Oregon State
Cal Poly
Volleyball Drops Tough Five-Set Match in Aggie Invitational Opener
September 17, 2010 | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 17, 2010
Davis, Calif. – Despite taking an early 2-0 lead, the Oregon State volleyball team (6-6) fell in a five-set heartbreaker to Cal Poly (7-3) on Friday afternoon in the team's first match of the Aggie Invitational. Set scores were 25-16, 25-13, 18-25, 26-28, 10-15.
“That was a tough loss,” head coach Taras Liskevych said. “We played with as good of focus as we have all season in the first two sets, but struggled passing in the third and fourth. We had every opportunity in the fourth set to take it, but we just had untimely service errors. It's difficult integrating a new player into the lineup 10 matches in, but we have to keep getting Dre [Shaw] swings and getting her in the match.”
Senior Jill Sawatzky (St. Andrews, Manitoba) earned her sixth double-double of the season with 20 kills and 13 digs with two aces, while freshman Mona Kressl (Langenzenn, Germany) added 10 kills and five blocks.
The Beavers easily cruised to a 25-16 first set victory, capitalizing on nine Cal Poly unforced errors and .000 hitting percentage, while picking up four blocks and a pair of aces. Sawatzky racked up four kills to lead all hitters, while sophomores Camille Saxton (Balzac, Alberta) and Ashley Eneliko (Seattle, Wash.) both earned three blocks each.
Momentum carried over into the second set with the Beavers continuing long serving runs and hitting nearly errorless with a .591 hitting percentage to lead by as many as 14 at the 20-6 mark. Sawatzky and Kressl both tallied five kills of the team's 15 total, while Oregon State found the floor on the serve five times.
Coming out of the long break, the Beavers struggled to get into a rhythm, allowing Cal Poly to edge within one set. The two teams battled back and forth in the fourth set with neither team leading by more than three at any time with 16 ties and seven lead changes. Oregon State led late at the 25-24 mark, but couldn't hold on to win in four, forcing a deciding set five.
The Beavers struggled early in the deciding set, falling behind by as many as seven at 5-12. The team battled back, holding the Mustangs at match point for three rallies, but a final kill finished the match in favor of Cal Poly.
Freshman Becky Defoe (Bend, Ore.) led the Beaver backcourt defense with 17 digs, while Eneliko had a career-high 10 blocks. Sophomore Alyssa O'Neil (West Linn, Ore.) added 13 digs, while three Beavers had five blocks each.
Cal Poly's Catie Smith led the Mustang offense with 17 kills, while libero Alison Mort had a team-high 16 digs.
Oregon State continues play in the Aggie Invitational against UC Davis at 7:00 p.m.
Oregon State Notes – Sophomore Ashley Eneliko set a career best for blocks with 10; tying the sixth best single-match record … Senior Jill Sawatzky earned her sixth double-double of the season with 20 kills, 13 digs … Freshman Becky Defoe set a new career best for digs with 17.
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