The Oregon Ducks had a chance to make a statement on the season over the weekend hosting two top ten teams in UCLA and USC this weekend at Matthew Knight Arena. On a night that was all about pink, Oregon was able to get out to a fast lead in the first set against the tenth ranked UCLA Bruins. Martenne Bettendorf would get off to a good start early with three kills in set number one. Oregon would lead the way in the first set and lead 18-16. Bettendorf would pick up another kill giving the Ducks a three point lead, the Bruins would score the next point, but the Oregon Ducks would pick up the next two points off a long serve and a block making it 21-17. The Bruins would get push getting within one forcing Jim Moore to take a timeout up 22-21. UCLA would take the momentum and the first set 25-22.
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Oregon was off to a good start in the second set when Freshman Lindsay Vander Weide appeared to go down with what looked like an ankle injury, she headed back to the locker room. The Ducks found a rhythm in set two and pushed their lead to 22-16 off a net error on UCLA. The Bruins would score two before Oregon would take control at 23-18. Oregon would take the point off a Frankie Shebby serve and went into the locker room tied at one, but the question of Vander Weide and her injury would be on my mind regardless of the outcome of this one.
The Bruins would start off the third set with a two point lead, but Oregon would take that away quick with a 6-0 run forcing a Bruins timeout. Oregon would push the lead to 18-14. Oregon did a good job in leading the last two sets throughout not giving up a lead, until the final three ppints in the set. The Bruins and Ducks would go back and forth several times before UCLA took the lead 27-26 and would win the set 28-26. Oregon had sixteen kills in game two and fourteen kills in set number three to take a three games to one lead. They were down two sets to one, but were playing tough.
The fourth set would again see the Oregon Ducks battle and take a 15-12 lead. To that point on the night Martenne Bettendorf tallied ninteen kills and four blocks. Maggie Scott had fifteen assists. Lindsay Vander Weide returned to the lineup following the injury suffered earlier in the game. Oregon would go on to build a commanding 22-16 lead, UCLA would again climb back into the game and at 22-21 Oregon, the Ducks would take a timeout. In the end Oregon could not finish off the Bruins in the fourth set. It was something that plagued them all night as they would lose the match and the game.
Up next, a game against the top team in the nation in USC who comes to Matthew Knight Arena on Sunday at 1pm Pacific Time.