Sports

EUGENE, Ore. — The Oregon Ducks pulverized the visiting Utah State Aggies 70-34 on Sunday afternoon. The game was close in the first quarter, but behind the Ducks' excellent defense and timely scoring, they found the path to a dominant victory. Katie Fiso and Sophia Rambus both led the team with 13 points. The Ducks played a team game with every player except one recording a point while shutting down the Utah State offense.

Though a cloudy day outside in Eugene, inside Matthew Knight Arena, it was rocking, reminiscent of the College GameDay event held on campus the day before. Oregon (6-0) came in undefeated on the season, coming off an 86-59 vs Washington State on Wednesday. Utah State (3-3) last played against Omaha, where they won 77-69. The Ducks were trying to secure their second-straight 6-0 start to begin the season. 

Oregon got big games from senior Mia Jacobs and sophomore Katie Fiso, who each scored 20 in two of their last three games. Jacobs, the…

EUGENE, Ore. — Oregon (15-13, 6-12 BigTen) women’s volleyball hosted its last home game at Matthew Knight Arena against Michigan (21-8, 11-7 Big Ten) this Saturday. The Ducks had faced the USC Trojans days prior and succumbed to an unfortunate loss. Oregon hoped to win Saturday's game in order to bring it home for the Ducks one last time. 

Early on in the first set, it was a back-and-forth fight. Every time Michigan managed to get on the scoreboard, Oregon answered back with a kill and vice versa. Errors such as service errors, passing mistakes and missed attacks are what caused the back-and-forth limbo state. 

Scrappy plays and scrambling for the ball defined the first set. The ball was everywhere, and wherever the ball went, the Ducks followed. Amazing plays started by senior Cora Taylor and executed by Alanah Clemente, Valentina Vaulet and Sophia Meyers are what kept Oregon in the game. Other players, such as freshmen Reese Sheppard and Natalie Fukumoto,…

EUGENE, Ore. — Coming off the big win against No. 9 Purdue over the weekend, Oregon (15-12, 6-11 BigTen) faced off against No. 16 USC (21-6, 12-5 BigTen) for the second time in the conference this Wednesday. The Ducks faced the Trojans on the road back in October, losing in three sets. Wednesday’s game gave the Ducks a chance at retribution. 

The Ducks ‘retribution did not come without a fight. Just a handful of points into the first set, Oregon kept denying the Trojans’ attempts to kill the ball, blocking ball after ball until Alanah Clemente pushed the ball deep into USC’s court and earned the Ducks the point. Fans in the stands shot up and roared in cheers after the long-anticipated point. The crowd seemed to have wanted it just as much as Oregon did. 

The entire first set was back and forth. Whenever USC scored, Oregon answered back. Balls going in between blocks and the defense not being there in corners were the main cause of Oregon’s struggles. The…

EUGENE, Ore. - After being named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week for the second time this season, Oregon Women’s Volleyball (15-12, 6-11 Big Ten) breakout freshman star Alanah Clemente continued her dominance on the court against the No. 16 USC Trojans (21-6, 12-5 Big Ten) in a four set defeat (33-31, 26-28, 26-28, 19-25).

“I thought we did a great job and we battled,” Oregon head coach Trent Kersten said. “We’re a better team than we were a month ago.” 

Coming off the upset victory over No. 9 Purdue and a career high in kills, Clemente got off to a hot start, nailing a service ace on her first serve of the match. The Big Ten Conference leader in service aces would go on to record two total aces in the match, along with coming just one kill short of tying her career high, recording 24 total kills on the night.

After falling behind early, attacking errors from USC allowed Oregon to keep it close throughout the first set and send it well past the 25 points…

When the No. 8 Oregon Ducks (8-1, 5-1 Big Ten) took the field Friday night against the unranked Minnesota Golden Gophers (6-3, 4-2), it was the first time in nearly a year the Ducks had played under their home lights.

Oregon got a late boost to its offense, as star tight end Kenyon Sadiq made his triumphant return to the gridiron. Sadiq immediately had an impact on the game, making an incredible diving catch to set up the first touchdown of the game.

After an unsuccessful rush from quarterback Dante Moore, the ball was handed off to running back Jordon Davison, who put the Ducks ahead 7-0 after the extra point was tacked on.

Oregon’s defense didn’t disappoint either, holding its opponent to negative yards on its first drive of the game.

