SEATTLE – Oregon State used suffocating defense and a strong offensive attack in the final three sets to defeat Washington in four (12-25, 25-18, 25-7, 25-16) on Friday night. The Beavers held Washington to sub-.200 attacking percentages in the final three sets.
Mychael Vernon and Megan Sheridan combined for 23 kills as the Beavers (8-13, 3-8 Pac-12) used numerous runs to fend off the homestanding Huskies. Amanda Burns tallied her fifth double-double with team-highs in assists (23) and digs (12) to add to the pressure. Vernon complemented her 12 kills with 10 digs for her eighth double-double of 2023. Lauren Rumel led the team in aces with three, which also is a career high for the sophomore.
“This group is such a joy to coach,” said head coach Lindsey Behonick. “They can be pushed hard everyday in the gym and also enjoy every moment we have together. This win tonight shows just that. Washington is a team that doesn’t give up easy points and we knew we needed to bring our defensive effort tonight over a long period of time. This was a team win and (I’m) looking forward to the next match ahead.”
Washington pulled away for the first set win after using runs of 10-0 and 4-0 to secure the win in the opening frame. The Huskies held Oregon State to a hitting percentage of .100 off three errors on 20 attempts.
Oregon State evened things with a strong second that started with the Beavers taking 13 of the set’s first 20 points. When the Huskies eeked within three at 19-16, the Beavers used a run of their own to put away the hosts thanks to UW errors and timely kills from Vernon and Peyton Suess. The Beavers finished the second set with a .286 clip – with Lauren Rumel having a .750 performance in the frame. She turned in three kills on four attempts. Defensively, Burns, Elizabeth Schuster and Vernon each dug out four to keep the momentum. Washington was limited to just .054 hitting in the second.
Holding Washington to just seven points and a -.121 clip in the third, Oregon State used a wire-to-wire win in the third to push the Huskies on the brink. Burns completed her double-double with seven digs and Sheridan led the offense with five kills to push herself to double-digits in the category. The Beavers used runs at 8-0 and 6-0 to clinch the 18-point set win.
Clinching the road win with a nine-point fourth set victory, Oregon State held the Huskies to a third-consecutive sub-.200 hitting percentage at .172. The trio of Burns, McDonald and Vernon combined for nine kills to keep the offense humming from the start of the second onward to the end as OSU turned in a .440 clip in the set. Burns capped her night with a five-assist set to keep the Huskies from forcing a decisive fifth. Wasting little time to take control, OSU grabbed the momentum with 16 of the set’s 25 to put the Huskies on the brink. Only getting as close as five in the late stages, the Beavs shut the door with a block from McDonald and Vernon.
Oregon State will venture across the state to the Palouse for a Sunday match with Washington State. First serve against the sixth-ranked Cougars is set for 2 p.m. and can be seen on Pac-12 Networks.
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