Oregon State
Portland
Volleyball Sweeps Portland
September 21, 1999 | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 21, 1999
CORVALLIS, Ore. - The Oregon State volleyball rallied back from a 14-2 deficit in game two to defeat Portland in a three-game sweep (15-5, 16-14, 15-1) at Gill Coliseum Tuesday evening.
The Beavers (6-4) put together a strong offensive performance for the night, hitting .362 as a team with three players finishing with double-figure kills. Sarah Bjeldanes hit .406 with a match-high 17 kills, and Angie Shirley hit .615 with 16 kills. Gina Schmidt turned in 14 kills and hit .367.
"After the match, I told the team that we did what good teams do," coach Nancy Somera said. "When we had a lead, we kept it. When we were down, we fought hard to come back."
OSU came on strong in the opener, jumping out to an 8-1 lead and hitting .365 for the game. Bjeldanes had seven of her 17 kills in game one to aid in the Beaver victory.
But in game two, OSU fell behind for the first time in the match as the Pilots (0-10) started the game off with a sideout that resulted in three consecutive points, two off OSU errors. Portland extended its lead to 5-0 before the Beavers got on the scoreboard. The Pilots eventually built a 14-2 lead, but OSU managed a sideout on a kill from Schmidt and scored on a Bjeldanes kill.
The teams then traded sideouts on the next four serves before the Beavers put together a seven-point rally that included two kills from Shirley, an ace from Schmidt, two Beaver blocks and two other Portland errors.
"We had a letdown in game two, but I hate to believe that's what happened," said Somera. "In that timeout (with OSU down, 10-1), I told them that each and every one of them had to play their position and play in our system, and if they did that they would come back.
"Not that I like being down 14-2, but from a coaching standpoint, I kind of like the feeling that you get when your team comes back like that," she said. "It really gets your head on straight for the next game. We weren't taking any chances in game three."
The Beavers didn't need to take many chances in the final game. After starting off with a close 2-1 contest, OSU jumped ahead 5-1. The teams traded sideouts and OSU then went on to score six straight points, much in part to strong serving from Schmidt, who served two aces on that rotation. OSU hit .526 for the game, while the Pilots were at -.095.
The Beavers finished the night with 61 kills to UP's 44. The Pilots outdug the Beavers, 44-43, and for the first time this season no Beavers had double-figure digs. Brandi Bonnarens led OSU with eight digs. OSU also had seven blocks and four aces, three of which came from Schmidt.
Katrina Nelson also had a strong match off the bench for the Beavers. She played the last two games and hit .800 with four kills and two digs.
"I was really pleased with the performance of Katrina Nelson," Somera said. "She took some good swings, passed well and dug some balls. I've been waiting for someone to step up in that position, and Katrina did tonight."
The Beavers return to action Friday, Sept. 24 when they host Washington State at 7:00 p.m. at Gill Coliseum.
Match Results
Portland (0-10) 5 14 1 Oregon State (6-4) 15 16 15
