After an all-around shaky first set for the Oregon Ducks in which Michelle Ohwobete shined bright, no moment was brighter than her emphatic kill and block on back-to-back plays to score the Ducks’ 24th and second-set-clinching 25th point -- sending the Duck faithful into a frenzy that Ohwobete matched with a scream of her own.
The senior outside hitter’s intensity undoubtedly anchored the Ducks’ energy the rest of the way, ensuring that this would not be the final game of her career.
“Michelle is very stable, and she’s really good at communicating,” middle blocker Onye Ofoegbu said about Ohwobete’s second set. “She’s really good about being intentional with her play, and that energy for us always makes us feel more stable. It feels like she’s a foundational player on our team. It’s awesome.”
Beyond her energetic impact, Ohwobete lit up the score sheet, notching her third double-double in the last four games, and ninth on the season, making all-around impacts with 12 kills and 14 digs. She also supplied two blocks, including the aforementioned vicious stuff job that ended the second set.
Ohwobete bolstered the Ducks’ service attack contributing three aces — two of which were back-to-back to begin the third set — to a team tally of 12, lifting Oregon to its first positive service ace-to-error ratio since its matchup against Michigan State on Nov. 21.
“[TCU] is one of the better passing teams in the country, and we just had 12 aces,” head coach Matt Ulmer remarked. “We really took them out with our serving and that was from a lot of people, so that’s a great sign for us, and something we’re going to have to bring in the next round and beyond to be successful.”
While Ohwobete’s efforts inspired the squad as a whole, none came on stronger than junior outside hitter Mimi Colyer, who returned to form after Thursday’s hardships. She ripped 11 kills, a service ace — an area she has struggled recently — hitting at a ridiculous clip of .476 in the final two sets.
Colyer spoke on how she adjusted to produce her bounceback night.
“Just talking it out with our teammates and trusting our teammates and our training,” Colyer said. “We talked with Matt and [setter] Cris [Cline], and she fixed some problems from last night. We were able to adjust really well tonight and work to our advantage.”
Colyer led all players in kills, an impressive feat when the nation’s third-place holder in kills and Big 12 Player of the Year, Melanie Parra, was on the other side of the net.
Needless to say, these two have been superstars for Oregon all year, as they sit as the leader and runner-up in kills and service aces while sitting together in the top five in digs and blocks as well. They say that the best players shine on the biggest stage, and that could not have been truer; Ohwobete and Colyer’s performances burned the house down at Matthew Knight Arena, clinching the Ducks’ third straight trip to the Sweet 16 in front of a raucous home crowd. How far the Ducks make it from here will continue to rely on the performance of these two high-flying heroines.
“I want to make [my final season] last as long as possible,” sixth-year senior Ofoegbu said, a sentiment that is certainly shared among all Duck players regardless of whether they’re graduating before next season or not.
The next step? The Sweet 16.
The Ducks will travel to Pennsylvania where they will open play in the Pittsburgh Regional. They will face the winner of the No. 1 Pitt Panthers vs. the No. 8 Oklahoma Sooners matchup taking place on Dec. 7, at 7 p.m. EST.