Consistent 3-point shooting has been the Achilles heel for Oregon women’s basketball (20-8, 9-6 Big Ten) this season. The program had few issues finding the bottom of the net in its 76-70 win at Minnesota (19-8, 7-8 Big Ten) on Sunday.

Elisa Mevius could barely miss in the Ducks’ victory, leading the way with 19 points on 7-for-8 shooting and 4-for-5 from beyond the arc. Alexis Whitfield added 13 points off the bench while Deja Kelly tallied 20 points, seven assists and five rebounds.

Mevius started out the Oregon scoring a minute and a half into the contest with a left-wing triple. It was the only bucket the Ducks scored in the rocky opening five minutes of the game.

The opening period stayed close, but the Gophers held a narrow advantage. Kelly drove to the basket and drew contact to give the Ducks an advantage from the charity stripe with three seconds left in the quarter.

But Oregon’s first-quarter lead was short-lived. The Ducks failed to effectively pressure Minnesota’s offense when Amaya Battle hit a shot from half court as time expired.

Battle’s triple started a Gophers scoring run that carried into the second, while Oregon went on a three-and-a-half-minute scoring drought.

Ari Long checked into the game and resumed the Ducks’ scoring with a much-needed 3-pointer. It was the first of four second-quarter triples and started an 8-0 Oregon run that chipped into the deficit.

Mevius tied the game with a 3-pointer — one of her four baskets in a perfect shooting, 10-point quarter for the junior. Whitfield gave the Ducks a spark off the bench and caused a turnover on the next possession. She scored the bucket on the other end of the floor and Oregon never let its advantage falter from that point on.

The Ducks finished the first half with a stretch of 8-for-9 shooting. They forced six turnovers in that span to create a plethora of fastbreak scoring opportunities.

Minnesota never completely went away. The Gophers scored six-straight points in 30 seconds to cut their deficit to four points with under three minutes remaining in the game.

Oregon iced the game from the line, hitting seven of its 16 free throws in the final three minutes. Sturdy defense caused two Minnesota turnovers in the last 20 seconds to keep any hopes of a comeback out of reach.

The Ducks continue their sprint to the finish line with now three regular season games remaining. They’ll head to Nebraska on Wednesday before returning home for the final time this season to face Rutgers next Sunday.

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Rachel Pallo raced past everyone else on the field and scooped up the ball to tally her eighth draw control. Oregon only spent 20 seconds facilitating the attack before Anna Simmons slung the rock through the back of the net.

It was goal number 12 of the half with the second quarter winding down. Dominating the draw and preventing Columbia (0-1) from controlling possession was the story of the Ducks’ (3-0) 15-7 victory on Saturday.

Pallo tied the single-game program record for draw controls in a game with 12 against the Lions — she broke the record twice last season in back-to-back games. Simmons led the way with four goals, while six other Ducks scored and five total scored multiple goals.

In the first two games of the season, Oregon scored in the first 15 seconds. Saturday it took the Ducks slightly longer — 42 seconds. Former Ivy League standout Brianna Carasquillo started the scoring for the home team and Oregon never let go of its advantage.

The first-quarter score appeared closer than the play on the field indicated. The Ducks controlled the draw by 21-4 in the game and only conceded one draw control in the first half, but Columbia stayed within two scores after the first 15 minutes.

The Ducks attack exploded in the second quarter. Multiple green card penalties going against the Lions gifted Oregon the player advantage on several occasions in the period. Columbia continued to hack at the Ducks inside the 12-meter fan and Oregon found itself in the free position nine times in the game.

Junior Emma Ing was especially aggressive, drawing illegal contact inside eight meters. She tied her career-high in goals with a hat trick, all coming from the free position and she elected to attack the cage rather than pass out of the shot.

The Ducks scored seven goals in the second quarter and allowed none, which ended up being the difference in the game. The Lions outscored Oregon 4-3 in the second half as the offense slowed on the Ducks’ side of the field.

Head coach Jessica Drummond went deeper into her bench in the fourth quarter with Oregon’s advantage at one point reaching double digits. Freshman goalie Kate Shields saw time in the crease for the first time in her collegiate career and freshmen Hazel Baker and Audrey Thompson also received playing time.

The Ducks have the next week off before returning to Papé Field on Feb. 22. They’ll finish their four-game homestand to start the season against Central Michigan.

