Sports

As the aura of gameday filled the University of Oregon’s campus and the city of Eugene. The strength of the fanbase continues to flock together, proving why it’s one of the most infectious college football towns in the United States. 

The visiting No.7-ranked Indiana Hoosiers (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten) upset No.3-ranked Oregon Ducks (5-1, 3-1 Big Ten) 30-20 in Autzen Stadium. As the entire country set its eyes on the most anticipated game of the weekend, featuring two top-10 teams, the story throughout the game was how the Ducks responded to adversity.  

It never rains in Autzen Stadium, but on Saturday, it did. Wet weather was on the horizon, but it was the downpour from quarterback Fernando Mendoza and the Hoosiers’ offense that caused issues across the field for the Ducks’ defense. 

After leading the Ducks in tackles against Indiana, linebacker Bryce Boettcher acknowledged the lack of production from the defensive side of the ball and what comes…

The spotlight beamed on the seniors of the No. 15-ranked Thurston High School football team as the Colts hosted their final home game of the regular season against the No. 7-ranked Crater Comets.

With seven minutes remaining in the third quarter, Thurston was in full control, up 24-0 and driving. Around the Comets’ 15-yard line, junior quarterback Emmit Distefano lobbed a pass to the back right of the endzone. Senior tight end Rylan Sharp located the ball, turned and climbed the ladder while keeping his feet in for the score. The crowd erupted as the dagger was put into the Comets’ hearts. The Colts continued to cruise to a 44-7 victory, sending Sharp and the rest of the senior class off with one last regular-season home win.

“I was so proud of Rylan for going up and getting that ball,” Thurston head coach Justin Starck said. “He’s super tall, so he’s a mismatch and just couldn’t be more happy for him at that moment.”

Sophomore cornerback Bentlee Davenport also…

COTTAGE GROVE, Ore. - After a difficult league opener against Junction City, Cottage Grove football (1-4, 0-1 league) returned to Don King Field for homecoming weekend against Philomath (3-2, 0-1 league). The Lions were looking to break a five-game losing streak in 4A league play, as well as get their first-ever win against the Warriors.

A gritty, powerful rushing attack allowed the Lions to keep themselves in the game and end the first half down 7-6. But that would be the only scoring Cottage Grove would do, as the Warriors scored 26 unanswered to finish the game 33-6, getting their first league win of the year.

“As I’m entering the locker room, I’m disappointed,” Cottage Grove head coach Stephen Turner said. “We played a hell of a first half… they’re a big play team and that’s what beat us was big plays.”

In the first quarter, a series of bruising runs from sophomore running back Jacob Palluck got the Lions all the way down to the Philomath 11, but senior…

Welcome To The KWVA Sports Newsletter!

This is the first edition of our newsletter that will keep you up to date about what the KWVA Sports department is doing and what broadcasts we have coming up.

We are the student radio station at the campus of the University of Oregon. We serve as the flagship station for Oregon Ducks volleyball, softball, soccer and lacrosse, and we provide talent for television sports broadcasts on Big Ten Plus. Our sports department produces detailed game and feature stories, in-depth talk shows, and broadcasts of live events. 

This newsletter will keep you in the loop about what our sports department is up to, with updates coming every month. We’ll highlight our seasonal voices for various teams and include behind-the-scenes action of what our crew is up to throughout the year.

KWVA Sports’ Fall Season Now Underway

Our sports staff has been hard at work bringing you coverage for local…

The energy in Matthew Knight Arena was electric Friday night as the Ducks stepped onto their home floor for the first time in 26 days. In a five-set nail-biter, the student section roared as junior outside hitter Valentina Vaulet fired the ball onto the floor and sealed the win for Oregon. The hard-fought final set ended by a score of 19-17.

“I really want to talk about our crowd and our student section,” head coach Trent Kersten said. “That was so awesome, and we needed every single one of them that were here...It was such a great volleyball environment, and I was so grateful that everyone gave their time to watch our team play.”

While the home crowd definitely takes partial credit for the Ducks' win, the team's ability to stick together through adversity and come out on top is telling of just how far they can go. 

Even though it wasn’t the prettiest win, Oregon was still able to get the job done by sticking to what they knew. 

“I feel like it’s…

Fall football rolled around for the No. 17-ranked Thurston Colts (6-1, 3-0 League) as they took a short hop over to Springfield High School to take on the No. 21-ranked Springfield Millers (1-4, 1-2 League). 

