The ASU women’s volleyball program (10-12, 0-10 Pac-12) traveled to Eugene on Saturday to finish its quick road trip with a match against No. 15 Oregon (13-5, 6-4 Pac-12). The Sun Devils remained close with the Ducks throughout the three sets, but ultimately fell – leaving them still winless in the Pac-12 conference .
The opening set started out strong for the Ducks who began their night with a 5-2 run which included three unanswered kills. The Sun Devils pulled things within two with a kill by sophomore outside hitter Ivana Jeremic and at one point went on a three point run of their own thanks to errors by the Ducks.
That run pulled them within one of the Ducks, however Oregon responded once more with kills of their own. Freshman outside hitter Griere Hughes was able to tie things up in the middle of the set, however, that would be the closest the Sun Devils would get to taking a lead. The Sun Devils brought things within five in the final moments, but a service error by senior middle blocker Oluoma Okaro allowed the Sun Devils to fall 25-20.
In the following set, the Ducks came out on fire going on an incredible 9-1 run to start the period. That run, filled with two aces and seven kills, deflated the Sun Devils, but not enough to keep them from showing their rally cry. ASU brought things within five following a run of its own that included two back to back kills by Okaro, as well as kills by teammates freshman middle blocker Megan Beedie and Jeremic.
Despite ASU’s attempt at a comeback with back to back kills by Jeremic late in the set, the Sun Devils would fall victim to the Ducks offense and lose the second set, 25-21.
Following the break, the Sun Devils came out stronger than in their previous sets. They took the lead early in the set following a kill by Jeremic and a ball handling error by junior outside hitter Lindsey Vander Weide. That lead would not last long for the Sun Devils, as multiple attack errors by ASU allowed the Ducks to maintain a substantial lead.
The Ducks at one point held an eight point lead with kills by junior middle blocker Sumeet Gill, sophomore outside hitter Jolie Rasmussen and senior right side hitter Taylor Agost. The Sun Devils responded with a kill by Jeremic, but the Ducks would not allow the Sun Devils to make any run. The deficit proved too much for the Sun Devils to overcome, ultimately falling to Oregon 25-14.
Assistant coach Carlos Moreno spoke after the game.
"In order to compete at a high level in the Pac-12 Conference it requires a program to meet a certain standard," Moreno said. "Tonight, despite having a few good moments, we unfortunately were unable to play up to par with the standard. Consistency and being able to maintain a high level play throughout a match is going to be a focus of ours moving forward."
The Sun Devils head home next weekend in hopes of getting their first Pac-12 win of the season. They will be taking on No. 2 Stanford at 8 p.m. Friday evening.
Reach the reporter at klbroder@asu.edu or follow @KellyB1459 on Twitter.
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