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Juliet Santitto shouted at herself in frustration in between points. The freshman was within striking distance of her singles opponent but continued to hit her forehand shots wide.

Missed routine shots were a theme in Oregon’s (5-2) 4-3 loss to the Sun Devils (4-2) on Friday.

The Ducks last played at home in a 4-3 defeat to then-No. 23 Texas Tech on Feb. 2. Head coach Courtney Nagle said after that loss that doubles were the number one thing she wanted the team to work on in its two weeks off.

Oregon got off to a hot start in doubles on Friday. Tilde Jagare and Santitto broke Arizona State’s serve twice to take a 4-0 advantage. The pair went on to win their match 6-2.

The Sun Devils tied doubles 1-1 shortly after the conclusion of the match on Court 3. The first team point came down to the match on Court 5.

Julia Visaya and Avery Jennings led 5-3 in their match but trailed 40-30 in their game. A point-winning backhand, followed by the doubles sealing deuce point energized the crowd in the Student Tennis Center and put the Ducks up 1-0.

“They played energetic and aggressive and took over the net,” Nagle said. “Our opponents played well. It’s great to get the doubles point against a good team going into the singles with that energy.”

Oregon’s frustration began to mount with the start of singles. The Ducks lost five of six opening sets, with Jagare’s match being the only positive. 

Arizona State has historically been a difficult opponent for Oregon. The Ducks entered the day 3-25 all-time against their former conference foe and they last beat the Sun Devils at home in 2022.

Oregon couldn’t summon win number four on Friday. 

Freshman Patsy Daughters played a tightly contested match against Patricija Spaka on Court 3. The two went to a decisive tiebreak in Set 1 — but Daughters ended up falling 7-4 and the Ducks were even further from a Friday victory.

“[The freshmen] are gaining experience and confidence just as they go,” head coach Courtney Nagle said. “I think they’re getting better every week and settling into those roles.”

Meanwhile, Santitto returned to the court following a break in between sets. She played completely different tennis in the second set. A quick and dominant 6-0 Set 2 kept Oregon’s hopes of a comeback alive.

“She did an excellent job of coming back and getting that second set pretty clean,” Nagle said. “You want to see them bounce back and be resilient, even if they have a tight first set, to be able to get back in the match.”

Both Santitto and Jagare ended up in decisive final sets — but Daughters trailed 5-2 in the second set and 40-0 on her serve. The Ducks stared at defeat and the final two matches were left unfinished.

The Ducks hit the road for the next few weeks of action. Next, they’ll head to California to face off against UC Davis on Feb. 21.

“We just need to compete every doubles match, every singles match, every single day that we step on the court with energy, with belief and with support from the teammates,” Nagle said. “I think if we’re able to execute those things in practice, it’ll look pretty good on the match days.”

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Tears stained the padding under the hoop at Matthew Knight Arena.

The Ducks’ problems against No. 16 Maryland (18-5, 8-4 Big Ten) got worse as the injuries piled up. Fifth-year guard Peyton Scott limped to the baseline, grabbing her leg with 3:29 left in the first half. The trainers, followed by head coach Kelly Graves, walked over to Scott as she pounded the padding with her fists.

Oregon women’s basketball (16-7, 7-5 Big Ten) lost its second game in a row in a 79-61 defeat to the Terrapins on Thursday — and injuries to Scott and Katie Fiso appear to have depleted the squad moving forward.

“I know we’ve got at least one MCL and we’ve got some other issues there,” head coach Kelly Graves said. “I’ll figure that out. I haven’t talked to the trainer yet.”

The current stretch poses a handful of opportunities for the Ducks to earn victories against top teams. It could matter when the selection committee determines the field for the NCAA Tournament in March. Oregon has already defeated a top-25 Baylor team earlier this season and recently earned the win against top-25 Michigan State on the road, but couldn’t add another win against the Terrapins.

On the first trip up the floor, the Ducks took 20 seconds off the shot clock. Scott took a couple of steps inside the arc and went up for the jumper. The Maryland defender hacked her and she went to the line for the first point of the night.

Oregon went up 4-0 after a Scott triple, but the offense stalled. Maryland went on a 17-5 run to close the quarter.

The Ducks hit a few shots to start the second but couldn’t take care of the ball. They gifted the Terrapins possession five times in three minutes. 

Scott’s injury occurred amidst some of the sloppiest basketball Oregon has played all season at home.

“[Scott’s injury] is the one that it didn’t look good,” Graves said. “She’s had two ACLs in her past. So it’s something that’s been there before.”

