The No. 10 Oregon volleyball team dominated No. 18 USC in a statement match on Friday, securing its first win against a ranked opponent since defeating No. 23 Michigan State on Sept. 23.
USC snapped its three-game win streak with the loss and fell to 3-4 in conference play. USC’s Samantha Bricio was the reigning Pac-12 Player of the Week after putting up 8 service aces and against Utah, but was limited to just one against the Ducks.
Oregon got off to a quick start and continued to build on its early lead throughout the first set. USC could not keep up with the Ducks’ high speed attack and suffered 9 errors to Oregon’s 4.
Maggie Scott caught USC off guard with a clever draw play, and Naya Crittenden came up with two huge blocks. The Trojans hit just .056 while the Ducks racked up 11 kills and 15 digs en route to a 25-16 set win.
Oregon gave the impression early that it was going to be a quick and efficient night. After fighting their way to a 13-10 lead in the second set, the Ducks went on an 8-2 run to go up 21-12. The Trojans looked downright defenseless as Oregon shredded them with crisp passing and solid hitting. Oregon mixed up its looks with different points of attack, and Liz Brenner placed a beautiful drop shot over the hands of two USC blockers.
Still, USC refused to go away in front of its home crowd. The Trojans turned on their blocking game like the flip of a switch and started to control Oregon at the net. Oregon’s passing game broke down just as fast as it got going, and USC went on a 10-1 tear to knot it up at 22 apiece. Both teams duked it out to 24-24, but Oregon finally pulled ahead to 26 for a 2-0 match lead.
Oregon looked extremely balanced all night but started losing its shape and perhaps energy in the third set. USC finally settled in and legitimately competed with Oregon for the first time all night. With the set tied at 12 apiece, the Trojans took control and scored four straight before Oregon called a much-needed timeout. The Ducks regrouped took back the lead behind smashes from Crittenden and Frankie Shebby and another nasty change-up from Brenner.
Oregon took a 24-22 lead off of two unforced errors but could not put USC away. The Trojans battled back with 4 straight points and took the third set 26-24.
The fourth set did not live up to the drama established in the third, however, as Oregon jumped out to a 13-3 lead and never looked back. Shebby and Serena Warner each had impressive blocks and made key plays in long rallies. USC leads the conference in blocks but had just one all night from Pac-12 blocking leader Bricio. Oregon cruised to a 25-17 victory in the fourth set to clinch its fifth conference win of the season.
The Ducks (15-3, 5-3) return to Matthew Knight Arena for a four-game home stand beginning Oct. 22 against Arizona and culminating with a rematch against No. 1 Stanford.
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