Beavers Rally from Two Down, Fall in Five at USC

Thursday, November 21

Los Angeles, CA

7:00 PM

Oregon State

9-19,3-14Pac-12

USC

16-11,10-7Pac-12

Oregon St.

Southern California

Photo by: Dave Nishitani/Oregon State Athletics

November 21, 2019 | Women's Volleyball

Box Score Box Score

By: Athletic Communications

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Amy Underdown registered a season-best 20 kills and Haylie Bennett added 19 but the Oregon State volleyball team fell short in its comeback at USC in five sets Thursday night. It is the third straight five-set loss for the Beavers.

With the loss Oregon State's record fell to 9-19 overall and 3-14 in the Pac-12 Conference, while the Women of Troy improved to 16-11, 10-7. Set scores were 14-25, 21-25, 25-21, 25-23 and 13-15.

Oregon State opened the match on solid footing rushing out to a 5-1 lead as Haylie Bennett and Lindsey Schell combined for a block for the Beavers' first point followed by a kill from Underdown and an ace by Chloe Brown. But following a USC timeout the tide turned and the Trojans caught fire. USC shut down the OSU attack in the first set holding the Beavers to eight kills and eight errors, taking the set, 25-14.

The Beavers played much better in the second set rallying from a 5-2 deficit to tie the score at 8-8. OSU gained the lead and reached the 15-point mark first at 15-14. However, that would be the Beavers' last lead in the second set. The teams were tied four more times and as late as 19-19 before the Trojans gained enough momentum to hold off the Beavers 25-21 to take a two sets to none advantage.

The third set was a whole different story. The Beavers jumped out to the lead from the get-go scoring on back-to-back kills by Underdown to go up 2-0. Moments later Underdown started another four-point flurry to put OSU on top 6-1 forcing a USC timeout. The break didn't phase the visitors who promptly pieced together another 4-1 run that included a combo block by Bennett and Serena Bruin and was finished by the first ace of Taylor Quinn's career pushing the lead to 10-3. The Beavers kept the pressure on until the Trojans closed the gap to three at 20-17. USC got within two points on three occasions but OSU always had an answer and closed out the set, 25-21, on consecutive kills by Maddie Goings.

Both team battled throughout the fourth set with 12 ties and eight lead changes and neither team able to gain control. USC pushed out to a three-point lead at 13-10, but a kill by Bennett and an ace by Grace Massey tightened things up again. The Beavers managed to go ahead by two points three different times but couldn't separate from the Trojans and found themselves trailing 23-22. After using a timeout, OSU scored on the final three points with Goings putting away the first point and Bennett putting the ball on the floor on consecutive points to secure the set, 25-23, tying the match and forcing a fifth set.

The deciding set was close throughout with USC pulling ahead 5-3. Oregon State rallied with a 4-1 burst with Underdown registering back-to-back kills to take the lead at 7-6. The Trojans regained a two-point lead at 10-8, but again the Beavers tie the score at 10 on a block by Serena Bruin and Underdown followed by a Montanna Gubrud ace. The score remained tied at 12 but USC tallied three of the final four points to capture the set, 15-13, and the match.

Game Notes: Amy Underdown set a season-high with 20 kills and added 10 digs for her second double-double in three matches … Haylie Bennett clobbered 19 kills and added a team-high five blocks … Maddie Goings (14 kills, 10 digs) and Montanna Gubrud (41 assists, 15 digs) each registered their sixth double-doubles of the season … Grace Massey led the Beavers' back row patrol with 20 digs … Taylor Quinn registered a career-high in digs for the second straight match raising her personal-mark to nine.

Next Up: Oregon State gets back on the court when the Beavers cross town to take on UCLA at Pauley Pavilion on Sunday at 1 p.m. The match will be broadcast on Pac-12 Los Angeles.

Oregon State volleyball fans are encouraged to join Off the Bench, the program's donor club. Click here for more information or call Alex Gary in Our Beaver Nation at 541-737-2370.

For more information on the Oregon State volleyball team, follow the club's official Twitter account at Twitter.com/BeaverVBall, by Facebook at Facebook.com/BeaverVBall or on Instagram at Instagram.com/BeaverVBall.

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