Spring Break
Fingers crossed for home win
Oregon State volleyball team returns to Gill Coliseum after a five-match losing streak
Issue date: 11/6/09 Section: Sports
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The Daily Barometer
The Oregon State volleyball team comes home to Gill Coliseum to face the Arizona schools in hopes to snap a five-match losing streak.
With the chances of making the NCAA tournament, the Beavers (11-11, 2-8 Pac-10) will have to catch fire down the stretch. That run will have to start against the Sun Devils (12-11, 2-9 Pac-10) on Friday before they host the No. 18 Wildcats (16-6, 5-6 Pac-10) on Saturday.
"We have to win five out of eight matches, and these teams are definitely beatable," senior setter Camilla Ah-Hoy said.
"We look at these games as definite possibilities of games that we can win," senior middle blocker Lexie Rathgeber said.
In their first meetings between the Wildcats and Sun Devils, both matches went the distance. The Beavers fell in five sets in Tucson before coming back the next night with a five-set win over the Sun Devils in Tempe.
"We beat Arizona State at Arizona State, so we have the confidence we can beat them," Rathgeber said.
The Sun Devils are in a similar situation as the Beavers - they too need streak of wins to have a chance to get into the NCAA tournament.
"Arizona State is in the same place as us, with backs against the wall, so they'll be fighting for their lives," Ah-Hoy said.
The Beavers will have to regroup after an exhausting four-set loss at Eugene against the Ducks, falling 37-39, 25-21, 22-25, 21-25. Senior outside hitter Rachel Rourke did make history in the loss, passing Shelly Smith as the all-time leader in kills by racking up a career-high 36. Rourke now has 1,773 career kills during her tenure with Oregon State and will look to continue to build her lead with the eight remaining regular season matches.
"It was emotionally draining," Rathgeber said about the loss to the Ducks. "But we had the weekend to regroup and if we play like we did against UO, we will win both games."
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