MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – It will be a top-20 weekend with the Oregon volleyball team in the Gopher State for the Big Ten/Pac-12 challenge. 18th-The top-ranked Ducks are set for games against host and third-ranked Minnesota and No. 20 Penn State. The four-team standings also feature Pac-12 fellow Stanford, the No. 11 in this week’s AVCA poll.
2022 Big Ten/Pac-12 Challenge | Minneapolis, Minn.
Friday, September 9: #18 Oregon at #3 Minnesota, 5:30pm (PT) – Watch | Live statistics
Sat., Sept. 10: #18 Oregon vs. #20 Penn State, 2:30pm (PT) – Watch | Live statistics
The Ducks enter the weekend off a five-set win over Rice in the team’s last outing. In the decisive frame, Oregon hit .458 and had six players with at least one kill. Brooke Nunviller led the way with 20 kills and 15 digs, 50th double-double in her career. Mimi Colyer AND Colby Neal each posted 12 kills during the deployment Hannah Puskis provided 52 assists with 24 career goals.
For the second time in as many weeks, Colyer was recognized for her play with Pac-12 Freshman of the Week honors. The Lincoln, Calif. native averaged 4.13 kills per set during the Oregon Invitational, highlighted by a 21-kill, .667 hitting percentage performance against UC Davis in the home opener.
Nuneviller (4.00 k/s) and Colyer (3.88) currently rank fifth and ninth, respectively, in the Pac-12. Collectively, the Ducks are fifth in the conference with a .288 hitting percentage. Middle blocker Carson Bacon is third, individually, with a .467 hitting efficiency. Pukis (3.47 d/s) and libero Georgia Murphy (3.31) both rank among the top 10 in the league.
At last year’s Big Ten/Pac-12 Challenge, hosted by the Ducks in Eugene, the team posted a 1-1 record with a sweep of then-No. 18 Penn State and a five-set loss to No. 13 Minnesota.
Friday’s game will mark the 10thth meeting in the all-time series with the Golden Gophers holding a slim 5-4 lead. In their last trip to Minneapolis, the Ducks cruised to a four-set victory in the 2018 NCAA Regional semifinals. Nuneviller, then a freshman and libero, had 25 digs and nine assists in that match. Last year, UO defeated Penn State to tie the all-time series at 3-3. Morgan Lewis AND The glory of Mutiri combined for 15 kills while hitting .412 and seven blocks in the win.
The next one
After this weekend’s Big Ten sweep, the Ducks are back on the road for the Hurricane Invitational (Sept. 17-18) in Coral Gables, Fla. Oregon’s next home game is Sunday, Sept. 25, against Stanford at 12:00 PM (PT). Click HERE for the complete Oregon schedule.
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