EUGENE, Ore. — Fresh off a hard-fought loss to No. 1 Nebraska in front of a record-breaking crowd at Matthew Knight Arena, the No. 12 Oregon Ducks bounced back Sunday night to earn a four-set victory over Northwestern on Senior Night.
Oregon honored seniors Valentina Vaulet and Marina Crownover before the match, setting a determined tone for one of the final regular-season home matches of the year.
“Marina’s just a competitive spirit, she leads with her heart on her sleeve,” Head Coach Trent Kersten said of his seniors. “And Val leads with her consistency, her belief in what she can do, and her overall skill.”
The Ducks set the tone early in the opening set. Driven by an early kill from Vaulet, Oregon overcame a few unforced errors to build a 12-8 lead, forcing a Northwestern timeout. Despite the Wildcats chipping away at the deficit late, sophomore Alanah Clemente hammered down the set-winning kill to secure the opening frame.
The second set brought more back-and-forth as both teams scored a point one after the other. Northwestern held a narrow advantage until Clemente sparked the Ducks with a block followed immediately by a kill, sending Oregon into the media timeout up 15-13.
“We come in every single day willing to work, and we know in moments where we need to max out and take really big swings,” freshman Alaina Pollard said of stopping Northwestern's momentum. “I think we’re willing to execute and be there for the team in moments like that.”
With the teams tied at 20, Northwestern pushed ahead late to earn set point. Oregon answered with a Pollard kill to extend the frame, and a crucial successful challenge on a net violation flipped the momentum back to the Ducks. An attack error by Northwestern’s Isabella Bullington capped off the thrilling set, giving Oregon a 26-24 win and a 2-0 match lead.
The Wildcats refused to go down quietly in the third set, taking advantage of early Oregon errors to build a commanding six-point lead. Oregon called a pair of timeouts to regroup, but Northwestern stayed hot, taking the frame 25-18 to extend the match.
“There wasn’t a lot to say that was life-changing,” Kersten said regarding the huddle before the fourth set. “It was just, ‘We’ve got to go back to playing our average."
The message was received as Oregon came out firing. Opening up a 7-3 lead and dominating the floor. The Ducks continued their domination as they reached 15 before the Wildcats were able to reach double digits. Oregon reached 20 as Northwestern finally reached double digits as the Ducks aimed to get those last five points to win the match.
The Ducks reached match point, and Holley McFadden hit the game-winning kill to close out a decisive 25-11 fourth-set win.
The Ducks head to Los Angeles this week for matches against USC and UCLA before returning home on November 17 for their regular-season finale against Washington at Matthew Knight Arena. Oregon will then head to Indiana for the Big Ten Tournament.