Sarah Te-Biasu torched the Ducks, scoring 17 of her 26 points in the first half. Maryland shot over 50% in the half while holding the Ducks under 30% from the field.

The Terrapins continued to outduel Oregon in the third quarter as Ehis Etute and the Ducks’ bench led their improved third-quarter efforts. Maryland added 29 points to its tally compared to just 23 from Oregon.

The injury woes continued when backup point guard Fiso hit the hardwood in pain off hustle play. She exited to the locker room, leaving Oregon without two key guards.

Both Scott and Fiso later returned to the bench in the second half but never re-entered the game.

The crowd energy never wavered. The Ducks began the fourth quarter on a 7-0 run to cut the deficit to 16 points. Etute scored 14 second-half points to lead all Oregon scorers.

“I thought that last 15 minutes of the game we actually played really hard, played well, got after it,” Graves said. “If we would have started it like that with that same kind of energy, enthusiasm and toughness, it might have been a different game.”

The team simply couldn’t carry the momentum and followed the run with a scoreless for three minutes. 

“I think with that starting unit — Elisa [Mevius] was hampered tonight, too, as you can see with her hand,” Graves said. “We just didn’t have enough firepower early in the game.”

The Ducks’ next task is against the undefeated No. 1 team in the nation. UCLA (22-0, 10-0 Big Ten) is riding high off a 65-52 victory over No. 8 Ohio State (20-2, 9-2 Big Ten) on Wednesday. Oregon will attempt to hand the Bruins their first loss of the season in what could be a resume-boosting win for the Ducks.

“I’m not worried about UCLA,” Graves said. “I mean, my goodness. I got to worry about the Ducks and get our heads right.”

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Oregon women’s basketball has spent the 2024-25 season proving itself. It proved that it could beat a ranked opponent. It proved that it could string together a winning streak in the Big Ten.

But Sunday provided a new challenge for the Ducks (12-5, 3-3 Big Ten) — a chance to hand one of the last three undefeated teams in Division I its first loss.

The opportunity was there for Oregon in the 69-60 defeat to No. 9 Ohio State (16-0, 5-0 Big Ten) on Sunday, but the Ducks couldn’t string together a complete 40 minutes of basketball.

Both sides struggled offensively in the opening five minutes of the game. An Elisa Mevius triple put Oregon on the board and sparked a 9-0 run.

The Ducks defense held the Buckeyes to just eight points on 4-for-21 shooting in the first quarter. It was the first time all season that Ohio State scored single digits in a quarter.

Unfortunately for Oregon, the momentum didn’t carry over into the second quarter. The Buckeyes’ full-court press forced three turnovers in quick succession to help them go on a 27-0 run.

It was deja vu for the Ducks. In December, they faced a top-10 USC (15-1, 5-0 Big Ten) team at Matthew Knight Arena. Despite winning every other quarter, a disastrous 28-6 second period handed Oregon the loss.

On Sunday, the second frame was similarly a complete flip in the script from the first quarter. Oregon shot 3-for-13 from the floor while Ohio State was efficient and hit four attempts from beyond the arc.

Nani Falatea ended the scoring drought with a 3-pointer — but the Ducks would head into the locker room down 39-22.

Taylor Thierry notched 15 of her game-high 20 points in the second, while Jaloni Cambridge added 13 in the contest. Falatea, Deja Kelly and Amina Muhammad all reached double digits for the Ducks.

Oregon started the second half playing much cleaner basketball. It only turned the ball over twice in the period after gifting the Buckeyes the ball seven times in the second. Meanwhile, Ohio State recorded five turnovers in the third.

The Ducks never stopped fighting. They held the Buckeyes to a five-minute scoring drought as they went on another 9-0 run. Oregon simply couldn’t capitalize on the opportunities it had during the Ohio State shooting struggles.

Oregon was within eight points with 49 seconds left and forced a turnover by former Duck Chance Gray. The visiting side drained too much time off the clock and the Buckeyes remained undefeated as the buzzer sounded.

The Ducks now head home for a three-game homestand. They’ll face Purdue (7-9, 0-5 Big Ten) at 6 p.m. on Wednesday.

Matthew Knight Arena was vibrant on Thursday night as NCAA Tournament volleyball was once again in Eugene. 

Fourth-seeded Oregon (23-7, 14-6 Big Ten) made it through the first round with ease, sweeping  High Point, 25-14, 25-17, 25-21.

