The No. 16 Oregon volleyball team (14-7, Pac-12 7-4) earned redemption against Arizona State, sweeping the Sun Devils 3-0 (25-23, 25-18 and 25-21) Friday Night in Tempe, Arizona.

The sweep marked Oregon’s ninth of the year and evened the season series against ASU (13-10, 4-7). Oregon’s win comes almost a month after the Sun Devils’ upset the Ducks in a 3-0 sweep in Eugene during Oregon’s ‘Stomp Out Cancer’ match.

Junior middle blocker Ronika Stone led the Ducks with 15 kills, with junior right side hitter Willow Johnson following with seven. Senior setter August Raskie ended the match with 31 assists and four blocks. Freshman libero Brooke Nuneviller led the team with 18 digs. Redshirt sophomore and outside hitter Brooke Van Sickle led with two aces and freshman libero Camryn Tastad recorded one as well.

Oregon quickly worked its way up to a 5-1 lead to open set one. The Sun Devils briefly tied the set at 11, but soon after used up both their timeouts when Oregon was able to jump ahead. A last-minute surge from ASU got the set within one, but the Ducks pushed through for the set victory of 25-23.

ASU began to fall apart in the second set, as the Sun Devils fell behind by as much as seven. Oregon used a 4-1 run, including three straight kills from junior middle blocker Ronika Stone, to go secure the set win of 25-18 before the match intermission.

The third and final set looked similar to the second, as Oregon used a 7-0 run to force ASU to take a timeout at 17-10. A 4-0 run from the Sun Devils was the team’s final attempt at a comeback, getting below four of the Ducks at 21-17. Oregon held on and won the set 25-23, to complete the sweep of ASU.

Oregon will conclude its Arizona road trip on Sunday at 11 a.m. against No. 23 Arizona in Tuscon. The Ducks will also look to even the season against the Wildcats, after losing 2-3 during a homestand in September.

Follow Maggie Vanoni on Twitter: @maggie_vanoni

The post No. 16 Oregon wins redemption sweep over Arizona State appeared first on Emerald Media.

Just a week after upsetting then-ranked No. 7 Washington in overtime, the Oregon Ducks could not carry over the momentum into Saturday’s game against then-ranked No. 25 Washington State.

The disappointing loss started with the team’s worst half of the season and a halftime deficit of 27-0. The Ducks could not keep up against the Cougars, as even a spark of comeback energy in the second half was short-lived for a final score of 34-20.

“Every single week it’s going to get hard, it’s going to get more difficult and your margin of error becomes smaller and smaller,” Oregon head coach Marion Cristobal said.

Cristobal met with media on Monday to reflect Saturday’s loss and preview the team’s upcoming road trip to Tucson, Arizona, where the No. 19 Ducks will play against the Arizona Wildcats Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

“It wasn’t the result we wanted, we certainly brought that upon ourselves, as players, as coaches and as a program all together,” Cristobal said. “[There is] never going to be any finger pointing. We have no room for that. There is no room for negativity and excuses. … If we don’t do a better job preparing and starting a game that can happen again.”

In the first half against the Cougars, Oregon struggled both offensively and defensively. There was a point late in the second quarter where WSU had 230-plus total yardage, compared to Oregon’s total of just one.

The second half saw an Oregon team much more alive and competitive. The Ducks were able to convert five of their 11 third downs and get within seven points of the Cougars. However, the effort wasn’t enough, as Washington State secured the win with a touchdown in the final three minutes of the game.

“It took us an entire half to adjust and wake up,” Cristobal said. “We have to train for that response to come much sooner, to not let it snowball.”

Arizona is led by two quarterbacks, Khalil Tate and Rhett Rodriguez. After limping following a sack in Arizona’s game against Utah on Oct. 12, Tate did not play in Saturday’s 31-30 loss to UCLA.

Rodriguez, a sophomore and Tucson native, has thrown for three touchdowns this season, totaling 506 total yards. Prior to the Utah game, Tate has recorded 11 passing touchdowns and thrown for 1,415 total yards.

“They’re both very effective at what they do, so you prepare for two really good football players,” Cristobal said. “One that obviously is always talked about in the Heisman race in Khalil Tate. And Rhett Rodriguez, being the son of a coach, you can tell in his demeanor, in his poise and the way he operates … that he is really talented.”