The second drive of the game made it 14-0 in the Ducks’ favor, as Davison weaved through a swarm of Golden Gophers for his second six points of the quarter, marking his sixth multi-touchdown game of his collegiate career.…

Under the bright Friday night lights, with a brisk chill settling over the field, fans piled into The Farm, buzzing with anticipation for a matchup that promised fireworks from the opening whistle, as No. 5 Thurston hosted No. 13 Churchill with hopes of stamping its ticket into the state semifinals. 

After a gritty 34-17 victory over No. 12-ranked Bend, the Colts looked to flip the script this week as they welcomed Churchill for the second round of the 5A OSAA state tournament. For the Lancers, following a huge upset win last week, where they took down No. 4 Lebanon. The Lancers hope to keep their state hopes alive with another upset win on the road against the Colts. 

After already meeting this season, with Thurston coming out on top, the Colts looked to repeat the process once again by relying on this effective offense. The Lancers sought to avenge their earlier season loss by looking to their flashy rushing attack.

Thurston came into the game with a…

EUGENE, Ore. – Senior players are essential for every team. There is a need for leadership and unwavering support on the court, and senior players perfectly exude that. 

No. 12 Oregon (14-10, 5-9 BigTen) faced No. 8 Michigan State (18-6, 8-6 BigTen) in Matthew Knight Arena on Sunday after a long stretch of away games, where seniors on both sides were acknowledged and celebrated for Senior Day. 

Senior Ducks Cora Taylor, Sophia Meyers and Maya De Los Reyes were highlighted for Sunday's game. Des Los Reyes has been with the team since the 2022 season, where she started out as a serving specialist before progressing into the team’s defensive specialist. She is the only returning player after the complete disbandment of Oregon’s team, which included Coach Matt Ulmer and outside hitter Mimi Colyer parting ways with the school. 

Taylor, the Ducks’ setter, played for Butler before playing for Oregon. With the Bulldogs, she amassed 3,036 assists during her…

EUGENE, Ore. – Senior night fell on the Oregon Ducks Volleyball team (14-10, 5-9 Big Ten) on Sunday as the Michigan State Spartans (18-6, 8-6 Big Ten) made the trek out west to take on the Ducks at Matthew Knight Arena.

In the decisive fifth set, Oregon was down 15-14 and needed a rally to stay alive. After the serve and return, freshman opposite Alanah Clemente belted a spike, but was rejected, and the ball was sent back to the Ducks. Oregon tried to set up again, but a miscommunication made the ball almost fall to the floor, and Clemente had to quickly poke it up, but it went into the face of sophomore middle blocker Iva Sucurovic and to the ground. The Spartans took the match, and the Ducks were left disappointed with the game, losing folly.

“There are simply too many hitting errors from us,” Oregon head coach Trent Kerston said. “As far as volleyball execution goes, we didn’t hit the ball on the court…

EUGENE, Ore. — The Bushnell Beacons won their home opener against the Linfield Wildcats 89-70. It was a physical and competitive game with both teams going on runs. Bushnell was able to prolong its offense while shutting down the Linfield motion offense, leading to a dominant win to start the home season.

Bushnell (1-1) came in looking to rebound from its first loss of the season, facing the Linfield Wildcats, who made their season debut with their brand new coach and Bushnell graduate, Elijah Gurash. Both teams looked to make a statement early in the year.

Bushnell won the tip and quickly got a bucket from Kaleb Burnett, then Linfield responded with a bucket of its own. The Wildcats proceeded to make the next four 3-pointers while the Beacons got their buckets in the paint. There was aggressive defense on both sides, with blocking fouls called on both teams. 

After a made layup for Bushnell by Burnett made it 17-14, Linfield missed a 3-pointer. Bushnell, on…

SPRINGFIELD, Ore. — Playoff football returned to Thurston for the first time since 2022, and the atmosphere made it clear how much it meant. The stands were packed, the student section loud, and a crisp 48-degree night gave it the perfect fall football feel. 

Two weeks after closing out the conference slate with a dominant win at North Eugene, the 8–1 Colts, seeded fifth, hosted the 4–5 Bend Lava Bears, seeded 13th, in the opening round.

Bend came in with a run-heavy offense that had struggled through the air, managing only six passing touchdowns all season. Thurston entered with momentum after clinching the Midwestern League title and showcasing one of the area’s most balanced attacks.

In the final regular season game against North Eugene, Thurston’s biggest issues had been self-inflicted. Fumbles, penalties, and a handful of mental mistakes kept the Colts from delivering a truly clean performance. Head coach Justin Starck said after that game that those…