Late in the third quarter, the Millers had the ball around their own 15-yard line and were scrambling for quick scores late as they trailed 31-7. Senior quarterback Matias Gutierrez took the snap, dropped back and lofted a pass to the left sideline. Colts sophomore Bentlee Davenport noticed the air on the ball and used the opportunity to jump the route, intercept the ball, and take it to the house for the pick-six and the dagger. The extra point went through, and this would be the final scoring of the game as Thurston mauled Springfield 38-7.

“Turnovers are always special,” Thurston head coach Justin Starck said. “They get the kids excited, and they change the game quickly.”

Leading the way for the Colts offense was junior quarterback Emmit Distefano,…

After being away on a seven-game road trip, Oregon (1-2, 10-3 BigTen) faced Iowa (1-2, 10-5 BigTen) at home Friday for its first game in Eugene since the start of the conference. It was the first game of two to be played at Matthew Knight this weekend. 

The first set of the game started off strong for the Ducks, the first point being made by junior Valentina Vaulet. After getting a few points on the scoreboard for Oregon, the Hawkeyes managed to catch up with the Ducks, only for them to answer back with on-point defense and kills. 

Throughout the entirety of the first set, the Ducks dominated with their calm and collected energy, brushing off errors made. Their morale never broke, and it seemed to have contributed to their success in the first set. Every dig, assist, block and kill was carefully placed as Oregon moved as one unit. The set ended with an Oregon win, 25-19. 

“We train every day and put so many reps in for games like this,” said Vaulet…

EUGENE, Ore. - Hoping to secure their first win in six games, Oregon women’s soccer (2-6-2, 0-2-1 Big Ten) faced off against the Northwestern Wildcats (4-1-5, 0-0-3 Big Ten) at Papé Field. A strong battle between two teams looking for their first conference win ended in a scoreless draw.

“I think we played a little cleaner,” Oregon head coach Tracy Joyner said. “… And I think we were hard to defend today.”

The early phase of the match was dominated by the strong defense from both teams. Neither team could get a true look on goal until the 11th minute, when Megan Norkett placed the ball off target for the Wildcats.

Taylor Bryan gave Oregon its first shot in the 12th minute, before it went out for a Ducks corner. Off the corner from sophomore Carly Cormack, Abella Hunter launched the ball over the top crossbar.

In the 19th minute, Kennedy Roesch gave Northwestern its second look on goal, but Selah Simms blocked it before it could bounce into the net.

…

EUGENE, Ore. — Since the first football game between Oregon and Oregon State on Nov. 3, 1894, the two teams have only hit pause in 1911, as rowdy fan behavior caused disruptions after the previous year’s game ended, and 1943 and 1944, due to war. However, the series will take a pause in 2026 after conference realignment made the historic matchup a non-conference game.

In the 129th meeting between the two teams, the Ducks won their third straight and second straight as a non-conference clash in September — 41-7 over the Beavers. 

“I think everyone feels like this resonates a little bit more when it's on that Thanksgiving weekend,” head coach Dan Lanning said. “It's a little bit different when it's not, but it's still a game that means a ton.”

Led by the run game, Oregon overwhelmed Oregon State on Saturday afternoon. Six running backs, one quarterback, and one punter racked up 280 yards across 46 carries.

“We talked about winning the trenches before this…

As the crowd squeezed out the last bit of sun before the rainy season, the Oregon State Beavers (0-4, 0-0 Pac-12) made the hour trek south to Eugene to face the No. 6-ranked Oregon Ducks (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten) for the I-5 showdown.

With eight minutes left in the third quarter, the Ducks were up 21-7 and were faced with the opportunity to blow the game open with the ball on the Beaver 13-yard line. Sophomore quarterback Dante Moore took the snap in shotgun, dropped back to pass, fired and completed to an unlikely source, freshman wide receiver Jeremiah McClellan, for the touchdown. This was McClellan’s first touchdown of his career and made it 21 unanswered for the Oregon crew as they cruised to a 41-7 stomping that continued their perfect 4-0 season.

“It felt amazing to score a touchdown for the Ducks,” McClellan said. “To hear all the fans yelling, being excited with my brothers out there, it was amazing. Fantastic.”

Moore led the offensive charge for the Ducks as he…