Update on athlete status:

On Monday, Cristobal noted that inside linebacker Isaac Slade-Matautia’s shoulder injury will be evaluated via an MRI this week. At running back, Cristobal said CJ Verdell, who came out late against WSU with a hip flexor injury, seems to be OK, while Darrian Felix is still dealing with a foot injury.

Wide receiver Bryan Addison is serving an in-team suspension for violating a team policy and will most likely return to practicing with the team in a couple weeks.

Follow Maggie Vanoni on Twitter: @maggie_vanoni

The post Mario Cristobal reflects on Saturday’s loss to WSU, previews Arizona appeared first on Emerald Media.

PULLMAN, Wash. — Junior wide receiver Dillon Mitchell paced along the Oregon sideline as the game clock ran down, taking any and all chance Oregon had. Mitchell sat down at the end of the team bench. He grabbed his chrome Oregon helmet with both hands and slammed it against the bench — twice.

On Oct. 13, Oregon celebrated on the field after upsetting then-ranked No. 7  Washington. They left the field with quite a different feeling after losing to Washington State.

Even with a healthy Justin Herbert, a new coach and momentum from one of the program’s biggest wins, the No. 12 Ducks could not defeat the No. 25 Washington State Cougars in a 34-20 loss Saturday night in Pullman, Washington.

It was a loss attached to a now four-year losing streak against the Cougars.

“It was uncharacteristic of us,” Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal said. “We really did have some opportunities, but we did not come through on them. Obviously, not the kind of football that we are used to.”

The performance of the Oregon team that started Saturday’s game was something both strange and familiar.

Although it was the same roster that beat Washington last weekend, it was not the same production. Instead, it was a team that more so resembled an Oregon Duck program from the 2016 and 2017 seasons.

Washington State receivers ran through Oregon defenders quicker than Oregon could realize. Oregon’s passes were far from the receivers and running backs were never open. First-half stat lines showed a total yardage deficit between the two teams of almost 230. When Oregon stalled, Washing State was there to speed up cadence and dominate.

“We were just so out of whack in the first half,” Cristobal said. “We just didn’t move the sticks. A couple negative plays and a couple incomplete passes, just not exciting and being out of rhythm put us in some tough third-down situations. … We never got it going.”

Just two seasons prior, Oregon’s last visit to Pullman during the Mark Helfrich head coach era, the Cougars outplayed the Ducks just as well.

In the game that ended 51-33 in favor of Washington State, Oregon fell behind in just as many stat lines as it did in Saturday’s game. The Ducks had 416 total yards, whereas the Cougars had 651. Oregon played through 20 first downs, as Washington State played through 36.

“They are a really good team,” quarterback Justin Herbert said. “They got a great defense and a good offense. They are really well coached. And they play passionate football.”

While this season’s Oregon team does have good promise, the loss to the Cougars will only test its validity.

“The most important thing is understanding that you got to be a grown man about this one and understand that in this conference, it’s hard against an opponent like this on the road — to start the way that we did — and expect to have success,” Cristobal said.

Facing his first upset loss as Oregon’s head coach, Cristobal will need to regroup the team in order to keep its ranking as a top-Pac-12 contender. We already know what happened to Helfrich, who was fired after a 4-8 2016 season.

Follow Maggie Vanoni on Twitter @maggie_vanoni

The post A familiar loss in familiar territory for Oregon football appeared first on Emerald Media.

Despite a small spark of redemption to begin the second half, the No. 12 Ducks could not catch up to the insurmountable 27-0 lead the No. 25 WSU Cougars put up in the first half. Although the Ducks made the game close with 20 unanswered points, the Cougars closed the game with a touchdown, 34-20. The win is WSU’s fourth straight over the Ducks.

Key Plays:

• Justin Herbert scored Oregon’s first touchdown of the game on an 8-yard run with less than three minutes into the second half. The 7-play, 75-yard drive, got the Ducks on the scoreboard. WSU led 27-7.
• Oregon’s Adam Stack scored on a 32-yard field goal. Cougars led 27-10.
• Herbert passed to Jaylon Redd for an 11-yard touchdown pass. Oregon made the extra point to make it a 10-point game. WSU led 27-17.
• With less than seven minutes remaining in the game, and on the 3rd and 4, Herbert threw to Dillon Mitchell. The pass was blocked Cougar’s Woods, which forced Oregon to go for the field goal instead of a touchdown. Ducks completed the field goal. WSU led 27-20.
• WSU’s Dezmon Patmon received a 22-yard pass from Minshew in the end zone for WSU’s fifth touchdown of the game, and sealed the win for the Cougars.

