Home Stand Begins Friday Against Cal

EUGENE, Ore. – The No. 14 Oregon volleyball team opens a four-match home stand Friday night against California. The Ducks carry a 12-2 overall record with a 3-1 mark through the first two weeks of the Pac-12 schedule. Oregon has won six of seven matches this season at Matthew Knight Arena.
 
How to Follow
Friday, Oct. 8 vs California | 7 p.m.
TV: Pac-12 Networks
Watch Online | Live Stats
 
Last Time Out
The then-No. 11 Oregon volleyball team had its six-match winning streak snapped with a four-set loss at 19th-ranked Utah (Oct. 3). Libero Georgia Murphy led all players with 18 digs while Taylor Borup tallied a team-high 11 kills and Brooke Nuneviller recorded her seventh double-double of the season with 10 kills and 11 digs. The Ducks' offense was held to a season-low .173 hitting percentage in the setback. Oregon entered the match off a four-set victory at No. 24 Colorado (Oct. 1).
 
In the Rankings
Oregon checks in at No. 14 in this week's release (Oct. 4) of the AVCA top-25 poll. The Ducks have been ranked inside the top 15 in each poll this season. In the first NCAA RPI release of the year, Oregon is the No. 19 team in the country.
 
Leaders of the Pac(k)
Entering Friday's match, the Ducks lead the Pac-12 in opponent hitting percentage (.138), blocks per set (2.83 b/s; also 10th in the NCAA) and digs per set (16.20 d/s). Oregon has three matches this season with at least 90 digs including a season-high 97 digs at Rice (Sept. 2). Individually, Abby Hansen continues to top the Pac-12 with 1.43 blocks per set which is also good for 11th in the NCAA.
 
Nice and Efficient
Karson Bacon ranks second in the Pac-12 and seventh in the NCAA with a .451 hitting percentage. She has seven outing this season with at least six kills coupled with a .500 or higher efficiency (list below). During conference play, Bacon is hitting .547 with 2.44 kills per set. In addition to her offensive output, Bacon is tied for 10th in the conference with 1.06 blocks per set.
 
8/27 vs Portland State – 7 kills / .583 pct
9/3 vs SMU (N) – 8 kills / .636 pct
9/16 at Howard – 6 kills / .600 pct
9/17 vs Harvard – 8 kills / .615 pct
9/22 vs Oregon State – 9 kills / .818 pct
9/26 at Arizona State – 13 kills (career high) / .765 pct
10/3 at #19 Utah – 9 kills / .500 pct
 
Series History | Oregon vs California
California leads the all-time series, 55-30, but Oregon has won 13 of the past 15 meetings; 11 of those 13 wins coming in straight sets. The Ducks have won three in a row including both matches last season in Eugene. Oregon also holds a 7-1 advantage dating back to the start of the 2017 season, the first year under head coach Matt Ulmer.
 
Welcome Back, Georgia
In her first match since Sept. 17 at American, libero Georgia Murphy collected a season-high 27 digs in the Ducks' four-set win at No. 24 Colorado (Oct. 1). That total is tied for the most by a Pac-12 player in four sets this season. Murphy helped hold the Buffs to a season-ow .126 hitting percentage and added six assists. She capped with the weekend with 18 digs and five assists against No. 19 Utah. During the weekend, Murphy averaged 5.63 digs per set; she ranks second in the Pac-12 with 4.71 digs per set this season.
 
Becca Steps Right In
With Georgia Murphy out of the lineup, Becca Morse donned the libero jersey during the opening week of Pac-12 play and responded with 20 digs in the Ducks' straight-set win over Oregon State (Sept. 22). In two matches, she averaged 4.88 digs per set. The Tempe, Ariz., native picked up 19 digs in Oregon's five-set win at Arizona State.
 
What's An Error?
During the opening week of Pac-12 play, middle blocker Karson Bacon posted a .786 hitting percentage with 22 kills on 28 swings with no attack errors. She put down a career-high 13 kills (13-0-17) in the win at Arizona State to go along with the nine kills (9-0-11) against Oregon State. For the week, the Fontana, Calif., native averaged 2.75 kills per set and 1.38 blocks per set.
 
Balanced Attack
The Ducks enter the weekend with a .266 hitting percentage, good for third in the Pac-12 this year. The UO offense features five players averaging more than two kills per set. The attack is led by returning All-American Brooke Nuneviller at 3.44 kills per set, a figure that ranks 11th in the conference. That group also features Taylor Borup (2.55 k/s), Gloria Mutiri (2.41 k/s), Morgan Lewis (2.09 k/s) and Karson Bacon (2.04 k/s).
 
Elite Company
Brooke Nuneviller is one of just two players in the country with a 30-20 (kills-digs) performance and the only one to do so in four sets. She had 31 kills—while hitting .338—and 21 digs in Oregon's four-set win at Rice (Sept. 2) in Houston. Through the first six weeks of the season, Nuneviller is averaging 3.44 kills per set and 3.29 digs per set.
 
Give and Take
Oregon's match against Oregon State (Sept. 22) marked the fourth time this season that the Ducks hit .300 or better while holding the opponent under .100 in the same match (list below). The Ducks lead the Pac-12 in both hitting percentage (.284) and opponent hitting percentage (.133); both figures rank 13th in the NCAA entering the weekend. Oregon has held 11 of 12 opponents under a .200 hitting efficiency.
 
Aug. 27: Oregon: .310 | Portland State: -.053
Aug. 27: Oregon: .370 | Santa Clara: .083
Sept. 17: Oregon: .314 | American: -.060
Sept. 22: Oregon: .390 | Oregon State: .093
 
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