HONOLULU, Hawai'i (August 26, 2023) - Julia Sangiacomo reached double figures in kills for the second time in as many outings as No. 9 Oregon (2-0) dealt Northwestern a 25-14, 25-17, 25-18 defeat this evening as part of the 2023 Hawaiian Airlines Rainbow Wahine Classic.
Tonight's result from inside SimpliFI Arena at Stan Sherriff Center sees the 'Cats fall to 0-2 on the young season.
How It Happened
SET 1 | Oregon stepped on the gas early in the first set, racing out to a 6-2 lead that prompted a Wildcat timeout. Sangiacomo snapped a 5-0 Duck run with her first kill of the night before Alexa Rousseau and Leilani Dodson joined forces on a block to pull the 'Cats within two, 6-4. Oregon counted another 5-0 spurt, opening up an 11-4 lead, and Northwestern would get no closer than four the rest of the way as it dropped a 25-14 decision.
SET 2 | The two teams traded points during the opening stages of set two, with a Kathryn Randorf spike giving Northwestern a narrow 7-6 advantage. Ellie Husemann stretched the margin to 10-8 when she cashed in off an Oregon overpass. The Ducks answered back by scoring 10 of the next 12 points, as a Mimi Colyer ace stetched the Oregon lead to 18-12 and forced a Northwestern timeout. Rousseau looked to spark a late rally, engineering a 3-0 run from the service line that included an ace, but the deficit proved too big to overcome in a 25-17 defeat that put Oregon in front, 2-0.
SET 3 | After taking a 3-2 lead on another Randorf kill, Oregon raced in front in set three courtesy of a 4-0 surge that made it 6-3. Colyer connected again to stretch the Ducks' lead to 12-7, but Northwestern refused to go down quiety, clawing with three, 13-10, on a Sangiacomo kill up the middle. That proved to be the end of any Wildcat comeback hopes, as Oregon closed out a sweep with a 25-18 victory.
Game Notes
» Sangiacomo led the Wildcats for a second straight match, registering 10 kills in addition to five blocks.
» Randorf and Maddy Chinn each chipped in five kills apiece.
» Rousseau tallied a team-best two service aces to go along with 22 assists.
» Colyer, a Third Team All-America pick in 2022, racked up a match-high 16 kills for Oregon.
Up Next
Northwestern concludes its stay on the island of O'ahu on Sunday, August 27 against No. 13 San Diego. First serve is set for 7:45 p.m. (CT).
This article created using technology provided by Data Skrive.