CALDWELL, Idaho – In a match that featured a combined 36 total blocks, No. 13 ranked Southern Oregon outlasted No. 7 ranked College of Idaho in an epic slugfest, 29-27, 22-25, 25-22, 23-25, 15-12, inside the J.A. Albertson Activities Center.
The Raiders (10-0, 3-0 CCC) ran their win streak to 10 to open the 2018 season, using a huge run to open the deciding final set and held off a late C of I charge.
SOU rattled off eight consecutive points on the serve of Myla Norvell – getting two Taylor Ristvedt kills and a pair of Ristvedt-Makayla Hoyt combo blocks – racing to an 8-1 lead at the change-over. Leading 10-3, the Yotes (6-4, 1-1) stormed back, as
Ashley Pagan had three kills keyed a 9-2 surge to pull the hosts within a point. Following a timeout, one of nine C of I service errors gave the visitors match point and following a long rally, Ristvedt smashed a winner to the middle of the court to complete the win.
Ristvedt had 22 kills and seven blocks, with Hoyt posting 15 kills and a match-high 12 blocks in the victory for SOU.
The Yotes looked to have Set 1 won – scoring the first three points on
Taylor Alexander aces and taking a 23-18 lead on a Pagan kill. SOU countered consecutive Nila Lukens kills, part of a five-point push to pull even. After eight side outs, Ristvedt hammered down two kills to give the Raiders early win.
C of I evened the match with a solid second set, as
Jackie van Vliet logged five kills on six swings and added two blocks in the period. The Raiders bolted to a 6-0 lead in Set 3, only to see the Yotes use a 6-0 run of their own to take a 15-14 lead. Hoyt was the answer for the visitors, recording a kill and a block in a countering four-point run to give Southern the lead for good.
Alexander took over Set 4 for the Yotes, recording eight kills, helping C of I to a .378 hitting percentage, forcing the wild final set.
Pagan led the Yotes with her second 20-20 match of the season, finishing with 20 kills and 24 digs, with Alexander recording a career-high 19 kills, adding 16 digs and seven blocks. Van Vliet had 14 kills and eight blocks;
Austyn Mauzy had eight blocks;
Marija Djonovic recording 59 assists, eight digs and four blocks; with
Drew Dobney providing 22 digs. The 18 team blocks by C of I was the eighth time in program history that the team had recorded 18 or blocks in a match.
Dani Johnson added 12 kills for SOU; setter Natalie James had 37 assists and 10 digs in the Raiders 6-2 attack; with Emma Ryan leading all players with 28 digs.
C of I hits the road next weekend with matches at Multnomah and Warner Pacific.
