CORVALLIS, Ore. – Closing the curtain on 2023, the Oregon State volleyball team will welcome UCLA and sixth-ranked Oregon this week to end the first season of the Lindsey Behonick era. The clash with the Bruins is set for Wednesday at 1 p.m. and the Rivalry Series resumes at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
UCLA swept both meetings in 2022 while the Beavers will look to avenge a three-set loss to the Ducks back in September at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene.
The Beavs split last weekend’s action, sweeping Arizona in Tucson before falling just short in four to #18 ASU.
beavers building
Heading into the final week of the season, Oregon State has been building. The beginning of the Behonick era has seen:
• The first home sweep of the Arizona schools since 2017
• The first road sweep of the Washington schools since 2017
• The first top 25 road win since 2017
• The first time beating two ranked opponents since 2011
• The first win over a ranked Washington State since 2016
• Just the third win over Washington in Seattle since 2001
1,000 KILLS
In the fifth-set home battle against Cal, Peyton Suess tallied her 1,000th career kill. After totaling 869 at Wake Forest, she’s collected 239 as a Beaver. Her 21 in a five-set loss to Utah was the most in her time with Oregon State.
Mychael Vernon became the 17th Beav to hit the 1,000-kill mark. She reached the milestone off an Elizabeth Schuster assist that gave OSU a 7-5 lead over the #4 Cardinal in the third set of the match in Stanford.
MARVELOUS MYCHAEL
In the Pac-12, Vernon sits in the top 15 in six categories, including four inside the top eight and two inside the top six.
• 392 kills (5th)
• 3.50 k/s (8th)
• 462.5 points (6th)
• 4.0 pts/s (8th)
• 286 digs (12th)
• 2.55 d/s (15th)
ASSISTS APLENTY
With 1,311 assists logged through the 28 matches played (11.7 per match), the Beavers find themselves in fourth place in the Pac-12. Amanda Burns’ 572 lead Oregon State and places her in 12th. She had a career-best of 37 in the four-set win in Berkeley over Cal last Thursday. Three other Beavs – Schuster (13th – 403), Ryan White (16th – 134) and Ava Pitchford (17th – 121) – appear in the top 17.
OH, WE DIG THAT
White’s 423 digs lead the Beavs and is good for second in the league. The Richland, Washington, product recorded 29 digs – a new career-high – in the upset of then-No. 6 Washington State in October. She’s totaled 20 or more digs in six of the last 10 times out, including a combined 43 in the two home wins over No. 19 ASU and Arizona and 44 in the home setbacks to Colorado and Utah. Contributing on both ends, Vernon rounds out the top 12 with 286.
OUR MISSIONOregon State Athletics strives to Build Excellent Authentic Visionary Student-Athletes (Go BEAVS)
