To begin the second half of Pac-12 play, ASU volleyball failed to end a five-match losing streak with a sweep that they sustained against No. 16 Oregon 3-0.
ASU is now 13-10 overall, and 4-7 in Pac-12 play. This is the second time ASU has played Oregon this season. The first time was Sept. 30, and the Sun Devils took down the Ducks 3-0 on their own home court.
Junior outside hitter Ivana Jeremic was absent from the match due to strep throat.
"It was a tough one. Lots of ups and downs," head coach Sanja Tomasevic said. "We needed to serve tough. (We) couldn’t serve easy balls at them and it's not an excuse. I don’t think it would be a huge difference but not having Ivana in a match like this is definitely not helping the cause."
To begin set one, the Ducks had a 4-0 run, but the Sun Devils fought back. With back-to-back kills from sophomore outside hitter Claire Kovensky and an ace from junior setter Callie Jones, ASU tied the set at 10-10.
The two teams went back and forth in scoring but the Ducks eventually took the set 25-23.Oregon stayed ahead for the entirety of the second set, taking it 25-18.
The Ducks' momentum carried into the final set and they were up 17-10 when a media timeout was called. ASU used the break of Oregon momentum to play catch-up.
Senior outside hitter Peyton Grahovac, who has been hurt for the majority of the season, made an appearance on the court in the third set.
"We just wanted to see where Peyton is at. She's training to come back. We were down 2-0, so we were at the point: 'what do we have to lose,'" Tomasevic said. " She has been working really hard at practice and I would love to get Peyton back in the lineup at some point...I think that’s going to be a really nice weapon for us."
Oregon eventually took the set 25-21, and the the match 3-0.
The Sun Devils are hoping for a better outcome on Sunday, Oct. 28 when they take on Oregon State at noon MST at Wells Fargo Arena.
Reach the reporter at skbrisen@asu.edu or follow @sophiabriseno on Twitter.
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