ROCKLIN, Calif. – Southern Oregon faced a set deficit for the first time this season on Saturday and responded with aplomb, rallying to take down William Jessup (Calif.) in five sets and following with a sweep of Simpson (Calif.) at Warrior Court.
The 21st-ranked Raiders completed a perfect stay at the William Jessup Invite with the wins and will enter Cascade Conference action next weekend with a 5-0 record.
Their 20-25, 25-22, 20-25, 25-17, 15-6 comeback against WJU (1-2) was the first win of the year that didn't end in straight sets. Sophomore middle
Sadie Byrd helped push them to it with seven kills and 10 blocks. She became the sixth Raider to register double-digit blocks in the last decade, and she and
Simone Gordon assisted three apiece in the fourth frame to send the match to a fifth.
Hailey Van Well capped off a monster match with four kills in the one-sided tiebreaker. She finished with 21 on 50 swings, adding four digs and three blocks. Gordon nearly matched Byrd, going for 10 kills and eight blocks, and
Taylor Jackson assisted five of the team's 15 stuffs.
Shelby Young contributed 13 kills, a new career best.
Kadyn Jones (18 digs) and
Karina Oliveira (17 digs) stabilized the back row. Setters
Gwen Sheldon (25 assists, 9 digs, 3 aces) and
Hannah Randall (22 assists) orchestrated a .243 attack.
The Raiders overcame a 20-kill performance from Warriors hitter Taylor Dilley.
They later swept Simpson for the second time in two weeks, 25-22, 25-9, 25-23, and held the Redhawks (0-5) to a .085 attacking average.
Van Well poured in nine more kills and Gordon had five. Sheldon went for eight assists and three service aces, and Jones had a match-high 12 digs.
"It was a great first tournament for this young group," SOU head coach
Josh Rohlfing said. "We showed great fortitude and energy throughout and I felt like we played with made strides in the missions that we set for ourselves. It'll serve us well heading into this gauntlet of a conference season."
That'll start Friday at Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) in the teams' first-ever CCC matchup. The Warriors will bring a 5-3 record into the match.
