Two undefeated Pac-12 powerhouses collided on Friday as the No. 11 Oregon volleyball team traveled to Palo Alto to take on No. 1 Stanford. Oregon fought valiantly but was at the mercy of Stanford’s dominant middle attack, ultimately losing the match 3-1.
The Ducks knew execution would be crucial against the Cardinal and looked impressive in their first set. Oregon caught Stanford off guard early with its fast-paced attack, pulling to an early 14-8 lead in the first set. Oregon ran its offense consistently through strong passing and five service aces. Martenne Bettendorf amassed six kills with no errors, allowing Oregon to hold a lead for the majority of the set until Stanford stormed back to tie it up at 22 apiece. After six ties and three lead changes, Stanford rallied its way to an 11-4 run to take the first set 25-23.
Oregon looked visibly disheartened after squandering its first set lead and the No. 1 Cardinal took advantage of the momentum wing. Stanford went on an 8-0 run early in the second set to take a 12-3 lead, a hole the Ducks could not dig their way out of. Jordan Burgess and Brittany Howard were dominant on offense for Stanford, carrying the team en route to an impressive 25-16 second set win. Stanford outhit Oregon .485 to .194 in the second set and tallied eight blocks to Oregon’s three in the match thus far.
Oregon was determined not to go down in straight sets to Stanford, having let the first set slip through its grasp. The Ducks started the third set with 7 kills and no errors and took a 12-5 lead. Oregon successfully adjusted its defense to focus on blocking Merete Lutz and Inky Ajanaku, the nation’s top two leaders in hitting percentage. The Ducks fended off a late Stanford rally and won the third set 25-17, becoming only the fourth team this season to win a set against the Cardinal.
Despite a resurgent third set win, Oregon again fell behind early in the fourth set and never fully recovered. Stanford pulled ahead 8-4 and held the Ducks to a deficit of four points or more for the remainder of the set. Bettendorf played admirably for Oregon with a match-high 14 kills, but Lutz’s 13 kills with no errors and .591 hitting percentage propelled the Cardinal to victory. Stanford won the fourth set 25-17 and handed Oregon its first loss of the season while extending its own record to 13-0.
Kacey Nady and Naya Crittenden both established their strong presence on the court for Oregon, but Lutz and Ajanaku created a matchup nightmare that no team this season has been able to overcome. Stanford was well prepared for Liz Brenner’s outside attack and forced seven errors on the Oregon star. Stanford outhit Oregon .346 to .235 and improved its win streak against Oregon to seven consecutive matches.
Oregon succumbs its first loss of the season but proved it can hang with one of the top programs in the country. Oregon’s last victory against a No. 1 team came in its historic 2012 win against Penn State; 2012 is also the last time Oregon has been ranked as high as No. 11. Oregon’s schedule will not get much easier going forward with six other Pac-12 opponents ranked top 25 in the NCAA.
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