The Oregon State Beavers women’s volleyball team continued their home schedule with a commanding sweep over the UC Irvine Anteaters, 3-0 (25-13, 25-13, 25-21), on Friday, Sept. 12 at Gill Coliseum as part of the ASICS Invitational.
With the win, Oregon State improved their head-to-head record versus UC Irvine. The sweep extended the Beavers’ all-time series advantage over the Anteaters 4-2. This gave OSU back-to-back sweeps to start their home schedule, and four straight sweeps in their past four games, tying a program record set in 2008 for the most consecutive sweeps.
“It’s really exciting and fun to play with these girls,” middle blocker Lauren Rumel said. “We want to keep up this momentum and extend our winning streak to five in the next game.”
The Beavers quickly seized control in the first set, jumping ahead with steady offense and tight blocking at the net. Outside hitter Alana Marrs led the charge with multiple kills, while Oregon State’s front line forced UC Irvine into repeated errors. The Anteaters managed only 13 points in the frame as the Beavers closed it out 25-13.
The second set followed the same script. Oregon State kept the Anteaters out of rhythm with consistent serving, forcing another 11 attack errors from UC Irvine. Marrs and sophomore Keila Gabriel kept the offense rolling, while Cheyenne Green provided stability in the back row with four digs. The Beavers pulled away comfortably 25-13 to take a 2-0 lead.
UC Irvine showed its strongest fight in the third set. Led by outside hitter Kendra Duffey, who finished with seven kills and two blocks, the Anteaters traded points with the Beavers and pulled even at 20. That is when Gabriel took over. The outside hitter delivered back-to-back kills and followed with a timely block that swung momentum back in Oregon State’s favor. Marrs sealed the victory with her 10th kill of the night, clinching the 25–21 set win and the sweep.
“It is our fourth consecutive win, and we showed everybody how much we want to compete,” Rumel said after the match. “The third set was huge for us because we came from behind and did not give up. This game was a big steppingstone.”
Marrs got 10 kills for the Beavers with an outstanding .667 hitting percentage, while Gabriel contributed nine kills on .375 hitting and a decisive block late in the match. Rumel added seven kills offensively, while defensively Regan and Yasemin combined for 13 digs. As a team, Oregon State hit .310 with 43 kills, 42 assists, and 49 digs. The Anteaters were limited to a .065 hitting percentage, tallying 29 kills but committing 22 attack errors.
The sweep over UC Irvine comes just one day after Oregon State’s 3-0 win against Montana State, giving the Beavers momentum to begin the ASICS Invitational. The Beavers now have a four game winning streak continuing with more tournament play. The Beavers return to action at 3 p.m. back in Gill Coliseum to face off against UNLV. With Gabriel appearing as a difference-maker and Marrs leading with efficient scoring, Oregon State appears ready to build on its strong start to the season.