Oregon Passing

Justin Herbert — 25-of-44, for 270 yards and one touchdown

Oregon Rushing

CJ Verdell — 12 rushes for 55 yards

Oregon Receiving

Dillon Mitchell — 7 catches for 47 yards

Jacob Breeland — 4 catches for 63 yards

Brenden Schooler Dillon — 4 catches for 59 yards

Jaylon Redd — 4 catches for 37 yards, one touchdown

Washington State Passing

Gardner Minshew  — 39-of-51, for 323 yards with 4 touchdowns and two interceptions.

Washington State Rushing

James Williams — 9 rushes for 53 yards and one touchdown.

Max Borghi — 10 rushes for 40 yards

Washington State Receiving

Max Borghi — 7 catches for 51 yards and one touchdown

James Williams — 7 catches for 42 yards

Dezmon Patmon — 6 catches for 81 yards

The post Rapid Reaction: No. 25 Washington State upsets No. 12 Oregon, 34-20 appeared first on Emerald Media.

Announced Thursday morning via their personal twitter accounts, Oregon softball pitcher Miranda Elish and utility player Lauren Burke will transfer out of Oregon prior to the start of the 2019 season. Of course former head coach Mike White, who recruited both players, has left for Texas.

pic.twitter.com/6KNd8HhTnR

— Miranda ✞ (@elish_miranda) October 18, 2018

Elish, a junior out of Crown Point, Indiana, spent the past two years on Oregon’s pitching staff, helping to propel the Ducks to a Pac-12 Championship and two Women’s College World Series appearances. She concludes her two-year pitching career as a Duck with a record of 37-2.

Her sophomore season was highlighted by pitching Oregon’s first-ever, seven-inning perfect game against Portland State on April 3, where she recorded a career-high 16 strikeouts. She was recognized as a First Team All-Pac-12 and First-Team All-Pacific Region member.

She ended her freshman season undefeated, 12-0, posting a 1.79 ERA (ranked fifth in the Pac-12 at the time) and pitching five shutouts in helping Oregon to a 54-8 record in 2017. In her first year with the Ducks, she was a Pac-12 All-Freshman and an NCAA All-Eugene Regional player as well.

Elish was ranked a No. 1 recruit in the nation by FloSoftball.com coming into Oregon, along with being a three-time Indiana Gatorade Player of the Year and a MaxPreps first-team All-American in 2016.

pic.twitter.com/kpHKlpex2D

— Lauren Burke (@lauren_b18) October 18, 2018

Burke made the Pac-12 All Freshman team last season. The utility player hit .351 and had three home runs in 36 games.

The Eugene native had plenty of big postseason hits. Burke had two pinch hit home runs in the NCAA regionals and a clutch hit to break a scoreless tie in a win-or-go-home scenario against Kentucky in the Super Regionals.

Follow Maggie Vanoni on Twitter @maggie_vanoni

Follow Maverick Pallack on Twitter @mavpallack

The post Oregon softball loses key contributors Miranda Elish and Lauren Burke to transfers appeared first on Emerald Media.

Within a span of five years, outside linebacker Justin Hollins has been on Oregon’s football team during the best and the worst of times.

He’s experienced a Rose Bowl victory and a National Championship run. He’s

stuck through the team’s first losing season since 2004 in 2016 when the team went 4-8. And despite three different head coaches and three different defensive coordinators, Hollins has remained a Duck.

After walking at graduation in the spring, Hollins had the choice to forgo a fifth year at Oregon. He could have taken a chance in the NFL draft, but instead he chose to utilize his last year of eligibility and play one more season in the green and yellow.

From a historic freshman year, an Oregon winless drought and multiple coaching changes, Hollins has taken advantage of his final year as a Duck in a season that’s starting to shape up as his best.

“He’s just a freak of nature,” inside linebacker Troy Dye said. “I mean, the dude is just super athletic. He’s big, strong, physical, fast. He’s everything you want in an outside linebacker and then some. We’re really excited to have him on our side of the ball and we’re really excited for the year that he’s having.”

The road to now

Hollins’ stellar senior season at Martin High School in Arlington, Texas, caught the attention of numerous college coaches. Recording 59 tackles, four sacks and two fumble recoveries on Martin’s defensive line, Hollins, a three-star recruit rated by ESPN, chose to play collegiately for the Ducks over schools including Baylor, Colorado, Illinois and Oklahoma.

