Lady Ducks Power Past St. John's, 3-1
The Ducks will continue at the Hawaiian Airlines Wahine Volleyball Classic with a match against No. 20 Hawaii, Friday.
(HONOLULU) — The Oregon volleyball team kept its undefeated record intact, Thursday with a 3-1 win against St. John’s 25-18, 20-25, 25-14, 25-18 at the Hawaiian Airlines Wahine Volleyball Classic.
How It Happened:
Oregon jumped out to a fast start in the first set with a 10-3 lead and remained in control to the end, but St. John’s responded in the second set by keeping pace until the two were level at 20-20. Out of a St. John’s timeout, the Red Storm rattled off five straight to end the set and draw even at 1-1.
Afterward, it was the Ducks’ turn to respond, and they did so with convincing wins in the third and fourth sets. It wasn’t always comfortable for Oregon in the fourth set but the team found a way to slam the door. The two sides were tied at 16-16 before the Ducks went on a 9-2 run to end the match, including six-straight points with Serena Warner on serve.
As it has been all season, the Oregon attack was well rounded with six people taking 10-or-more attempts. The most targeted of the group was freshman Frankie Shebby who led the team with 14 kills.
Sophomore Naya Crittenden was also in double digits, contributing 10 kills and a career high .692 hitting line. The Oregon block was effective once again, recording 14 total team blocks and keeping St. John’s to a .094 attack percentage.
What It Means:
Thursday’s numbers were on par with Oregon’s season-opening weekend, as the production continues on both the offensive and defensive end. The Ducks entered the match hitting .295 and holding opponents to .101, the second-best differential in the Pac-12. While the season is still very young, each of those percentages are a positive sign and would rank among best in school history.
Fantastic Debut:
Shebby was finally able to make her collegiate debut after sitting out the Oregon invitational with an illness. After leading in kills during both of the team’s exhibition matches, the freshman was rearing to go on Thursday, racking up 14 kills and a .310 hitting mark. The 14 kills is most in an Oregon debut since 2007 when Gorana Maricic tallied 16.
Odds and Ends:
Serena Warner set a career record with six kills…the Ducks have now had four different players lead the team in points over the first four matches (Bettendorf, Agost, Brenner, Shebby).
What’s Next:
The Ducks will continue at the Hawaiian Airlines Wahine Volleyball Classic with a match against No. 20 Hawaii, Friday. The match will start at 10:30 p.m. PT and will be streamed at http://ocsports.tv/ocsports_live.
