by EUGENE, Ore. – Three points from the finish of what would have been its biggest win of the year, the Husky volleyball team couldn’t slam the door closed at Matthew Knight Arena. Leading 12-9 in the fifth set, the 24th-ranked Dawgs dropped the last six points as No. 11 Oregon rallied past UW to take the Big Ten battle.
It would have been UW’s first ranked win of the season but instead it ended as an agonizing loss for the Huskies, 19-25, 25-22, 25-19, 21-25, 12-15. Washington (13-3, 3-3 Big Ten) essentially outplayed Oregon (13-2, 5-1 Big Ten) overall, up until the final six points.
“This one hurt,” said Head Coach Leslie Gabriel. “I wanted us to come out and really compete and how we do that is we stay focused on our assignments, and I thought they did that. We worked a ton on floor defense this week and I thought I saw a lot of great defensive plays from the back row and our setters. Some girls took some tough swings at the end there and we just missed. I told them that I was with them on every swing. We’ll get back in the gym and keep working, but today was how we need to play.”
Washington finished with a higher attack percentage, .229 to .222, had more kills, 67 to 58, and more digs (69-62). The teams finished with seven aces apiece but UW hurt itself with 13 service errors, including three in the final set, while Oregon only missed three all match. The Ducks had an edge blocking, 13.5 to 10.5.
Sophomore Kierstyn Barton was back in the starting lineup today for the first time since Sept. 15, and she delivered 20 kills and 16 digs for an impressive return. Madi Endsley added a huge 17 kills on a .318 attack percentage, and Emoni Bush had 14 kills while hitting .235 with four blocks.
Molly Wilson had 28 assists and 15 digs and Alexis Haury had 27 assists and six digs. Senior Lauren Bays had the first double-double of her career with 15 digs and a career-high 10 assists. Julia Hunt had six blocks to go with five kills and an ace, and Elise Hani added three kills and four blocks in her first start of the season.
