Defensive effort stymies Nittany Lions as Oregon volleyball cruises to 3-Zero victory | Sports activities

Georgia Murphy went on an excavation to save the Ducks from losing the longest rally in the game. Murphy’s digs earned a kill from Karson Bacon to give the Ducks a slight head start in the third set on their way to their first win against a ranked opponent.

The No. 11 Oregon Ducks defeated the No. 18 Penn State Nittany Lions three sets to nil on Friday night. Team defense was key to the Ducks win; They combined for 16 blocks, forced 25 attack errors, and kept Penn State on a 0.176 hit rate.

In a fight between two of the nation’s most talented squads, the Ducks parted in the first set. Their offensive forced the Nittany Lions to make a number of offensive errors, and a kill by Gloria Mutiri flew over the right side of the pin to give Oregon the 14-9 lead.

However, Penn State began to correct its attacking errors and reduced the lead to two before the first stoppage of play.

The break proved to be beneficial for the ducks, who got back on their feet. Brooke Nuneville’s three kills increased the lead to 23-16. Nuneville has emerged as the top offensive star in the Pac-12 and her search for the Player of the Year has got off to a good start. She currently leads the Ducks in Kills and had five on the first set tonight.

The Ducks won the first set 25-16 after Abby Hansen’s kill found the corner where no Lion could return the hit.

In the second set it was Penn State who took the first lead, with Abbie Holland’s kill to make it 9-7. The Nittany Lions increased their lead to three when a four-goal challenge from head coach Matt Ulmer was unsuccessful.

But the Ducks pushed themselves back behind their defensive stallions: Hansen and Karson Bacon. A 10-2 run started with two roofs from Bacon and was crowned with two more from Hansen, giving them a 24-20 lead.

Bacon led both teams through two sets with four blocks.

Taylor Borup drove Elise Ferreira’s set into the ground between the outstretched arms of two Nittany Lions defenders. The Ducks won the second set 25-21.

As they stepped into the third set, the momentum of the Ducks from their comeback in the second set helped close the door to the Nittany Lions. The score remained tight throughout the set, but the Ducks defense continued to pose a serious threat.

Mutiri delivered a kill and a block, giving Oregon a 19-15 lead. She usurped Bacon as block leader of the game at six, but Oregon used a team performance in defense to outperform Penn State.

Nuneville’s ninth kill earned a match point, but Penn State fought its way back to get the score at 24. A subbbing mistake that caused the Ducks to change formation, putting Becca Morse in front and Morgan Lewis in back, opened the door for a comeback.

A feeling of fear overwhelmed fans at the Matthew Knight Arena as the Nittany Lions forced a win-by-two situation.

But Borup stepped up and rewarded the Duck believers with a game-winning kill to complete the sweep.

“We really needed Taylor today,” said Ulmer. “She’s shown toughness and leadership, and delivered big kills when we needed it.”

The Oregon volleyball team improved to 6-0 and played Minnesota on Saturday night at 7:00 p.m.