Volleyball: Ducks, Bruins Each Look to Extend Streaks in Friday Night Clash
Photo Courtesy of Emerald Media
The Oregon Ducks volleyball team hasn’t lost a home game to the UCLA Bruins since 2010, thus winning four straight against the team. During those four years, the Ducks have only dropped three sets at home against the Bruins while winning twelve.
UCLA (15-3, 6-2) has climbed the NCAA rankings to 10th in the country with a convincing win over #8 Hawai’i, and sweeping both #13 Arizona State and #14 Arizona.
Oregon (10-7, 4-4) on the other hand, has dropped seven of its last twelve games. This includes being swept by #4 Washington and #14 Arizona which moved down to 25th in the country.
The Ducks will look to outside hitters Martenne Bettendorf, Taylor Agost, and Lindsey Vander Weide to continue their success from the team’s win at Washington State last Sunday, October 19th, where the trio combined for 34 kills and 11 blocks.
Junior middle blocker Kacey Nady also racked up 11 kills to go along with 6 blocks in the game while sophomore Setter Maggie Scott looks to build on her 48 assist, 10 dig, 3 block effort.
With tough upcoming Pac-12 games against a plethora of ranked teams in USC, Stanford, Arizona State, Stanford, and another match against UCLA in November, Oregon looks to move up in the NCAA rankings. Not only would a win move Oregon up in the national rankings, it would also move them into a fourth place tie with Stanford in the Pac-12.
The Bruins will look to add to a streak of the team’s own as the Bruins head to Matthew Knight Arena. UCLA has won the team’s last five games, only dropping one set in total during those games. In the Bruins’ last game at home against Arizona State, junior middle blocker Jennie Frager set career highs with twelve kills and a .706 hitting percentage to go along with no errors. UCLA won the match, 3-0.
UCLA also had strong outings from outside hitters Jordan Anderson (15 kills, 3 digs, 1 block), Reily Buechler (12 kills, 8 digs, 2 blocks), and Claire Felix (11 kills, 3 digs, and six blocks). Redshirt sophomore setter Ryan Chandler set up her hitters nicely with 43 assists to go along with 14 digs.
With a win over the Ducks in Eugene, UCLA would keep pace with second placed Washington in the Pac-12 standings. A win would also give the Bruins another impressive victory over a ranked opponent, adding to the team’s already strong number of wins against ranked teams, and most likely increasing their national ranking.
With both teams’ streaks on the line, and more importantly national and Pac-12 rankings on the line, the Ducks and Bruins will battle it out Friday, October 23rd, in Matthew Knight Arena at 6 p.m.
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