Oregon volleyball had an ideal outcome over this last weekend. Playing in the comfy confines of Matthew Knight Arena, they defeated Iowa and Ohio State – two teams that they really needed to defeat in order
to stay out of the lower third in the B1G rankings, and gain confidence to compete in the tougher matches that await them later in conference play.
Iowa
On Friday, Iowa and Oregon played a thrilling match to five sets, with plenty of highs and lows on both sides. Oregon ultimately prevailed 25-19, 19-25, 25-15, 16-25, 19-17.
The Ducks and Hawkeyes traded sets one and two by identical scores, 25-19. In the third set, Oregon showed the kind of defensive cohesion that was missing in their initial conference matches. The Ducks know that they have been lacking, and their work in improving their defensive play is bearing fruit.
Oregon jumped to a five-point lead in the third set, and the Hawkeyes were never in it.
In the fourth set, the sides were tied at 7-7, and then Iowa took over.
The Hawkeyes went on a 8-0 run, and two timeouts by Oregon could not stem the bloodletting. The deficit was too much for the Ducks to overcome, and Iowa took the fourth set.
The deciding fifth set was a nail biter all the way. It looked like Oregon was in trouble, when Iowa took three in a row to take an 8-5 lead. The Ducks answered with three points of their own, and from then on neither side was able to get more than two points up on the other side. Incredibly, Oregon saved four match points to stay alive.
Down 17-16, Oregon finally put together three in a row to take the set and match.
Both sides had three players with double-digit kills, led by Valentina Vaulet’s double-double of 19 kills and 11 digs. Cora Taylor had 44 assists and Natalie Fukumoto pulled out 12 digs.
Ohio State
The 2025 team picked up their first sweep of a Big Ten opponent, taking care of Ohio State last night 25-21, 25-20, 25-17.
The Ducks were dominant in all phases of the match. They limited the Buckeyes to a .117 H%, and led in both blocks and digs. Oregon really cleaned up their serve game, committing on 3 SE with 5 SA. As a team, the Ducks had 32 digs to 24 for OSU.
The match did not start as it ended, with the Buckeyes jumping to a 9-4 lead while Oregon was slow to get going. The Ducks rallied, but OSU still held the lead mid-set.
After a scorching ace by Alanah Clemente, Oregon took the lead and ended the set with a 5-2 run.
Oregon started the second set with a 7-0 run, and kept that lead when Ohio State could not overcome the Oregon wall at the net.
Oregon continued their roll into the third set, and the Buckeyes could not keep pace.
(This video is erroneously labeled Postgame vs. Iowa, but it is Ohio State instead).
Oregon took the steps that they needed to take to improve their game against Big Ten competition. They next hit the road and will face a USC team that was ranked #17 before losing to Indiana and Purdue over the weekend. The Ducks then return home for a match against the Huskies next Sunday.
