The Oregon volleyball team battled back from losing the first set Saturday at Louisville, and was within a point of winning in four to clinch their NCAA Tournament regional final and advance to the Final Four. But the regional top seed Cardinals fought off match point, rallied to win the fourth and handily won the fifth to end Oregon’s season.
The UO women saw their school-record win streak end at 16 matches, and will bid farewell to all-time program great Brooke Nuneviller and fellow seniors Karson Bacon and Gloria Mutiri. The Ducks finished the season 25-6, in the process enjoying the best conference season in program history with a 17-3 mark in Pac-12 play.
“I just told my teammates that I would rather lose in the Elite Eight with them than play in the Final Four with any other team,” Nuneviller said after the match with cotton stuffed into one nostril to control a bloody nose, a fitting look for one of the most tenacious competitors in the history of UO athletics. “This group is so special, and I’ve cherished every single moment I’ve had with his team.
“Truthfully, I think Louisville and us are pretty neck-and-neck. We had a chance to win that match, and that’s what it makes it hurt that much more.”
Down 20-18 in the fourth set, the Ducks got three straight kills from Nuneviller to take the lead. The set was tied 23-23 when Pac-12 freshman of the year Mimi Colyer recorded her 17th kill of the evening to set up match point. But her swing on the ensuing point sailed long, Louisville came back to win the set and the Cardinals carried that momentum into the fifth.
The final scores in the match were 25-23, 23-25, 13-25, 27-25, 15-6. Nuneviller had 15 kills with 16 digs, Morgan Lewis capped a phenomenal weekend with 13 kills, Bacon had 10 and Kiari Robey added nine. Setter Hannah Pukis had 50 assists with 12 digs, and libero Georgia Murphy also had 12 digs.
Nuneviller, Lewis and Colyer all were named to the all-regional team.
Colyer’s kill to set up match point in the fourth ended up being her last of the match. One more on the ensuing point, and Oregon would be off to Omaha for the Final Four.
“I was feeling pretty good there,” UO coach Matt Ulmer said. “It was a great swing, and I love how aggressive she was in that — she was really aggressive the whole time. Credit to them: they did a great job and she didn’t score as much as she normally does. But what a great learning opportunity for…
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