Oregon is hosting a regional for the third consecutive season. In the previous two years, the Ducks have advanced to the Elite Eight. Meanwhile, the Panthers (23-7, 13-1 Big South) made the tournament for the fourth time in five seasons.

“I thought they fought really hard,” head coach Matt Ulmer said of High Point. “Definitely gave us a good challenge in the first round and we definitely had to respond multiple times to them.”

Michelle Ohwobete started the tournament with two consecutive service aces for the Ducks. Oregon started 4-1 which High Point quickly responded to with a 3-0 run of its own.

The Panthers stayed within striking distance for much of the beginning of Set 1 — but a dominant 6-0 Ducks’ run changed that.

Ohwobete tallied a total of three aces in the first set while Onye Ofoegbu starred with six kills on six attacks. Colby Neal was credited on all four of Oregon’s Set 1 blocks.

“[Onye’s] so good that it’s just so easy to set her as long as the ball is high. She jumps so high,” setter Cristin Cline said. “She’s hitting everything. She’s aggressive. When she’s on, she’s on.”

High Point briefly took its first advantage of the match in Set 2 when it led 10-8. A couple of attack errors gave the favor right back to the Ducks.

The Panthers stayed closer in Set 2 due to Oregon having a less efficient hitting percentage. The Ducks still had the edge in just about every statistic to come within one set of the second round.

Nine unanswered Oregon points were the difference in Set 3. High Point showed grit as it tried to battle with the Ducks two points away from the match. An attack error from the visiting side, however, decided the match in three.

“I thought we did a lot of nice things the first two sets, and then we really backed off,” Ulmer said. “We’ve had the tendency to do that this year and that’s when some of those reverse sweeps have happened or we’ve lost in five.”

Ofoegbu finished with 12 kills on .750 percent hitting to lead all players. Oregon held the Panthers under .200 percent in the match.

The Ducks will return to Matthew Knight Arena on Friday to face off against fifth-seeded TCU (22-7, 13-5 Big 12). The second-round match is set to begin at 6 p.m.

“​​Melanie Parra is one of the best outsides in the country. She just does so many things well for [TCU],” Ulmer said. “I sure think our schedules prepared us for tough matchups.”

Friday’s match against the Bruins (14-15, 8-12 Big Ten) was the final dress rehearsal for the No. 13 Ducks (22-7, 14-6 Big Ten) before they begin their NCAA Tournament run.

Oregon will enter the tournament on a one-match win streak following its 3-1 victory (23-25, 25-20, 25-21, 25-22) over UCLA.

The Ducks have struggled in recent matches. The last time they went to Southern California, they suffered a reverse sweep to No. 21 USC. Oregon fell in a similar fashion on Wednesday against No. 9 Purdue at home where it once again blew a two-set lead.

The first set at Pauley Pavilion was anything but pretty. The two sides combined for nine service errors and 11 attack errors, both hitting under .200 percent.

The Bruins controlled Set 1 with a 5-0 scoring run early. The Ducks stayed close but they prevented themselves from clawing back with their errors piling up.

After a failed challenge by Oregon head coach Matt Ulmer on UCLA set point, the Bruins took the first set. The last time UCLA won a set against the Ducks was all the way back in 2022.

The Bruins have dominated the series overall, but Oregon entered on a five-match winning streak in the matchup, including victories in nine of the last 12 meetings.

In Set 2, the Ducks started looking like that team which has commanded the matchup in recent memory. Mimi Colyer, Michelle Ohwobete and Noemie Glover increased their kill totals to help Oregon flip the momentum.

Onye Ofoegbu and Ohwobete built a brick wall on the left side of the net to block the ball down to the hardwood and tie the match at a set apiece.

The front row played a big role in the victory for the Ducks, especially in the second set. Ofoegbu steered the defense with seven blocks in the match.

The beginning of the third set resembled the first with five Oregon service errors. The Ducks didn’t have their first advantage in Set 3 until it was 16-15. From there, they never looked back.

Freshman middle blocker Mia Tvrdy called the third set with a kill. Tvrdy stepped up big for Oregon on Friday with six kills — the second-best total of her young career. Outside of her matches against UCLA and Iowa, where she recorded her career-high, Tvrdy only had five kills the rest of the season combined.

The service line continued to haunt the Ducks in the fourth and final set. Oregon’s 18 service errors were their season-worst by a big margin. Still, the Ducks managed to escape Set 4 and finish the regular season out on a high note.