“Growing up, I always wanted to be a Duck. It was one of my dream schools actually,” Hollins told Oregon Football’s Instagram in June. “Growing up I always watched them, and I feel like that symbol, that ‘O,’ it means everything to me.”

As a freshman, Hollins played in 14 games as an outside linebacker, including Oregon’s Pac-12 Championship win against Arizona and its Rose Bowl win against Florida State. Even though he didn’t participate in the game, he helped propel the Ducks to the inaugural College Football Playoff National Championship, where they lost the title to Ohio State.

Ducks outside linebacker Justin Hollins (11) blocks the Cal throw. Oregon Ducks Football takes on UC Berkeley at California Memorial Stadium on Sept. 29, 2018. (Ben Green/Emerald)

He missed his true sophomore season due to injury, but Hollins returned in 2016 as a part of the inside defensive line and as a redshirt sophomore. He finished the season with 12 starts, leading the defensive line with 51 tackles and finished second on the team with three sacks and 9.5 tackles for loss.

However, the new position left him feeling out of place, especially going against offensive linemen that were some 60 pounds larger than his 6-foot-5, 238-pound frame at the time.

“It was hard,” Hollins told NBC Sports Northwest prior to the start of the 2017 season. “It was hard being a little undersized. But I got after it and did what I had to do.”

His junior season, in 2017, saw not only a new head coach in Willie Taggart and a new defensive coordinator in Jim Leavitt, but another position change. With Oregon switching back to a 3-4 defense after playing a 4-3 system in 2016, Hollins was brought back to the position he started with as a Duck.

“I’m more comfortable at outside linebacker,” Hollins told Duck Sports Authority in August 2017. “That’s what I originally came here to play and that’s where I started to break free a little bit.”

This time the change was successful. In the 2017 season, Hollins ended with 59 total tackles, 3.5 sacks and tied the team lead with three forced fumbles.

An impactful final season

For Hollins, the fifth time around might just be the most memorable.

“[It’s] the last year, the last go around,” he said. “[I] got to go as hard as I can, as fast as I can.”

Six games into his final season with the Ducks, the senior is leading the team in sacks (four), tackles for loss (nine) and forced fumbles (recording three of the team’s total five so far this season). He is also tied with senior safety Ugochukwu Amadi for a team lead of 21 solo tackles. Additionally, on the national stage, his forced fumbles have him tied for fourth in the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision.

“Justin can do a lot of things,” outside linebacker coach Cort Dennison said. “He can align to the field; he can align to the boundary. He’s got a very high football IQ. He knows the defense in and out. He is a player that can do multiple things.”

Hollins ended the nonconference schedule with a standout game against San José State. Ending the game with a full stat line, Hollins recorded eight tackles (six solo, two assisted), one sack, one forced fumble, two tackles for loss and one interception return for 7 yards.

“He’s just a player that continues to develop and evolve,” Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal said following the San José State game. “He’s so important to what we do, so important for so many reasons. He uses his length well. He uses his power well. He’s extremely quick, so he got underneath a lot of stuff and forced stuff to bounce. He played a really good football game and I’m proud of the way he played.”

His tackle for loss in Oregon’s most recent outing against Washington extended a 10-game streak in which he’s recorded at least one per game.

“We see his production on the field — he is a great player,” outside linebacker La’Mar Winston Jr. said. “Honestly, he’s one of the best pass rushers, really in college football to me, one of the best outside linebackers.”

It’s not just the numbers of his stats that prove his impact on the team. In addition to praise from numerous players and coaches, Hollins has also been chosen as one of the team’s captains for three games.

“God has given him a lot of talent,” defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt said. “He’s got length. He’s got great speed. He’s got levers. He’s just a really great guy. He’s an unbelievable person and he cares.”

The post Best for Last: Justin Hollins’ final season is on pace to be his finest appeared first on Emerald Media.

Oregon’s 30-27 upset win in overtime against then-ranked No. 7 Washington was a long time coming.

The win not only snapped a two-year losing streak to the Huskies, but was a scene of Oregon redemption, since the Ducks had lost 38-31 in overtime against Stanford just three weeks prior at Autzen Stadium.

“I’d like to relive it for a second, but I won’t, and I can’t,” Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal said. “But certainly the moment itself, I mean it doesn’t get any better and it hasn’t been. That’s as good or better than any moment that I’ve been fortunate enough or privileged enough to be a part of.”

But with six conference games still remaining in the regular season schedule, there is little time to celebrate before shifting focus on to the next opponent.

