Oregon State
Washington
Volleyball Team Drops 3-1 Match To Washington
September 25, 1999 | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 25, 1999
CORVALLIS, Ore. - The Oregon State volleyball team came back from a 13-5 deficit in game three to avoid a three-game sweep by Washington, but the Beavers couldn't keep the momentum going as the Huskies defeated the Beavers, 3-1, Saturday night. Game scores were 15-10, 15-5, 14-16 and 15-11.
"Obviously, it was a positive to come back in game three and start off strong in game four. But, we can't wait until two and a half games have gone by to start playing. I'm really at a loss as to why that happened," said coach Nancy Somera. "This team has got to understand that it has to show up two nights in a row and prepare for two talented opponents each weekend, not just one."
Washington (6-6, 2-2) hit .317 in the opening game and broke away from a close 9-8 contest with strong serving that resulted in two aces.
The Beavers (7-5, 1-3) continued to have trouble with their passing in game two, as UW opened up the game with a 5-0 run that included back-to-back aces from Elissa Ross. OSU also struggled offensively in the second game, hitting just .026 with nine kills and eight errors for the game.
With the Huskies already up 10-5 in game three, Emily Seacat served three consecutive aces to extend UW's lead to 13-5. With the score later at 14-8, Kiki Maroutsos' serve went long to give the Beavers another opportunity.
Sarah Bjeldanes started the rotation off with an ace, and the Beavers made it 14-10 on a block by Krista Kinsman and Michele Solomon. Bjeldanes served another ace, and the Huskies called their first timeout of the game. After the break, Kinsman added two more OSU points on a block solo and a kill and then Bjeldanes tied the game with her third ace of the rotation. A UW hitting error and a block by Solomon and Gina Schmidt gave the Beavers the come-from-behind victory.
OSU appeared to have regained the momentum by taking a 6-1 lead in game four, but the Huskies responded with three-point run of their own. With the game tied, 10-10, the Huskies scored on an OSU error and a kill from Allison Richardson. UW extended its lead to 14-11, but the Huskies could not find a way to win the match. They missed six match-point chances before Britni Churnside and Lisa Underhill blocked Bjeldanes' attack to give UW the win.
Bjeldanes led OSU with 15 kills, and Shirley added 12. Solomon hit .429 with a career-high 11 kills, and she also had a match-high seven blocks. Jessica Papell had a strong defensive evening, finishing with a career-high 17 digs.
Seacat hit .452 with a match-high 21 kills, and Kristina Laffling added 20 kills and 17 digs for the Huskies.
Washington outkilled the Beavers, 72-55, but the main difference in the match was UW's serving and OSU's passing. The Huskies served 15 aces, highlighted by six from Seacat. UW also outdug OSU, 60-59. The Beavers did outblock Washington, 13-7.
OSU returns to action Friday, October 1 when the Beavers take on No. 7 Stanford at 7:00 p.m. in Palo Alto, Calif.
Match Results
Washington (6-6, 2-2) 15 15 14 15 Oregon State (7-5, 1-3) 10 5 16 11
