By Cole Rothman

 Tonight the Oregon Ducks Volleyball Team faced off against the Arizona wildcats, in what proved to be yet another tragic loss for the women from Eugene. Sitting at 11th in the Pac-12 standings, if there was one team the Eugene faithful hoped the Ducks could beat it was Arizona. Entering the night, the Wildcats were the only team worse than the Ducks in the Pac-12, with a record of 2-12 in conference play. However that was not the feeling around Matthew Knight Arena after the match ended. The Ducks lost in 3 straight sets (25-20, 27-25, 25-21) to an Arizona side that proved to be more composed and efficient late in sets. 

The match was well contested by the Ducks throughout, but the women in white and green just were not able to close out a set when it mattered the most. The Ducks were led by the usual cast of characters tonight's in what marked the Ducks 7th loss by way of the broom this season. Ronika Stone, Brooke Nuneviller and Willow Johnson combined for 32 of the Ducks 43 kills on the night and setters Elise Ferreira and Kylie Robinson combined for 35 of 39 assists for Oregon. The Ducks, already well out of playoff contention, now face the challenge of balancing minutes between valued seniors and future contributors over the last couple games this season. Still, it would be nice if the Ducks could muster one more Matthew Knight Arena Victory for their impactful seniors Ronika Stone and Willow Johnson. The Ducks next chance to secure the seniors one final home victory comes this Sunday at 1 p.m. against the Arizona State Sun Devils.  

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