Ducks Fall to ASU, USC on Day One of Pac-12 North

STANFORD, Calif. – The Oregon beach volleyball team lost to Arizona State and No. 2 USC on day one of the Pac-12 North Invitational hosted by Stanford. With Friday’s results, the Ducks are now 7-17 this year.
 
Up Next: Day two of the Pac-12 North Invitational features matches against Utah and No. 10 Stanford. The match against the host Cardinal is scheduled for a 2 p.m. (PT) start on the Pac-12 Networks.
 
Arizona State 3, Oregon 2
 
The Ducks opened their weekend with a 3-2 loss to Arizona State with a pair of three-set victories at No. 2 and 3 pairs. The Sun Devils picked up the first three points of the dual to secure the win. Friday marked the sixth all-time meeting between the two programs, and the fourth 3-2 decision in the series.
 
Zoe Almanza and Chloe Brown rallied from a set down to beat Anya Pemberton and Ivey Weber (19-21, 27-25, 15-12) at the second spot in the lineup. The win was their third against a Pac-12 foe this season, and the duo’s fourth in their past five matches.
 
At the No. 3 spot in the lineup, Natasha George and Ashley Schroeder picked up another three-set win for the Ducks. The UO pair had a 21-17, 17-21, 16-14 victory over ASU’s Taryn Ames and Sarah Waters. George and Schroeder recorded their 12^th win of the season and improved to 7-3 in their last 10.
 
1: Lexi Sweeney/Kylie Wickley (ASU) def. Ella Tyus/Bea Wetton (ORE) – 22-20, 21-16
2: Zoe Almanza/Chloe Brown (ORE) def. Anya Pemberton/Ivey Weber (ASU) – 19-21, 27-25, 15-12
3: Natasha George/Ashley Schroeder (ORE) def. Taryn Ames/Sarah Waters (ASU) – 21-17, 17-21, 16-14
4: Rylie Kael/Carys Thomas (ASU) def. Valerie Peterson/Batia Rotshtein (ORE) – 21-18, 21-17
5: Kate Fitzgerald/Kendall Whitmarsh (ASU) def. Presley McCaskill/Abby Plevin (ORE) – 22-20, 21-14
EXH: Adriana/Kaitlyn (ASU) def. Kendall Clark/Halli Fields (ORE) – 15-8, 15-6
 
#2 USC 5, Oregon 0
 
The first wave of matches in the Ducks’ second dual of the day saw the team push second-ranked USC in a pair of tight two-set losses. At the No. 4 spot in the lineup, Peterson and Rotshtein took a 17-15 lead in the second set to force a USC timeout but the duo of Mabyn Thomas and Gabby Walker scored five in a row to take control of the set.
 
The UO pair saved a match point before the Trojans closed out the court for a 2-0 lead. USC went on to sweep the second wave with wins at No. 1, 3 and 5 pairs.
 
1: Megan Kraft/Laynie Maple (USC) def. Zoe Almanza/Chloe Brown (ORE) – 21-10,…