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Oregon State Falls in Four to Wildcats

by osubeavers.com
Feb 21, 2021

TUCSON, Ariz. – The Oregon State volleyball team fell in four sets, 3-1, to Arizona on Sunday afternoon in the McKale Memorial Center.
 
Arizona opened the game by taking the first two sets 25-17 and 25-21. Oregon State answered in a tightly contested set three win, 27-25. The Wildcats earned the 3-1 match win after taking set four, 25-14.
 
Mychael Vernon opened the match with a kill as OSU opened the set on a 9-5 run to force an Arizona timeout. The Wildcats took their first lead at 12-11, eventually opening the game up to a 24-14 margin. Oregon State fought off three straight set points before Arizona closed the set with a 25-17 win.
 
The teams split the first 10 points of set two but OSU went on a 5-1 run that included kills from Vernon, and Izzi Szulczewski, and Aliyah McDonald as the Wildcats called their first timeout, trailing 10-6. Following the timeout, Arizona pulled in front, 15-12, off a 9-2 run to make OSU use their first timeout.
 
Kateryna Tkachenko got a kill to spark a 5-2 Beaver run to knot the game at 17 all, forcing Arizona to call a timeout. After a 19-19 tie, the Wildcats earned back-to-back points to force OSU to use its second timeout.
 
Arizona closed set two on a 4-2 run to go up two sets to none in the match with a 25-21 win.
 
Oregon State opened set three on a 6-2 run before a Lindsey Schell kill forced Arizona to call a timeout. A McDonald kill sparked a 5-0 OSU run to jump in front 17-12. Arizona responded with a run of its own, cutting the deficit to one and forcing a Beaver timeout.
 
The Wildcats took three of the next four points to go up one, 19-18, causing OSU to burn its second timeout. The teams battled back and forth, but it was Oregon State prevailing with the 27-25 win after a service ace from Grace Massey.
 
Set four began with an ace from Ellie Turner and an Arizona setting error as the Wildcats called an early timeout. Oregon State called its first timeout after Arizona took an 11-5 lead.
 
The Wildcats did not look back as they went to win the set, 25-14, and the match 3-1.
 
Match Notes:

  • Freshman Mychael Vernon led the Beavers with 12 kills and freshman Kateryna Tkachenko posted 11 kills.
  • Freshman Izzi Szulczewski posted a team-high 36 assists.
  • Senior Grace Massey recorded a team-high 11 digs.
  • Junior Lindsey Schell had a game-best five blocks.
  • Oregon State out-blocked Arizona 9-5.

Next Up: Oregon State hosts Stanford in a pair of back-to-back games on Feb. 26 and 27 in Gill Coliseum. The series opens with a 6 pm (PT) game and closes with a 6:30 pm match.
 
Oregon State volleyball fans are encouraged to join Off the Bench, the program's new donor club. Click here for more information or call Alyssa Whitney at 541-231-4351 or email Rebecca McCaulley at rebecca.mccaulley@osufoundation.org.
 
For more information on the Oregon State volleyball team, follow the club's official Twitter account at Twitter.com/BeaverVBall, by Facebook at Facebook.com/BeaverVBall or on Instagram at Instagram.com/BeaverVBall.
 
 

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