Run Ends In Elite Eight

MADISON, Wisc. — Oregon’s season and the careers of some of the most accomplished players in program history came to an end Saturday, as the Ducks dropped a four-set decision to host Wisconsin in an Elite Eight matchup of the NCAA volleyball tournament.

The Ducks (29-6) reached the regional finals in consecutive years, something never before accomplished at Oregon. A year after dropping a five-set match at Louisville, the UO women stayed alive by winning the third set Saturday before ultimately losing, 25-22, 25-22, 25-27, 25-18.

Mimi Colyer had 20 kills and surpassed 1,000 for her career in the match, providing a significant threat out of the back row for the second time in three days. Morgan Lewis added 11 kills and Hannah Pukis nearly posted a triple-double with nine kills, 49 assists and 13 digs. But the Ducks struggled against Wisconsin’s vaunted block, hitting .207 as the Badgers tallied 16 blocks in the match.

“I thought we battled really, really hard, and we left everything we had out there,” UO coach Matt Ulmer said. “You’ve got to win those close sets in the beginning. We didn’t, and that’s the difference. But I think we gave everything we had.”

Gabby Gonzales, Kara McGhee and Karson Bacon each added eight kills, with Colyer the only non-senior to record a kill for the Ducks. Bacon was making her third career appearance in the Elite Eight with Oregon, while Lewis and Pukis, fellow seniors Georgia Murphy and Elise Ferreira and the sophomore Colyer each made her second straight regional finals appearance.

Murphy had 15 digs in her final UO appearance. The back-row tandem of Daley McClellan and Ferreria rotated in and combined for four services aces with 18 digs.

“I’ve been dreading this day whether it was a win or loss — even if we won the championship,” Ulmer said. “I’m dreading the day when I don’t get to see these guys every day. They’re amazing, the seven seniors that are leaving now and just who they are as humans. It’s just the pleasure of my life to be able to be their coach. …

“Definitely, we wish we could have taken that next step. But it doesn’t diminish anything that they’ve done. They’ve been amazing. And they’ve elevated Oregon volleyball to new heights.”

How It Happened: Consecutive kills by Bacon in the opening moments gave the Ducks a 3-2 lead in the first set, but that would be their only advantage. The Badgers scored three straight to take over the lead, and later used a 6-1 scoring run to go up 13-8. A 4-0 run for the Ducks…