No. 19 Utes Down No. 17 Ducks In Eugene For Season Sweep
EUGENE, Ore. – No. 19 Utah volleyball earned a season sweep over the No. 17 Oregon Ducks on Friday night, downing the home team in straight sets (25-21, 25-14, 26-24) at Matthew Knight Arena. Led by Dani Drews' 18 kills, Utah recorded its eighth sweep of the season to improve to 14-6 overall and 7-4 in Pac-12 play.
The first set was all Utah for the majority of the frame as the Utes quickly jumped out to a 17-6 lead. Oregon responded with a quick 5-0 run, but Utah once again put itself in control after scoring four of the next five points to lead 21-12. Although Utah began the set with all the momentum, Oregon slowly began to get back in the match toward the end and cut the score to 24-21 before a kill from Amelia Van Der Werff ended the set for good. Drews led the team with seven kills in the opening set, while Van Der Werff added four kills.
The second set began with little separation until the Utes used a 4-1 run to pull ahead 15-10 at the midway point. Oregon recorded a kill the next point to end the run, however, Drews continued her stellar night with a timely kill and began a 6-1 run for Utah to push the lead out to 21-12. The run ended with a pair of service aces from Megan Yett and although the Ducks earned a sideout, they did not have another late rally in them this time as Utah continued to apply the pressure and roll to the win. The Utes scored four of the final five points in the frame, taking the commanding 25-14 win. The Utes posted a .400 hitting percentage with 14 kills and just two hitting errors, while the Ducks hit a .121 clip in the set.
Utah played from behind in the third set where Oregon would earn its first lead of the entire match. The Ducks put together four consecutive points together to tie the set 10-10, while another 4-0 run later on earned them a 15-13 lead. Utah was able to respond with a run of its own to take a 18-17 lead, but another Duck surge saw the Utes fall behind 22-19. Allie Olsen earned a key sideout with a kill from the middle, while Zoe Weatherington followed with a roll shot from the right side to trim the lead to 22-21.
Oregon scored a pair of points to reach set point at 24-22, but Drews used the block to earn another kill and keep Utah alive in the set. An attack error the next play from Oregon tied the set 24-24 and sent the teams into a timeout called by Oregon. Out of the break, Utah would go on to take the third set 26-24 after setter Stef Jankiewicz connected with Van Der Werff on consecutive slides.
Drews led Utah in the sweep over Oregon on Friday night, posting a match-high 18 kills, along with six blocks and an ace. Madelyn Robinson and Van Der Werff each added eight kills, while Weatherington totaled seven kills. Van Der Werff also posted four blocks.
Jankiewicz led the offense with 43 assists, which is the most in a three-set match this year for the senior setter. She also added nine digs and an ace. Vanessa Ramirez posted eight digs and Megan Yett totaled a match-high two service aces.
No. 19 Utah will be back in action this Sunday, Oct. 31 for a Halloween matinee match against Oregon State. The Utes and Beavers are set to play at 12 p.m. MT at Gill Coliseum.