EUGENE, Ore. – The Oregon beach volleyball team lost its two matches Wednesday on the first day of the Pac-12 Championship in Stanford, Calif. The Ducks began the day with a tight setback to Utah, and then in the contenders bracket, fell to No. 20 Arizona.
Utah 3, Oregon 1
The Utes secured the first point of the dual with a win at No. 3 pairs. Down a set, Valerie Peterson and Batia Rotshtein saved two match points in the second but Utah’s Grace Andrews and Chloe Narancich went on to get the win for the early 1-0 dual lead.
At the No. 5 spot in the lineup, Presley McCaskill and Abby Plevin dropped a tight first set but rallied to win set two (21-13) and force a decisive frame for the second point of the dual. Utah got out to a 10-4 lead. The Ducks were able to pull to within four—down 13-9—before eventually dropping the point.
The next wave of matches featured the No. 1 and 2 pairs with court four staggered just slightly behind.
Zoe Almanza and Chloe Brown lost the opening set to Katie McAlister and Amaya Messier at the No. 1 spot in the lineup but responded with a 21-19 result in the second to extend the match.
With the top spot starting play in the third, the Ducks got on the board with a straight-set win for Ella Tyus and Bea Wetton at No. 2 pairs. The Oregon duo posted a 21-16, 21-18 triumph over Abby Karich and Bella Vezzani to collect their 20th dual win of the season.
Meanwhile at No. 4 pairs, Natasha George and Ashley Schroeder won the first set, 21-15, with just two courts in play.
Back on court one, the Ducks took a 12-8 lead in the third with a block by Brown before teams switched sides. However, McAlister and Messier rattled off the next six points for a 14-12 lead. The UO pair saved a match point but on the next point, a long rally ended in favor of the Utes to clinch the match and dual.
George and Schroeder led 21-15, 13-10 but the match went unfinished when the dual was decided.
1: Katie McAlister/Amaya Messier (UU) def. Zoe Almanza/Chloe Brown (ORE) – 21-19, 19-21, 15-13
2: Ella Tyus/Bea Wetton (ORE) def. Abby Karich/Bella Vezzani (UU) – 21-16, 21-18
3: Grace Andrews/Chloe Narancich (UU) def. Valerie Peterson/Batia Rotshtein (ORE) – 21-17, 21-18
4: Natasha George/Ashley Schroeder (ORE) vs Marissa Koch/Kylie Pitzak (UU) – 21-15, 13-10 (uf)
5: Azure McOmber/Sonja Wessel (UU) def. Presley McCaskill/Abby Plevin (ORE) – 21-19, 13-21, 15-10
Order of finish: 3, 5, 2, 1
#20 Arizona 3,…
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