Ducks Eye Weekend Sweep of USC
Coming off of a thrilling comeback five-set win over USC on Friday, Oregon will look to sweep the weekend with the Trojans on Sunday at 2 p.m. (Pac-12 Network). The Ducks fended off a USC match point in set four Friday before going on to win the match, 22-25, 25-17, 23-25, 28-26, 15-8. Oregon will look to win its fifth in a row over USC in Los Angeles and its seventh in the last nine road matches against the Trojans. The Ducks are also looking for their first three-match winning streak since the 2018 season.
MATCH INFO
When: Sunday, February 7
Time: 2 p.m. PT
Where: Los Angeles, Calif. (Galen Center)
TV: Pac-12 Network; PBP: Anne Marie Anderson
Live Stream: https://pac-12.com/live
SERIES HISTORY
USC leads, 54-15
USC has dominated the all-time series, holding a 54-15 advantage, but Oregon has won four of the last seven meetings, with the road team winning all of those.
DID YOU KNOW?
Brooke Nuneviller is the only Pac-12 player averaging at least 2.50 kills and 3.00 digs per set. Nuneviller was the only player in the conference in 2019 to average at least 2.5 kills and 3.5 digs per set.
GUTSY EFFORT
Oregon won its first Friday match of the season when it came from behind for a gritty five-set win over USC on Friday. The Ducks held USC to a .163 hitting percentage while forcing the Trojans into 34 hitting errors thanks in part to 12 blocks. Despite hitting under .200, Oregon again displayed balance offensively, with five players recording at least seven kills.
BREAK OUT THE SPATULAS
One of Oregon's strengths on the young season has been its defense. The Ducks currently have four players averaging at least 2.40 digs per set with all three ranking in the top 30 of the conference. Brooke Nuneviller and Georgia Murphy are currently the only pair of teammates in the top five of the conference in total digs, with Nuneviller in fourth and Murphy fifth.
ONE AND ONLY
Since moving to outside hitter at the start of last season, junior Brooke Nuneviller has established herself as one of the most versatile players in the country. Last year, she was the only player in the Pac-12 to average at least 2.5 kills and 3.5 digs per set and is the only player in the conference to be averaging 3,0 digs per set and 2.5 kills per set this year. Nuneviller was the first player in the conference since 2014 and one of only two since 2010 to finish the season averaging 2.5 kills and 3.5 digs per set (Madi Kingdon - Arizona). She also became the first Pac-12 player since 2016 to finish a season with at least 400 digs and 300 kills.
DOING IT ALL
Brooke Nuneviller has picked up where she left off last year, putting on a strong all-around performance through four matches in 2021. She is one of three players in the conference to lead her team in both kills and digs per set and has recorded three double-doubles in the first four matches. Nuneviller is also averaging 0.50 blocks per set and has led the team in attack attempts in each of the four matches. She has four double-doubles in the first five matches, with double-figure digs in each of the first five. Her 18 digs vs. UCLA on Jan. 31 are tied for the most by a Pac-12 player in a three-set mtach this season.
BIG-TIME ADDITION
One of the biggest additions to the Oregon roster this past offseason has not disappointed through her first four matches as a Duck. Junior transfer Gloria Mutiri is currently second on the team with 2.43 kills per set and 51 total kills while hitting .288. She has led the team in kills in each of the three wins this season, finishing with 15 at Washington State, 11 vs. UCLA and 10 at USC on Friday. Mutiri finished tied for the team-lead in kills in last Sunday's win over the Bruins with 11 on 20 swings while hitting .450 for the match. She turned in a big-time performance in Oregon's first win of the season against Washington State, finishing with a match-high 15 kills on 32 attempts while hitting .313. She came through in the clutch in the victory, putting down four kills in the fifth set of that match. The Sand Springs, Okla. native arrived in Eugene after playing two seasons at Kansas State, where she owned a .252 career hitting percentage and was named the AVCA Midwest Freshman of the Year in 2018.
WELCOME BACK, T-BO
After missing the entire 2019 season due to injury, senior Taylor Borup made her return to the court in 2021. Borup has turned in a strong all-around performance through the first four matches, averaging 2.14 kills, 2.38 digs and 0.48 blocks per set. She had her best offensive performance of the early season in last Sunday's sweep of No. 19 UCLA, finishing with 11 kills on 25 attempts while hitting .400 to go alonw with seven digs. The Leesburg, Va. played in 20 matches as a junior in 2018 and made an impact both offensively and defensively, averaging 2.23 kills/set to go along with 2.08 digs/set. The Ducks went 6-0 in the matches in which she had double-figures in kills. Borup also earned AVCA National Player of the Week honors in October of that season after recording 23 kills and 27 diigs while hitting .385 in matches at UCLA and USC.