HOUSTON – Oregon State almost swept the Flo Hyman Collegiate Cup, finally settling for second with a win over Central Arkansas and a five-set loss to host Houston.
The Beavs swept the Sugar Bears within the morning earlier than going point-for-point with the Cougars within the night. Oregon State was only a few factors away from getting the reverse sweep in opposition to the hosts, however a late run put UH excessive.
“I felt as if we made some important positive factors in the present day,” head coach Mark Barnard mentioned. “To complete with a tricky 5 set loss was a disappointing method to end the day however to struggle again from 2-0 down exhibits the character that this workforce is growing. The win this morning in opposition to Central Arkansas gave us a possibility to attempt some totally different lineups which is able to repay sooner or later.”
Match 1: Oregon State 3, Central Arkansas 0 (25-19, 25-20, 25-16)
Oregon State offered maybe its greatest wire-to-wire effort of the season to win the primary match. The Beavers hit .348 and held UCA to .083 with 12 blocks within the sweep.
Izzi Szulczewski pushed all the best buttons on the assault, meting out a season-high 34 assists whereas placing her hitters in the best place to complete performs. Mychael Vernon’s run of seven straight error-free units got here to an finish, however she nonetheless had an environment friendly day with 14 kills whereas hitting .462.
The Beavers opened the match with a formidable first set, hitting .286 with 4 blocks in a 25-19 victory. Tied at 5, Oregon State made a four-point run and held off a UCA run later within the body to safe the win. Aliyah McDonald led the Beavs with 4 kills and two blocks whereas Szulczewski contributed ten assists within the set.
The second set was extra hotly contested, with Central Arkansas getting back from an early deficit to tie the set at 17. The Beavers had a solution although, closing the body on a 6-1 run with two kills apiece from Vernon and Gentle. Szulczewski was on her sport as soon as once more, meting out 15 assists because the Beavs hit .424.
Oregon State closed the match with its greatest set of the season. The end result was by no means doubtful, with the Beavers taking a 7-1 lead after which closing on a 4-0 run to seal the sweep. Central Arkansas made a small run to attempt to get again into the set, however Vivian Gentle responded with two straight kills earlier than Vernon and Swan put the match away with their 4 kills making up the closing run.
Match 2: Houston 3, Oregon State 2 (25-18, 25-19, 26-28, 23-25, 15-12)
Within the day’s second contest, Oregon State almost accomplished the reverse sweep earlier than a last-second effort from Houston gave the hosts a five-set win.
McDonald hit .450 with 11 kills and 5 blocks. Gentle contributed a double-double with 17 kills and 12 digs. Ryan White added a team-high 17 digs.
Each of the primary two units noticed Oregon State struggle to get again into competition earlier than a Houston run gave the hosts an insurmountable benefit. Within the first, UH made a 7-1 run whereas up 18-17 to shut the set. Then the Cougars made a 9-2 run to go from down three to main by 4, coasting to a 25-19 victory.
The Beavs responded within the third set. After a tightly contested body the place neither workforce took a lead higher than three factors, OSU needed to struggle off a match level down 26-25. They did so, following it with a solo block from Vernon and a combo from Szulczewski and McDonald to win the ultimate three factors and prolong the match.
Oregon State continued to battle within the fourth, successful one other tight set. In one other body the place the biggest lead by both squad was three Szulczewski offered among the offense for OSU. The setter/outdoors hitter had 4 kills within the set, together with a block. Gentle additionally contributed 4 kills, together with the set-winner.
Sadly for OSU, the gritty comeback fell simply quick within the fifth set. Houston jumped out to a 5-0 lead earlier than the Beavers battled again to tie it at 9. UH made a three-point run after a timeout although and the Beavs did not have one last comeback in them, dropping the set and the match.
Up Subsequent
Oregon State returns residence to host the Asics Invitational subsequent weekend. The Beavs open the event with North Texas at 10 a.m. on September 9.
OUR MISSION
Oregon State Athletics strives to Build Excellent Authentic Visionary Student-Athletes (GoBEA
No. 9 Oregon State put on a show in its first 2025 home gymnastics meet Saturday, scoring 196.40 points to easily beat Brigham Young at Gill Coliseum.
Senior Jade Carey, performing in a home meet for the first time since winning two Olympic gold medals last summer, scored 39.725 in all-around. Carey had scores of 9.95 on bars and floor, 9.925 on beam and 9.90 on vault.
Carey had the highest score in each event on either team. The best scores by a Beaver gymnast aside from Carey were 9.85s by Natalie Briones (bars), Sage Thompson (bars), Lauren Letzsch (beam), Savannah Miller (floor) and Sophia Esposito (floor and beam).
Brigham Young scored 194.2 points. Kylie Eaquinto led the way with an all-around score of 39.050.