Colyer led the team with 21 kills, while Ohwobete tallied a 13-kill, 18-dig double-double.

UCLA now falls to 2-11 versus ranked opponents this season. Meanwhile, Oregon never lost two consecutive matches all season.

Now the Ducks wait and see where they land in the NCAA Tournament. They’ll learn about their regional destination during Sunday’s Selection Show at 3 p.m.

There wasn’t a better opportunity for No. 13 Oregon (21-7, 13-6 Big Ten) to finally get a resume-boosting victory than in its last home match of the regular season against No. 9 Purdue (24-6, 15-4 Big Ten).

The Ducks played a top-15 opponent at Matthew Knight Arena for the third time this season. The first two matches they ended up getting swept by Pitt and Nebraska teams ranked No. 1 and No. 2 nationally.

Following Wednesday’s match, Oregon is now 0-3 in such matches. It had endless chances to win on Wednesday night but fell in five sets (25-19, 25-22, 27-29, 23-25, 13-15).

“You just have to be really disciplined in order to stop a good team,” head coach Matt Ulmer said. “We had a lot of good stretches, but just didn’t make enough plays. But that’s a couple of matches now where that’s happened for us, and it’s very frustrating.”

The Ducks began the first set dominantly by forcing four attack errors while hitting north of .400 percent.

At a critical juncture in Set 1, the two sides engaged in one of the longest rallies Kilkenny Court has seen this season. Oregon didn’t waver despite several scramble plays. A Boilermaker attack error gave the Ducks a 12-7 advantage.

Wednesday was the first time the two sides met at Matthew Knight Arena, although they have a history of facing off under the brightest lights. Last postseason, they met in the Sweet 16, which the Ducks won in a resounding sweep. Before that win, the Boilermakers were undefeated in the series.

Purdue continued its dominance against Oregon, this time on Duck territory. 

Oregon weathered a 6-1 Purdue run to win the first set. Mimi Colyer recorded five kills in the period to lead the team. Her 20 kills and 12 digs on the day followed a 14-kill, 11-dig double-double in the 2023 matchup.

Then Onye Ofoegbu stole the show in a tighter Set 2 with a collection of blocks and kills — but attack errors added up for the Ducks as a whole.

The Boilermakers returned the favor with back-to-back errors to spark a 5-0 Oregon run at the end of the second.

Colyer slammed the ball to the other side of the court to clinch the second — and potentially put the Ducks one set away from getting to host the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament.

“I thought we served well enough that I thought they had really tough swings in the first two sets that they had to score on,” Ulmer said. “We were able to slow them down enough and transition some of those.”

A strong string of rallies from Raven Colvin, however, put Purdue on a 7-0 run in Set 3 and the Boilermakers were in prime position to extend the match.

The Oregon front row banded together to extend the third to multiple set points. Ultimately, this match wouldn’t be done in just three sets.

“We just lulled there for too long,” Ulmer said. “That could have been a sweep.”

The Ducks couldn’t cash in on any of the opportunities Purdue gave them to seal the match. An Eva Hudson kill completed the reverse sweep in favor of the Boilermakers.

“We just didn’t make enough adjustments quickly throughout the match, and they did,” Michelle Ohwobete said. “So that’s something that we have to get better at going into the tournament.”

The Ducks head to UCLA (14-14, 8-11 Big Ten) on Friday before finding out its NCAA Tournament first-round destination and opponent during Sunday’s Selection Show at 3 p.m.

“We put ourselves in a position where you can leave some doubt and so that’s that’s on us,” Ulmer said. “Hopefully we’re playing our best ball here in another week.”

“Mighty Oregon” rang through Autzen Stadium as Noah Whittington completed a burst into the endzone, trucking over a defender in the process.

The running back’s touchdown run against Illinois on Oct. 26 was 13 months in the making.

Whittington missed much of the 2023 season after tearing his ACL against Colorado last September. It took him some time to get back to putting up the same numbers he did in his last fully healthy season. Finally, his year of hard work rehabbing paid off.

The physical touchdown against the Illini provided a warning to the rest of the nation: Whittington is back and the Ducks are better because of it.

“He was on a different level [against Illinois],” wide receiver Tez Johnson said. “I’m glad to see that for him, how hard he practiced and the injuries he went through. It’s crazy just to see him have success.”

