Written Story by Griffin Bowes

The 2nd-seeded Oregon Ducks had high hopes entering the NCAA tournament. The Ducks finished the regular season ranked sixth in the nation and second in the Pac-12, trailing only top-seeded Stanford. Meanwhile, the Southeastern Louisiana Lions also came in hot, as they entered this match with a winning streak of 22. Despite this impressive feat, the Ducks were expected to win this match rather comfortably. To the delight of the Oregon faithful, expectations were met as the Ducks won in three sets. 

The Lions put forth a strong effort to open the match, as the first set was very competitive for much of its duration. Early on, the Ducks had a 4-0 scoring run, but the Lions answered with two separate 4-0 runs. However, Oregon showed great poise as they pulled away late and closed out the set with a 5-0 run, winning 25-16.

The second and third sets were less competitive, as Oregon won both 25-13. In the second, the Ducks never trailed, and they went on multiple 5-0 runs deep in the set. The third set wasn’t much different. SE Louisiana scored the first two points, but the Ducks ran away from there on the back of a strong .417 hitting percentage. 

While Oregon played well as a team, they saw impressive individual performances from many of their star players. Mimi Colyer led the way with 11 kills and only one error, and four other players had at least 5 kills. Hannah Pukis also had a very efficient game with 4 kills and an .800 hitting percentage. Across the entire team, hitting percentage was very strong for the Ducks, with a game total of .385. Meanwhile, SE Louisiana finished with a hitting percentage of exactly 0. 

If there was one weakness for Oregon tonight, it was unsurprisingly the service errors, as the Ducks had 8 to the Lions 6. If the Ducks are going to achieve their dreams of winning the title, they will have to keep their service errors under control against higher level opponents. 

In the second round, Oregon will face off against Hawaii, who stunned 7th-seeded Iowa State in the match preceding Oregon’s. These teams have already faced off, with the Ducks sweeping in Hawaii’s stadium. The Rainbow Warriors have had a successful season, as they are 24-8 with a strong road record of 8-3. Given how they played today against the Cyclones, Hawaii will have a chance to pull off another upset. The rematch will likely be much more competitive and entertaining than the first meeting. 

If you want to listen live to Oregon’s second round match with Hawaii, tune into KWVA 88.1 FM at 7pm tomorrow night.

Audio Story by Wilder Lewis