Fifth set. Match point. Oregon State’s Iris Coba is staring down West Coast leader San Francisco as she prepares to serve for the win. 

Leaping into the air and arching her back, she puts the Beavers’ hopes on her shoulders with a swing of her arm.

Ace. 

Oregon State women’s volleyball secured a dramatic five-set victory over the University of San Francisco Dons on Saturday at Gill Coliseum in Corvallis. 

The Beavers battled through a rollercoaster of momentum swings to outlast San Francisco 3-2 (25-27, 25-18, 25-23, 22-25, 15-13). The victory improves the Beavers’ season record to 4-11, including 2-3 in the West Coast Conference. Meanwhile, the Dons fall to 11-6 (4-1) and third place in the WCC.

“As soon as you’re on the court, anything can happen…You just need to go into the game like ‘We’re playing volleyball against six other girls on the other side. Let’s get it going,’” middle blocker and graduate student Kalli Schoening said after the game.”

The Beavers snapped their two-game losing streak, but ended the Dons’ own winning streak at six. 

With the result, the Beavers continue to push towards improving their mid-season form as they aim for a strong finish in conference play.

“It was a great moment to come together and work as a well-oiled machine,” Schoening added.

San Francisco struck first, taking the opening set 27-25 after both teams traded the lead nine times. The Dons’ Michalina Rola and Maria Petkova were relentless on the attack, helping their side gain early momentum. 

The Beavers responded in the second set, powered by Annika Hester’s dominance at the net. After breaking a 10-10 tie, the Beavers led the rest of the way and cruised to a 25-18 win, tying the match 1-1.

The third set was another tightly contested affair, with Oregon State prevailing 25-23. Hester and Lauren Rumel combined for several key kills, giving the Beavers a crucial edge. Despite the close finish in the third, the Beavers never trailed in the third frame, though they never had a lead greater than four points. 

Head coach Lindsey Behonick hopes to see the Beavers with more performances like the win on today.

“We were not satisfied with how we played against Santa Clara on Thursday,” Behonick said, “and we met as a team and felt like we didn’t have any fight in us (against Santa Clara). Yesterday, in practice, we went really hard, and right away we competed.” 

With their backs against the wall, the Dons got out to an early 4-1 lead in the fourth set. 

While the Beavers were able to tie it at six all, the Dons then reeled off five consecutive points and took that lead to the end of the set. San Francisco managed to force a decisive fifth set by eking out a 25-22 win in the fourth, with Petkova and Hayden Goodman leading the charge.

In the final set, the Beavers were trailing 13-12. A kill from Hester, however, brought momentum back. 

Moments later, an error from San Francisco’s Rola gave OSU a match point, which Iris Coba capitalized on with a service ace, securing the roar of the Beaver crowd and a 15-13 victory.

Hester was the star of the match, racking up 20 kills with a .441 hitting percentage. Rumel contributed 15 kills and nine digs, while Kalli Schoening was efficient with 13 kills on a .550 hitting percentage. 

For San Francisco, Rola and Petkova led the offense with 15 and 14 kills, respectively, but the Dons couldn’t find the answers in the final moments.

The Beavers finished the match with 72 kills and a .327 hitting percentage, edging out San Francisco’s 63 kills and .331 hitting percentage. 

The Beavers excelled defensively with 66 digs and 9 blocks, helping them stay in control during crucial points. San Francisco’s service game gave them an advantage with 10 aces, but the Beavers’ resilience in the final moments made the difference.

“It was good to see how much we were putting pressure on a really good San Francisco team,” Behonick said.

The Beavers aim to build on their winning streak and continue their push toward a spot in the postseason tournament. 

Oregon State’s next match is scheduled for October 15 at Pullman, WA, where they will take on Washington State.