Advertisement
— Nick Daschel covers the Oregon State Beavers. Reach him at 360-607-4824 or @nickdaschel. Listen to the Beaver Banter podcast or subscribe to the Beavers Roundup newsletter.
On Saturday morning at the Navy All-American Bowl in San Antonio, Texas, three-star prospect T’Andre Waverly announced his commitment to Oregon State over Washington and Notre Dame.
The product of Kamiak High School in Mukilteo, Washington, is ranked as the nation’s No. 96 athlete and No. 18 player in the state in the 2025 class by 247Sports. Once he arrives in Corvallis, he’s expected to play tight end.
“I believe in [offensive coordinator Ryan] Gunderson for the future,” Waverly told 247Sports’ Brandon Huffman. “And I’m excited to get to know the new tight ends coach [Will Heck].”
“[Head coach Trent] Bray seems like a real get to business guy and I like that. I don’t want a coach who will pamper me. I want someone who will tell me what I need to do and what to do.”
Advertisement
Despite seeing the in-state prospect going elsewhere, tight ends coach Jordan Paopao has pulled in a promising batch at the position after signing four-star Baron Naone and three-star Austin Simmons in December.
For an athlete, a loss can shake even the strongest mental foundation. For Ohio State quarterback Will Howard, those feelings bubbled up after losing to the Oregon Ducks 32-31 at Autzen Stadium in early October.
While interviewing with ESPN before Ohio State’s semifinal game against the Texas Longhorns for the College Football Playoffs, the quarterback reflected on that feeling of loss.
“It’s been a rollercoaster. Some of the ups and downs that we did go through are why we’re sitting here today in the semifinals and probably playing our best ball right now,” Howard said. “There have been some tough moments. I’d say that Oregon loss early on in the season was rough.”
Oct 12, 2024; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard (18) walks off the field after losing 32-31 to Oregon Ducks during the NCAA football game at Autzen Stadium. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Howard, who went 28-35 passing for 326 yards and two touchdowns, remembers what he did after that fateful quarterback keeper turned slide that sealed the fate of the Buckeyes during that regular season encounter with the Ducks.
Advertisement
“Coming out of it I felt like I played a good game but it was really just the ending. I sat there and stewed over just how could I have done that differently. But when we got back here I think it was about six in the morning. I didn’t know what to do with myself. I was kind of at a loss. I went into the indoor and I just laid there for about an hour – hour and a half. I was in a dark place. I just wanted another crack at them so bad. I just couldn’t stop thinking about the next chance I could get,” Howard said.
It wasn’t too long before Howard got his second chance with Oregon. After winning the Big Ten Championship, the No. 1 ranked Ducks were seeded for the Rose Bowl. With the Buckeyes easily beating Tennessee at home the previous week, Ohio State faced the Ducks once more.
Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard (18) motions at the line of scrimmage during the College Football Playoff quarterfinal against the Oregon Ducks at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. on Jan. 1, 2025. Ohio State won 41-21. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
“Before every game, I listen to two voicemails that my late grandmother sent me and I’ve been doing that every game for the last three years now,” Howard said. “I listened to the voicemail and it just brought this immense peace over me. This year for the playoffs it actually probably got me going even more. It really helped.”
Those voicemails helped Howard correct his headspace before facing Oregon in the Rose Bowl. Howard went 17-26 in passing for 319 yards and three touchdowns. The Buckeyes completely shut out Oregon in the first quarter, with the Ducks only responding at the end of the second quarter with a touchdown and two point conversion. Howard reflected on the point in the game where the Buckeyes were up 34-0 against the No. 1 team in the nation.
MORE: NFL Offensive Rookie Of The Year: Denver Broncos Bo Nix, Washington Jayden Daniels?
Advertisement
MORE: Boise State Football Accuses Oregon Ducks of Tampering
MORE: Oregon Ducks To Sign Transfer Portal Lineman Emmanuel Pregnon From USC Trojans?
Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard (18) holds a rose following the College Football Playoff quarterfinal against the Oregon Ducks at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. on Jan. 1, 2025. Ohio State won 41-21. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
“Ecstatic. I mean, at that point it felt like it was almost not real. It was like ‘Man, are we really up on the No. 1 team in the country right now that we were in a dog fight with at their place?’” Howard said.
The Buckeyes won against Oregon 41-21, advancing to the Cotton Bowl Classic against the Texas Longhorns, where Howard and the Buckeyes are knocking on the door of a National Championship.
“You take a big National Championship ring and hoisting the trophy up. It takes a lot of the hardships and bad things that happened this year and kind of go out the window,” Howard said.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25822586/STK169_ZUCKERBERG_MAGA_STKS491_CVIRGINIA_A.jpg "Meta is highlighting a splintering global approach to online speech")
