Oregon Ducks Volleyball Open Thread Vs. Portland State Vikings

Following a surprising 3-0 loss to the Ohio Bobcats on Saturday, the Oregon volleyball squad hosts Portland State at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday at Matthew Knight Arena. The game marks the first televised contest for the volleyball team this season, with a telecast on the Pac-12 Network.

The Ducks opened the season at last week's Oregon Classic, downing Eastern Washington and Bryant, before falling to Ohio in straight sets. The loss dropped Oregon from their No. 8 preseason ranking down to No. 11 in the newest AVCA poll.

The Ducks lost three players from last year's NCAA runner up squad, most notably National Player of the Year Alaina Bergsma, but return plenty of talent with outside hitter Liz Brenner and setter Lauren Plum the most notable standouts. Sophomore outside hitter Martenne Bettendorf was the standout of the weekend tournament, and leads the team in kills and points.

Portland State finished 21-11 last season, winning the Big Sky regular season before a disappointing early exit in the conference tournament. They swept Gonzaga and Boise State, losing only to No. 5 Washington in their weekend tournament. They return a lot of experience, having lost only two seniors on last year's squad. Oregon transfer Jacklyn Wheeler led last year's team with 423 kills, while Kaeli Patton was the key to the weekend tournament, with 31 kills in the three matches. They are the preseason pick to win the Big Sky again this season.

Oregon swept Portland State, 3-0, at the Stott Center in Portland last season.

[From David's Preview]