Winning Streak Hits Six with Sweep of Arizona

EUGENE, Ore. – The No. 16 Oregon volleyball team pushed it winning streak to six and is 4-0 in Pac-12 play for the first time since 2016 with Sunday's sweep of Arizona (25-19, 25-18, 25-13) at Matthew Knight Arena. The Ducks, straight-set winners in four of their last six victories, improve to 10-2 overall this season.
 
Behind Hannah Pukis' 36 assists, Oregon generated a .368 hitting percentage while holding Arizona to .133 in the match. Brooke Nuneviller led all players with 16 kills while hitting .536 (16-1-28) against the Wildcats and was joined in double figures by Mimi Colyer who posted 13 kills behind a .440 mark (13-2-25) of her own.
 
Redshirt freshman Colby Neal put down nine kills coupled with a .500 hitting percentage, thanks to just one attack error in 16 swings. Sunday marked the sixth time this season the Ducks hit .368 or higher in a match.
 
The UO defense was just as stout, led by libero Georgia Murphy and her match-high 16 digs over three sets. Colyer picked up 11 digs to complete her third-consecutive double-double performance. At the net, Kiari Robey registered a career-high eight blocks including a solo stuff to end the match.
 
How It Happened
Arizona (11-4, 1-3) started quickly, taking a 5-2 lead on a kill by middle blocker Zyonna Fellows. Oregon responded with four in a row to go ahead 6-5, a lead it wouldn't relinquish. The mini-surge featured two kills by Neal. The visitors kept it close but back-to-back kills by Colyer and Nuneviller pushed the Ducks' advantage to 17-13 and forced Arizona head coach Dave Rubio to use his second timeout.
 
On the team's second set point, Nuneviller went over the Arizona block with a kill off Fellows playing in the back row to secure the opening frame. Nuneviller's lone attack error came early in the first set, a ball that landed long to give UA a 4-2 lead.
 
The teams traded points early in the second and were tied 10-all. With Arizona lead 13-11, the Ducks put together a four-point run with Daley McClellan at the service line. During the run, McClellan tallied one of the team's six aces. The Wildcats pulled to within one with UO leading 17-16 but Nuneviller and Pukis each had kills to create a little cushion on the scoreboard.
 
Oregon finished the second set on a 5-0 surge, securing the 2-0 match lead with a solo block by Robey followed by a Nuneviller ace.
 
The Ducks extended the run of points to 10 by jumping out to a 5-0 advantage in the third set. The visitors never got closer than three through the remainder of the match. Holding a 10-7 lead, Oregon delivered the final blow with a six-point surge behind the serve of Pukis. The UO setter had one of her two aces during the stretch.
 
Elise Ferreira rang up an ace of her own—No. 13 of the season—to give Oregon match point. Robey ended the next rally, and the match, with one final block.
 
Notable
Oregon checks in at No. 7 on the initial NCAA Women's Volleyball committee top-10 rankings; reveal was made Sunday during the Louisville-Georgia Tech match on ESPN … the Ducks' current four-match winning streak against Arizona is the program's longest since the 2011 and 2012 seasons …
 
Up Next
After three at home, the Ducks hit the road for their next four matches beginning Friday at Washington State. First serve is set for 7 p.m. (PT) on the Pac-12 Networks. Click HERE for Oregon's full schedule.
 
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