BOX SCORE

CALDWELL, Idaho – Fourteenth-ranked Southern Oregon pushed the fourth set to extra points, but ultimately the Raiders fell short as SOU fell to No. 8 College of Idaho 3-1 (19-25, 25-22, 23-25, 25-27) Saturday night at J.A. Albertson Center.

With the loss, Southern Oregon falls to 6-4 overall and 3-2 in Cascade Collegiate Conference play. College of Idaho improves to 9-1 overall and 6-0 in the conference standings while extending its conference home winning streak to 57 matches.

Southern Oregon scored the first three points of the opening period, but College of Idaho followed with a five-point streak and scored 11 of the next 14 points to take an 11-6 lead. The Raiders bounced back with a pair of points, but C of I scored the next three to stretch its lead to 14-8. A 5-1 SOU run pulled the Raiders within two points at 15-13, but that was the closest they would get in the set as the Yotes used a 7-3 run to move back ahead by six points and clinched the set victory on Kelsey Soos' service ace.

Southern Oregon again started strong in the second set, taking a quick 8-3 lead before a 7-2 C of I run tied the set at 10-10. The Raiders responded with a 6-1 run of their own, keyed by a pair of Sarah Holgen (Honolulu, Hawaii/Ashland) kills. The Yotes again struck back, this time with an 8-1 run to tie the game at 17-17 and take a 19-17 lead. Southern Oregon tied the set two points later, and the teams tied at 21 apiece and 22 apiece before the Raiders closed out the set with three straight points to earn the 25-22 win.

The Raiders mounted a comeback from an eight-point deficit in the third set, as College of Idaho took a 15-7 lead before a 13-5 SOU run tied the set at 20 apiece. Southern Oregon took a brief 22-21 lead on Renee Yomtob (Boise, Idaho/Centennial)'s service ace, but Liz Myers' kill tied the set for C of I, and with the teams tied at 23-23, a pair of Danielle Montalbo kills earned the win for the Yotes.

Sixteen tie scores told the story of the final set, as the Raiders looked to force a fifth set. College of Idaho led by three points early at 9-6, but that would be the largest lead of the set for either team. Southern Oregon took a two-point lead at 21-19 on Kylee Nawahine's attack error, but the Yotes called timeout and scored three straight points out of the break to regain the lead. The Raiders had set point at 25-24, but Liz Madden (Manson, Wash./Manson)'s attack error tied the game for C of I and gave the serve back to the Yotes. Bryanne Gribble's service ace put the Yotes at match point, and Lauren Swetland (Cottonwood, Calif./West Valley)'s attack barely landed outside the line to give C of I the victory.

The Yotes hit .318 in the match while limiting SOU to a .224 attack percentage. Holgen finished with a match-high 23 kills and posted 13 digs to earn the double-double, while Madden added 11 kills for SOU. Montalbo and Ciciley tied with 17 kills to lead C of I, with Nawahine adding 15 kills and Torrey Hulsey chipping in 10.

Soos finished with a match-high 56 assists, while Whitney Brigham's 35 digs also led both teams. Angela Spieker (Bremerton, Wash./Central Kitsap) and Caryn Westrick (Bonney Lake, Wash./Bonney Lake) combined for 39 assists for SOU, while Becky Johnstone (Lake Arrowhead, Calif./Rim of the World) led the Raiders with 17 digs.

The Raiders return home to host Northwest in CCC volleyball action Sept. 23, scheduled for 7 p.m. at Bob Riehm Arena.