7 p.m. Friday – SOU at Northwest Christian – Live Stream/Stats
7 p.m. Saturday – SOU at Corban – Live Stream/Stats

ASHLAND – A potential make-or-break road stretch that includes visits to three top-16 opponents begins this weekend for the Southern Oregon University volleyball team.

The first stops for the Raiders (7-4 overall, 5-2 Cascade Conference) – who are among three two-loss teams behind first-place College of Idaho – will be Friday in Eugene at Northwest Christian (9-5, 5-4) and Saturday in Salem at 16th-ranked Corban (12-6, 7-2). Following an intermission at home for Monday's nonleague match against William Jessup (Calif.), they'll head out again to face No. 8 C of I, No. 12 Eastern Oregon and Walla Walla (Wash.).

The Raiders have yet to lose a road match this year, though they've only played three of them – winning in five at Vanguard (Calif.) and Warner Pacific, and sweeping Multnomah.

Last Week in Review: SOU had its chances in a 27-25, 25-20, 25-22 loss last Friday to Northwest (Wash.), but couldn't get the stops it needed to slow down a .257 Eagles attack. The first set was tied at 10 different points on its way to 25-all, the Raiders led 10-2 in the second, and they were up 15-13 in the third before faltering. They were held to a .129 attack, their lowest since the first match of the season, as middle Makayla Hoyt's eight kills led the way on an otherwise quiet night.

Twenty-four hours later, they came alive again to survive a 25-23, 23-25, 25-20, 18-25, 15-7 victory against Evergreen State. SOU improved to 5-0 in five-set matches this season and 14-1 in CCC matches of the sort over the last four years; and for the Geoducks, it was their fourth five-set loss in nine days. Hoyt dominated with 17 kills on 30 attacks and six blocks, Dani Johnson was perfect on five attacks in the decisive frame, and Ashlyn Flynn (23 digs) and Emma Ryan (8 digs, 3 aces) controlled the back row.

Briefly:
– One more five-set win would be SOU's sixth and the most for a Raider team in Josh Rohlfing's 11 years as head coach. In their CCC matches that have gone the distance, the Raiders have put down 33 kills with three errors on 51 swings – making for an incredible average of .588.
– Ashlyn Flynn, SOU's junior libero, is on a record-breaking pace with 1,066 career digs, just one away from the No. 8 spot in the Raider record book. (The all-time record, held by Kristen Lilly, is 1,647.) At 5.1 per set, she currently ranks 32nd in the NAIA and second in the CCC.
– Makayla Hoyt's 17 kills against Evergreen marked a new career high, though she's been in double figures in seven of SOU's last nine matches and hit .380 or better in six of those. In conference action, her average of .338 ranks sixth – fellow freshman middle Elliott Cook is directly behind her at .333 – and overall, her average of 1.2 blocks per set ranks 21st in the country.

About Northwest Christian:
– The Beacons have already proven dangerous at home, capturing their biggest win in recent memory over Corban in four sets on Sept. 15. Last weekend, they were swept at EOU and C of I.
– SOU leads the all-time series, 20-2, but the teams split two matchups last year. SOU's only loss at NCU occurred during the 2013 season.
– As a team, the Beacons hit .156 and allow an average of .149 – tied for best in the CCC in the latter category. Senior libero Haley Damian leads the defense at 4.5 digs per set, senior middle Keri Schwarz ranks second in blocks (1.2), and outside Kasey Campbell is their top attacker (2.8 kills).

About Corban:
– Fresh off an appearance at the national tournament, the Warriors brought back every starter, including four All-CCC selections, and were picked to win the conference for the first time. They've been up and down – they started 1-4, all against top-25 opponents, and have also lost in four sets to NCU and C of I – but were in top form last Saturday while winning at EOU in straight sets.
– SOU leads the series, 53-9, and hadn't lost to the Warriors since 2003 until dropping both meetings last year.
– In conference play, Corban owns easily the CCC's top attacking average (.300) and ranks fifth in average against (.170). Outside hitter Amber Parker (3.8 kills, .261) and middle Alaina Gentili (2.6 kills, .364), both senior All-Americans, are set up by all-star setter Madison McLain, and Haley Wells (4.7 digs) is the reigning CCC Libero of the year.