EUGENE, Ore. – California improved its effort with each set on Friday night as it faced the 16th-ranked Oregon Ducks.
 
Unfortunately, the late effort and inconsistent play plagued the Golden Bears as they gave up a 3-0 decision to the Ducks (13-6, 6-3 Pac-12), who claimed their ninth consecutive victory over Cal.
 
Led by Mima Mirkovic and Preslie Anderson, who paced Cal with eight kills each, the Bears recovered from a lopsided first set when they finished with a. 105 hitting percentage, to improve to a .233 overall.
 
However, Cal was unable to stall Oregon's timely runs throughout the match to pull off another top-25 upset. The Bears were outhit 55-34 and allowed the Ducks to finish with a .333 attacking rate.
 
Cal posted a late 3-0 run in the third set, its best of the night, to keep Oregon on its toes and force a timeout with Cal trailing 23-22. But, Oregon's Ronika Stone, who tied teammate Lindsey Vander-Wiede for a game-high 12 kills, posted back-to-back kills out of the timeout to clinch the match.
 
In an errorless set, Cal finished with a .333 hitting percentage to match Oregon's final effort, but were outhit 21-12 in the final game.
 
Set 2 found the Bears ahead at several points with an improved collective effort. Cal finished with a .267 attacking percentage, committing just four errors in the set. Unfortunately, the Ducks went on a lofty 7-2 run to finish out the second set ahead two.
 
The Bears struggled to find many points in the opening set as the Ducks went on multiple runs keeping Cal scoreless in different stretches. The Bears gave up a quick 3-0 run to start the set and then allowed a 5-0 run and a 4-0 run shortly their after to keep the opening game out of reach. The Bears combined for a .105 hitting percentage, while Oregon tallied a .417 hitting clip in a quick set.

"We played a little frantically to start the match and it was tough to play catch up as the match went on," said Cal head coach Jennifer Dorr. "I'm impressed by the play of senior Mackenzie Albrecht as she continues to leadership to the floor with her effort and performance."

Albrecht came in critical moments to lift the Bears defense and finished the night with six digs, third most on the team. 
 
Cal closes its weekend on the road in Corvallis, Ore., in its first faceoff of the season with Oregon State at noon (PT) on Sunday. The Bears look to find their first win over the Beavers since 2013 when Cal recorded a 3-1 decision in Corvallis.
 
For more information on Cal volleyball, follow the team on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @CalVolleyball.