CALDWELL, Idaho – Kylie Porter smashed 16 kills without an error, leading the College of Idaho to a four-set victory over No. 8 ranked Southern Oregon before a loud partisan crowd in the J.A. Albertson Activities Center.
PHOTO GALLERY - Southern Oregon at C of I The Lady Yotes (9-8, 7-2 CCC) earned a 17-25, 25-17, 25-18, 25-23 victory, snapping SOU's 15-match win streak to open 2015. It was C of I's second-straight win in the series between the two schools who have combined to win (or share) the last 12 Cascade Conference Tournament titles.
Despite never trailing in the period, Southern (15-1, 8-1) grinded out a Set 1 win. Leading 18-16 after a service error, the Raiders got back-to-back kills from Emma Gasman to start a 7-1 surge to claim the set win.
The momentum swung early in Set 2, as C of I scored the first six points of the frame – taking advantage of five SOU errors. The Raiders would inch within 19-16 after a Gasman-Tyana Andrews combo block, but a pair of Randi Sturtz kills and a Kilee Lopez ace capped a 6-1 Yotes surge to even the match.
Sturtz and Katy Robinson set the tone early in Set 3, each recording three kills – with a Porter stuff block and back-to-back kills helping the Coyotes score 12 of the first 15 points. The Raiders would cut the gap to 16-12 on a C of I attack error, but two kills from Porter and Sturtz keyed a 9-2 run to end the set.
The teams see-sawed back and forth in Set 4, combining for 12 ties and nine lead changes. Gasman and Andrews each had three kills in a 10-3 surge for SOU, as the Raiders built a 19-14 lead. C of I battled back, using a five-point push, including kills from Robinson, Porter, and Abbey Fenton, to draw even. After six side-outs evened the score at 22-22, a SOU hitting error and a Sierra Porter ace gave the Yotes match point, with Sturtz using a cross-court winner to set off a C of I celebration.
Sturtz had a career-high 14 kills, Robinson had 11 kills, and Fenton added 10 to lead the Yotes, who won their fifth-straight match. Sierra Porter recorded 50 assists and five digs; Lopez had 22 digs; and Jayde Folsom had 14 digs for C of I – who improved to 9-0 this season when hitting at a .250-or-better clip.
Andrews and Gasman each had 13 kills in the loss for SOU – as the Raiders amassed 21 attack errors in the final three sets after pounding 19 kills and a .533 hitting percentage in the opening frame. Setter Lauren McGowne had 46 assists, seven digs and three blocks; Ashlyn Flynn had 20 digs; with Corynn Kopra logging 10 kills and 10 digs.
C of I returns to action tomorrow, hosting Oregon Tech at 5 p.m.