Cristobal spoke to the media on Monday to address his takeaways from Saturday’s win and preview Oregon’s upcoming trip to Pullman, Washington, to play the No. 25 Washington State Cougars.

The Ducks and Huskies ended each quarter of Saturday’s game tied, thus leading into Oregon’s second overtime of the season. After successfully icing Washington kicker Peyton Henry at the end of regulation, Oregon limited the Huskies to a field goal in overtime before getting its chance at scoring. It was redshirt freshman CJ Verdell’s game-winning touchdown that clinched the upset victory for the Ducks.

“We told our guys, ‘The scoreboard lies now. You can go out there and physically dominate for a long, long time and … an unlucky play might just say the other team is winning when on the field you are doing the things you are supposed to. So don’t pay attention to it,’” Cristobal said. “I thought that was the most important thing we did, is the entire time just kept playing ball, no matter what.”

Looking ahead to this weekend, both Oregon and Washington State are 5-1 overall and hold a 2-1 record in conference play. While Oregon lost to Stanford, Washington State dropped a close game to USC, 39-36, last month to open its Pac-12 play.

With Washington State just making its way into the top-25 ranking for the first time this season after defeating Oregon State 56-37 last weekend, Cristobal said Oregon will need to focus on the Cougars’ high-powered offense.

“It’s obvious, they’ve got the top passing offense in the conference and one of the best in the country, if not the best,” he said. “There is a lot of stuff they do that presents some challenges, so we have to burn our eyes on film.”

With his game-winning touchdown, Verdell was recognized as the Pac-12 Conference Offensive Player of the week, becoming the first Duck to win the award since quarterback Justin Herbert won it in 2016.

Verdell’s 111 rushing yards on Saturday made him the first Oregon freshman to run for at least 100 yards in each of the first three Pac-12 games. He’s the first Duck to complete the accomplishment since Byron Marshall in the 2013 season.

Oregon will play the No. 25 Washington State Cougars at 4:30 p.m. Saturday at Martin Stadium in Pullman, Washington.

Follow Maggie Vanoni on Twitter: @maggie_vanoni

The post Cristobal shifts focus to Washington State, Verdell wins Pac-12 honor appeared first on Emerald Media.

Maybe it was the leftover momentum from Friday’s sweep over No. 17 UCLA.

Maybe it was junior transfer, Taylor Borup — who recorded her first Pac-12 start and a team-high 13 kills in Friday’s match.

Whatever the case may be, the No. 20 Oregon Ducks concluded their Los Angeles road trip with an upset sweep (26-24, 25-22 and 25-20) over the 12th-ranked USC Trojans Sunday afternoon at the Galen Center.

The Ducks (11-5, Pac-12 4-2) were led by Borup and Ronika Stone, who each ended with 10 kills. Borup recorded her second straight double-double with a team-high 11 digs on top of her 10 kills. Senior setter August Raskie ended with 35 assists and Lauren Page led on defense with four blocks.

Oregon started Sunday’s match strong. The team quickly took a 12-5 lead to force the Trojans (12-5, 4-2) to take both of their timeouts early. After a short delay from a questionable call, Oregon began to slow down. USC used a 5-0 run to catch up to the Ducks and lead at 19-18. The two teams exchanged back-to-back points until Oregon clinched the set victory at 26-24.

After dropping the first set, USC came out strong and forced Oregon to take its first timeout at 8-5 to start the second set. USC kept the lead until the Ducks scored three straight to tie the set at 18. A block from Lindsey Vander-Weide and Lauren Page edged Oregon to take a 20-19 lead over the Trojans. The Ducks held on and defeated the Trojans 25-22 to go into intermission 2-0.

The Ducks ran away with set three. After picking up the lead at 2-1, the Ducks never let it go. USC felt the pressure and used both of its timeouts before reaching double-digit points. An 8-2 run by Oregon helped propel the team to its highest leading-point deficit (7). The closest the Trojans got to the Ducks came at 19-17. Oregon claimed the final set win of 25-20 and completed the match sweep.

Oregon will return to Eugene briefly next week before traveling to Boulder, Colorado and Salt Lake City, Utah. The Ducks will start the weekend playing against the Colorado Buffaloes on Friday at 6 p.m and then close the road trip against the Utah Utes Sunday at 11 a.m.

Follow Maggie Vanoni on Twitter: @maggie_vanoni

The post No. 20 Oregon upsets No. 12 USC in sweep appeared first on Emerald Media.

