BOX SCORE

CALDWELL, Idaho – Southern Oregon earned its second consecutive Cascade Collegiate Conference tournament championship as the 12th-ranked Raiders upset regular-season champion College of Idaho in the championship match 3-0 (25-17, 25-19, 25-14) Saturday afternoon at the J.A. Albertson Activities Center.

Southern Oregon improved to 21-4 this season with its 15th straight win and earned its first victory over the Yotes in Caldwell since 2005. The Raiders defeated C of I in last season's CCC championship match in Ashland. With the win, SOU picks up the CCC's automatic berth in the NAIA Volleyball National Championships, with the 36-team field scheduled to be announced Sunday afternoon.

The Raiders jumped ahead to an early five-point lead at 7-2 in the opening set, but College of Idaho worked its way back into the match with a four-point streak to make it 11-10. With the set tied up at 16 apiece, Southern Oregon put together a 9-1 run to earn the set victory. Natalie Scheller (Bend, Ore./Bend) finished with the final two kills for SOU as the Raiders clinched the 25-17 win.

The second set featured nine ties in the first 24 points, with the teams all knotted at 12-12 midway through the game. Southern Oregon used back-to-back kills by Sarah Holgen (Honolulu, Hawaii/Ashland) to spark a 14-7 run and turn a 12-11 deficit into a 25-19 set victory to take a 2-0 advantage in the match.

Southern Oregon scored 10 of the first 13 points in the third set before College of Idaho used a 4-1 run to pull within four at 11-7. Following an SOU timeout, the Raiders regained the momentum and began to pull away from the Yotes. The Raiders scored seven of the final nine points in the set and clinched the championship on Scheller's 10th kill of the match.

Holgen led the way for SOU with 15 kills, with Scheller and Megan Bartling (Medford, Ore./North Medford) each adding 10 for the Raiders. Angela Spieker (Bremerton, Wash./Central Kitsap) and Caryn Westrick (Bonney Lake, Wash./Bonney Lake) combined for 39 assists, while Becky Johnstone (Lake Arrowhead, Calif./Rim of the World) finished with a team-high 17 digs. Holgen and Renee Yomtob (Boise, Idaho/Centennial) each finished with 11 digs.

For College of Idaho, Ciciley Fox and Torrey Hulsey each posted 10 kills. Kelsey Soos finished with a match-high 31 assists and Whitney Brigham's 29 digs led both teams. Southern Oregon more than doubled C of I's hitting percentage in the match, as the Raiders out-hit the Yotes .354-.167.