The junior running back recorded 388 yards and four touchdowns on 88 carries in the Ducks’ 11-0 start. His increase in production as the season’s gone on has been a difference-maker for No. 1 Oregon.

Whittington’s five highest rushing yard totals this season happen to have come in the five highest margins of victories for the Ducks — Maryland, Oregon State, Illinois, Purdue and Michigan. At the same time, his three lowest-rushing outbursts have been the thinnest margins of victories for Oregon — Boise State University, Wisconsin and Ohio State.

His presence adds another layer of versatility to the Ducks’ offense. Whittington’s style of play is more physical than that of his partner in the backfield, Jordan James.

Take his touchdown rush against the Illini as an example. Whittington squeezed through a gap in the defense until he came face-to-face with one final defensive back. He wouldn’t let Illinois’ Miles Scott get in his way of scoring.

“I think that’s something our team prides itself in,” head coach Dan Lanning said following that game. “When you get an opportunity to run through a man’s face, there’s nothing better than that.”

Whittington accumulated 211 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 5.3 yards per carry during his efficient four-game span between Oct. 18 and Nov. 9.

“I’m kind of appreciative that [the injury] happened because I feel like it brought the love back to the game,” Whittington said during preseason. “I’ve never been hurt before so it’s just been a continuous cycle. And then taking that break — I know for sure this is what I love to do.”

The Ducks faced a scare in Wisconsin two weeks ago when they won by only a field goal. Quarterback Dillon Gabriel handed the ball off to Whittington just three times in that game for a total of five yards.

Oregon’s quest to appear in the National Championship Game is far from over. It still has Washington — a team it’s lost to three times in the last two seasons — and the Big Ten Championship Game on the schedule before it plays in its first College Football Playoff game.

Getting Whittington back to the same form he was in at the end of October will only help the Ducks’ cause if they are to complete a perfect season. His newfound perspective has fueled his performances this season.

“I got to attack every day like it’s my last,” Whittington said back in July. “Because going through what I went through last year I fully understand that this can be taken away from you at any point.”

Now in the homestretch of the season, every rally means that much more. No. 13 Oregon (20-6, 12-5 Big Ten) secured its much-needed victory in a 25-21, 25-18, 25-18 sweep at Michigan State (11-17, 4-13 Big Ten).

The Ducks conceded a 7-2 scoring run early in Set 1. The Spartans were efficient in their hitting and forced Oregon’s Mimi Colyer into nine total attacks at the beginning of the first.

Noemie Glover helped the Ducks come alive with her four first-set kills. The sophomore Glover has hit her stride in recent matches, now recording a total of 34 kills in her last three.

But things started to crumble for Oregon in the back half of Set 1. Michigan State went on a 6-0 to take the lead at 21-20. Service aces and kills from Cristin Cline and Michelle Ohwobete carried the Ducks to a 25-21 win in the first set.

The two sides met for the third time ever on Thursday. The home team won each of the previous two matchups, including a four-set Spartans victory for Michigan State in 2013.

Thursday broke the home team trend.

The Spartans once again went on an 8-1 run at the beginning of Set 2 to force an Oregon timeout. The Ducks’ front row and the service line helped Oregon rally back. The Ducks tallied five blocks in the period and 11 service aces overall.

Colyer elevated at set point to take the second 25-18 and earn her eighth kill of the match.

The last match was a low moment in Oregon’s season. The Ducks dominated the first two sets against then-ranked No. 23 USC but the Trojans came back for the reverse sweep. Oregon had never lost a match when holding its opponent under .200 percent hitting until that moment.

Not only did the Ducks’ woes against ranked teams continue, but their hopes of hosting the NCAA Tournament next month decreased.

Oregon needs to win a majority, if not all, of its remaining matches this season in order to host. Thursday’s victory was a start in making that a reality.

Unlike the loss to the Trojans, the Ducks finished the job in Set 3 against Michigan State. The Spartans gave Oregon a tough time throughout the match with 35 total kills but 23 attack errors was too much to overcome against a top-25 team.

Colyer ended the match in the same fashion as she clinched the second set: with a definitive kill. She finished with 12 kills and seven blocks, leading the team in both categories.

The Ducks stay in Michigan to face the Wolverines (16-11, 6-10 Big Ten) on Saturday at 4 p.m. Oregon has three matches left of the regular season with only one coming on its home floor next Wednesday against Purdue (22-6, 13-4 Big Ten).