Hannah Pukis continued her strong senior campaign with her 12th double-double of the season against Utah. Mimi Colyer picked up two more double-digit kill games but struggled to limit the attack errors, hitting below .200 for the sixth game in a row. Ohio State transfer Gabby Gonzales had arguably the best performance of the weekend as she accounted for 24 total kills while hitting above .300 in both games.

What to expect vs. Arizona (Friday at 7 p.m.)
The Wildcats (6-11, 1-5) are one of the cellar-dwellers in the Pac-12. With just one Pac-12 win on the season against UCLA it is hard to imagine the Wildcats pulling off the upset over Oregon. Arizona is not a particularly strong offensive or defensive team ranking outside the top 100 in hitting percentage and outside the top 200 in opponents' hitting percentage. The two bright spots for the Wildcats are seniors Jaelyn Hodge and Sofia Maldonado Diaz. Both outside hitters rank in the top 10 in the Pac-12 in kills and in the top 15 in kills per set. Those two players will be the focus of Ducks Head Coach Matt Ulmer's defense, which ranks ninth nationally in opposing hitting percentage at .149. While the Wildcats do have some powerful attackers, Oregon is the better team across the board and should show that on Friday.

What to expect vs. Arizona State (Sunday at 12 p.m.)
Arizona State (17-1, 5-1) currently sits in a tie for second in the Pac-12 with the Ducks with their sole loss on the season coming against Stanford. The 19th-ranked Sun Devils have one of the best attacks in the country. Led by senior Marta Levinska, who is ranked in the top 25 in the country in kills (262) and kills per set (4.23), the Sun Devils boast a .306 team hitting percentage which is fifth best in the nation. Much like Oregon, Arizona State has a talented setter of their own. Setter Shannon Shields passed 2,000 career assists last weekend and averages over 10 assists per set. One of the strongest parts of the Sun Devil's game is their serving. Mary Shroll, Shields and Levinska all have at least 25 aces on the season, and the Sun Devils are 10th in the country with 2.10 aces per set. The Ducks have struggled with receiving the serve in losses this season, getting aced eight times in their loss to Washington State. Both teams are one of the premiere teams in the conference, which should make for a great match on Sunday.

Prediction
The key for the Ducks this weekend is not making unforced errors. Doing so has hurt them a lot in the past and could again this weekend. Oregon should have no problem beating the Wildcats but will need to be on their A-game to take down the Sun Devils. Expect Oregon to feed off their home crowd at Matthew Knight Arena on their way to a weekend sweep.

Oregon 3, Arizona 0
Oregon 3, Arizona State 1