The No. 18 Oregon Ducks (4-1, Pac-12 1-1) may have a break from playing this week, but that doesn’t mean there’s room to relax.

Come Oct. 13, the Ducks will face off against the No. 10 Washington Huskies and their senior quarterback, Jake Browning, at Autzen Stadium.

Head coach Mario Cristobal talked with the media Wednesday morning to take a look back on last weekend’s 42-24 win against Cal, talk about the team’s focus during bye-week and preview the highly-anticipated top-20 matchup between the Ducks and the Huskies.

“I think the bye-week for us comes at a very good time,” Cristobal said. “Sometimes you worry about a bye-week because you’re in a good rhythm and you don’t want to get off that rhythm. We maintain that rhythm by doing some good-on-good work, making sure the speed of the game is being practiced.”

After last year’s grueling 38-3 loss to the Huskies, an Oregon victory would mark the program’s first win against Washington (4-1, 3-0) in the past two years, including a 70-21 loss in the 2016 season.

The Huskies will be led by Browning, a senior out of Folsom, California. He is the school’s all-time leader in career passing yards (10,347) and touchdown passes (86).

Cristobal emphasized that he wants his defense to understand that in order to slow down the Huskies they have to make the pocket uncomfortable for Browning.

“You’ve got to disrupt the timing of the passing game, and that goes with affecting the receivers, affecting their routes, affecting the quarterback,” he said. “You’ve got to change the picture.”

In last weekend’s victory over the California Golden Bears, Oregon’s quarterback and Heisman candidate Justin Herbert completed 16-out-of 22 of his attempted passes for a total of 225 passing yards and two touchdowns.

The game was packed with successful big plays for Oregon, including outside linebacker La’Mar Winston Jr.’s scoop-and-score which helped propel the Ducks to a 28-10 halftime advantage over the Bears.

However, despite the ‘W,’ the game left Cristobal frustrated with Oregon’s efforts to stop the Bears in the red zone.

“The disappointing point about our coverage this past game was I didn’t feel we ran hard out there,” Cristobal said. “[I] wasn’t very pleased at all about the guys that did not run down there with the DNA, the toughness, the sense of urgency, the discipline that we teach that with. … We have to ramp up the competition. We can’t have them playing certain phases of the game and then all of a sudden our coverage teams take a break. That’s not the DNA of the program.”

With the week off, Cristobal said he’s demanding just as much focus from his team.

“[It’s] certainly not a week to take our foot off the gas,” Cristobal said. “I’ve seen bye weeks at places where everyone is in relax mode. I want it to be the opposite. I want to make sure that we’re early to class, early to tutoring appointments, everything else just goes with it. Just enhance the culture, enhance the standards, keep elevating it and making sure that they find a way to be successful in every single day.”

Follow Maggie Vanoni on Twitter: @maggie_vanoni

The post Cristobal wants to keep bye week energetic, focused for no. 10 Washington appeared first on Emerald Media.

After dropping both its home matches this weekend, the Oregon volleyball team dropped eight spots in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) poll to No. 20.

The Ducks suffered an upset loss against then-ranked No. 24 Arizona on Friday in a five-set match, before being swept by the Arizona State Wildcats Sunday afternoon.

“This was like the worst of it today,” head coach Matt Ulmer said after Sunday’s match. “That’s how bad we can be. I think we saw our low today. They gave us every chance, they gave us opportunities and we just gave them more.”

Sunday’s loss broke Oregon’s six-match winning streak against the Wildcats. Seniors Lindsey Vander Weide and August Raskie remained tied for the team lead of double-doubles (7).

Ulmer expressed frustration with the team for sloppy performances in each match, stating that he was considering bringing in redshirt freshmen to play in the spots of a handful of seniors.

Oregon will need to regroup this week in preparation for its first conference road trip of the year.

This weekend, the Ducks will take on the No. 17 UCLA Bruins (Friday at 7 p.m.) and the No. 12 USC Trojans (Sunday at 1 p.m.) in Los Angeles.

Other Pac-12 teams in this week’s updated poll include No. 2 Stanford, USC, No. 15 Washington, UCLA, No. 21 Arizona, No. 22 Washington State and No. 24 Utah.

Correction: A previous version of this article stated that Oregon dropped six spots in the AVCA poll, when in fact it dropped eight spots from No. 12 to No. 20.

Follow Maggie Vanoni on Twitter @maggie_vanoni

The post Oregon volleyball drops eight spots in AVCA Poll after losing two upset home matches appeared first on Emerald Media.