Box Score

Oregon (11-1) took the first set after getting off to a fast 3-0 start on its home court. The Pilots scratched back to a 4-4 tie courtesy of consecutive kills by senior Ashley Grayson and freshman Marissa Plummer, but the Ducks used an 8-1 run highlighted by a pair of service aces to gain the edge. Oregon had a big opening set from Gorana Maricic, while Grayson paced the Pilots with three kills.

Portland came out strong in the second set and took an 8-5 lead on a kill by sophomore Jessica Clemens. Trailing 9-7, the Ducks used a 5-0 run capped by a Heather Meyers ace to take control of the set. Oregon later used a 7-2 run to create separation and held on to win the frame. Maracic again led the way for the Ducks with five kills, while Pilot freshman Marissa Plummer also had five kills.

The third set again went in Oregon’s favor. From the get-go, the Ducks lit up the scoreboard and pushed to a 5-0 lead. The largest margin of the set came at 20-4 as Oregon completed the match sweep.

Grayson led Portland with seven kills, while Plummer continues to impress in the early season with six kills in 11 total chances. She also had a solo block and two block assists. Fellow freshman Allix Strahon posted a match-high 12 digs. Maricic led all players with a match-high nine kills for the Ducks.

The Pilots will next travel east to Iowa and participate in the Hawkeye Challenge. The tournament includes host Iowa, Tulsa, DePaul and Portland. UP’s first match will be against host Iowa on Friday at 7 p.m. It’s an early start on Saturday as the Pilots meet Tulsa at 10 a.m. before finishing the tourney later that day against the Blue Demons at 4:30 p.m. Live stats for all matches will be available at www.hawkeyesports.com.