TEMPE, Ariz. -  Following its first loss of the season to No. 7 Arizona State on Friday, No. 24 Oregon (6-1) immediately got the chance to respond against UC Davis (3-5) on Saturday, Sept. 12. The Ducks did just that, bouncing back with a decisive 3-0 victory in its penultimate match in the Snyder-Park Classic at Desert Financial Arena.

With the Aggies holding a 12-9 lead in set three and testing Oregon’s plans of a sweep, the Ducks answered with a 6-1 run to turn the game in their favor. Although UC Davis responded with a run of their own, Oregon ultimately held on with a 27-25 victory in the final set.

Junior middle blocker Dalia Vrlan led the way for the Ducks with 13.5 points, four blocks, and an impressive nine kills on just 15 attacks. As the third-leading scorer for the team coming into Saturday, her emergence stood out as a key factor in this match.

Senior outside hitter Valentina Vaulet also shined, leading Oregon with 10 kills.

Even though the Aggies totaled more attacks, the Ducks’ efficiency gave them an edge the whole way.

Oregon converted its attacks to kills close to double the rate (36.2% vs. 21.2%) of UC Davis. Furthermore, the Ducks’ ten blocks stood out compared to the Aggies’ two.

Saturday’s struggles with efficiency for UC Davis are notable considering its solid numbers in that department coming into the match (35.5%). While Oregon also converted below their season rate on Saturday (44%), the severity of the Aggies’ drop-off loomed large.

For UC Davis, senior outside hitter Brooke Hibino led the entire match with 16 points on 37 attacks. Freshman opposite hitter Isabella Umpierre also totaled double-digit points with 11.5, though she also led the match with four service errors.

In the end, the Ducks’ perseverance stood out. Originally, Oregon failed to secure the final point needed to win the match on multiple occasions, but finally broke through the third time around on an attack error by Hibino.

Whereas sets one and two featured three lead changes, the final set provided five different lead changes and 14 ties. Both teams broke even at 16 kills in the third set, but the Ducks’ five blocks compared to UC Davis’ one proved to be the difference.

Oregon will play its third game in as many days against San Diego on Sunday, Sept. 13, at 2 p.m., wrapping up the Ducks’ slate at the Snyder-Park Classic.

On the other hand, the Aggies have concluded their matches in the Snyder-Park Classic. After an upset victory against the Sun Devils on Thursday, UC Davis lost their final two matches of the tournament and fell to 3-5 after a 21-7 campaign in 2025.