EUGENE, Ore. – The Oregon beach volleyball team split two matches Saturday at the Cactus Classic in Tucson, Ariz. The Ducks got their first win of the season-opening weekend with by sweeping UTEP but dropped a tight, 3-2 decision to Boise State in the finale.
The Ducks now return to Eugene for their first of three home matches, a March 1 meeting with Bushnell at Amazon Park. First serve is scheduled for 2 p.m.
Oregon 5, UTEP 0
The Ducks secured the morning’s first point with a straight-set victory from Natasha George and Ashley Schroeder on court four. Abby Plevin and Batia Rotshtein followed with a win at the No. 3 spot for a 2-0 advantage on the match scoreboard.
Carrying the would-be clinching point, Ella Tyus and Bea Wetton swept their way past the UTEP pair of Sara Pustahija and Ema Uskokovic for the Ducks’ third—and winning—point. Tyus and Wetton posted their second win of the weekend with the result.
With the match in hand, Zoe Almanza and Chloe Brown shook off a first-set loss to rally on court one for their first win of the season, and at the No. 5 spot, Lolo Folau and Valerie Peterson completed the sweep with another three-set comeback. The pair lost the opening frame and trailed 13-11 in the third before picking up the fifth point.
1: Zoe Almanza/Chloe Brown (ORE) def. Katie Martin/Krista Paegle (UTEP) – 16-21, 21-17, 15-8
2: Ella Tyus/Bea Wetton (ORE) def. Sara Pustahija/Ema Uskokovic (UTEP) – 23-21, 21-12
3: Abby Plevin/Batia Rotshtein (ORE) def. Savannah Marenco/Serena Patterson (UTEP) – 21-12, 21-19
4: Natasha George/Ashley Schroeder (ORE) def. Paulina Acuna/Aaliyah Austin (UTEP) – 21-19, 21-12
5: Lolo Folau/Valerie Peterson (ORE) def. Madison Hill/Marian Ovalle (UTEP) – 15-21, 21-19, 16-14
Finish: 4, 3, 2, 1, 5
Boise State (RV) 3, Oregon 2
The Broncos, receiving votes in the AVCA preseason poll, jumped out to an early 2-0 match advantage with wins on courts one and five. Oregon had won the first set in the other three but were pushed to a third in each.
The Tyus-Wetton duo closed out its strong opening weekend with a 21-13, 15-21, 15-13 victory at the No. 2 spot, their third win in four matches and the Ducks’ first point against Boise State. However, the Broncos clinched the dual with a 15-8 final-frame result on court three.
George and Schroeder, who had scored the first point in the win over UTEP, bookended their day with another victory for the Ducks’ second point.
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