SAN DIEGO, Calif. – The No. 6 Oregon volleyball team improved to 6-0 this season with Saturday’s win over Pepperdine (25-21, 25-16, 25-17). Mimi Colyer tallied 16 kills and 10 digs to complete her second double-double of the weekend. The Ducks hit .316 in the match to go along with nine blocks and seven aces.
Gabby Gonzales put down eight kills to go along with a match-high 12 digs while middle blocker Kara McGhee added seven kills on a .545 hitting percentage and tied Karson Bacon for the match lead with four blocks. Hannah Pukis turned in another all-around performance with 30 assists, eight digs, three kills, two blocks and a pair of aces.
Oregon hit .491 over the final two sets after posting a .073 mark in the opener. The Ducks committed seven attack errors in the first and responded with just four the remainder of the match.
How It HappenedDown one late in the first set, the Ducks used a three-point surge to take the lead on the heels of a kill by Gonzales and a pair of Pepperdine errors. Oregon led 21-19 and maintained the slim advantage at 22-21 before rattling off the final three points of the frame. McGhee and Morgan Lewis teamed up for two-consecutive blocks to secure the 1-0 match lead.
With the offense trying to find its footing, the Ducks came through with 19 digs, four blocks and two aces in the first set. Pepperdine (1-4) led as late as 19-18.
Oregon wasted no time in sprinting out to a 10-4 advantage in the second and the Waves got no closer than five the remainder of the set. The team saw its largest lead at 19-10 after Bacon and Pukis teamed up for a block. McGhee brought the Ducks to set point with a kill, and after an error by Pepperdine, the team had a 2-0 lead for the sixth time in as many matches this year.
Another quick start in the third forced the Waves to use an early timeout with Oregon leading 10-5 after a kill by Pukis. All three of the setter’s kills came in the third set. The Ducks turned a five-point lead into a double-digit advantage with a 5-0 run, capped by a Colyer solo stuff that pushed the score to 19-9. In a push to finish, the Ducks never let the lead drop below seven.
Gonzales served up an ace for match point at 24-16. The Waves saved the first with a kill but McGhee put down her seventh kill of the afternoon to clinch the sweep.
NotablePepperdine is the Ducks’ third opponent of the season that played in last year’s NCAA Tournament; also played San Diego and Hawai’i. Saturday’s match was the first meeting between the two programs since the 1986 season.
With seven aces Saturday, Oregon finished the weekend with 22 service winners in three matches; had nine in the opener against host San Diego State and six Friday against UC Santa Barbara. The Ducks have 36 service aces through six matches this season.
The Ducks are hitting .341 through the first two weekends of the season; posted a .316 or higher hitting percentage in five of six matches. Setter Hannah Pukis is averaging 10.95 assists per set while the five primary attackers—Bacon, Colyer, Gonzales, Lewis and McGhee—are all hitting .275 or higher.
Up NextThe Ducks’ non-conference schedule continues Sept. 8-9 with a pair of ranked opponents—Minnesota and Ohio State—at the Big Ten/Pac-12 Challenge, hosted by Stanford.
Season tickets, starting at just $54 for a 10-match home schedule, are available through the UO ticket office or by clicking HERE. The Ducks’ home opener will double as their Pac-12 opener Friday, Sept. 22, against Oregon State.
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