RAIDER INVITATIONAL – Lithia Motors Pavilion, Ashland, Ore.
Thursday's Matches
10:30 a.m. – SOU vs. Park-Gilbert (Ariz.) | Live Stats
12:30 p.m. – Oregon Tech vs. Concordia (Neb.)
4:30 p.m. – Oregon Tech vs. Park-Gilbert (Ariz.)
7 p.m. – Southern Oregon vs. Concordia (Neb.) | Live Stats
Friday's Matches
10:30 a.m. – Concordia (Neb.) vs. Park-Gilbert (Ariz.)
3:30 p.m. – Southern Oregon vs. Park Gilbert (Ariz.) | Live Stats
LIVE STREAMS

ASHLAND – Toiling around the .500 mark while rolling out the most inexperienced roster in the Cascade Conference last fall marked a departure from recent triumphs for the Southern Oregon University volleyball team. One year later, the Raiders are hoping a payoff is imminent.

Eight players in their first season of collegiate competition and eight more in their first season with the team got to play through their mistakes in 2021, not that there was much of a choice. The rebuild was inevitable after a veteran SOU team captured its second straight CCC title in 2019 and a pandemic wiped out the entire next season.

The Raiders are theoretically through the worst of it, having posted records of 14-13 overall and 9-13 in the CCC. The degree to which their progression was expedited in the process will begin to be revealed this week when they host the Raider Invitational with 15 returning players and six starters back in the fold.

"In contrast to where we were a year ago with so many untested players, they at least know now what level of competition to expect and are much more prepared for it," said Josh Rohlfing ahead of his 16th season as SOU's head coach. "The work they've put in over the last six months gave them a lot of confidence. They've improved a lot. It's just a matter of what level we can get to as a team."

FIRST UP: Quality competition is headed to Lithia Motors Pavilion for opening week as the Raiders face two national tournament teams off the bat in the Raider Invitational. They'll match up twice against Park-Gilbert (Ariz.) – the defending California Pacific Conference tournament champion coming off an 18-7 season and a trip to the NAIA Opening Round – at 10:30 a.m. Thursday and 3:30 p.m. Friday. At 7 p.m. Thursday, SOU gets a crack at the No. 11-ranked team in the NAIA, Concordia (Neb.), which advanced to last year's national quarterfinal round out of the loaded Great Plains Athletic Conference. Both Park-Gilbert and Concordia will also face Oregon Tech in Ashland.

PRESEASON POLLS: The Raiders were picked eighth in the CCC preseason poll, based largely on their ninth-place finish in last year's standings, and have some heavyweights in front of them. Corban was the unanimous conference favorite and for good reason: The Warriors went 30-3 last year, won both the CCC regular season and tournament championships, and among their five returning all-stars is reigning player of the year Avari Ridgway. They're No. 7 in the NAIA preseason poll, Eastern Oregon is No. 12, Oregon Tech is No. 21 and Bushnell is receiving votes.

LAST YEAR: A 7-0 start vaulted the Raiders to No. 21 in the NAIA rankings before they were grounded by a seven-match September losing streak. Their youth was especially glaring in five-set matches, where they went 1-5 in conference play and were stopped from accumulating any serious momentum. Rohlfing tried 16 different players into the starting lineup during the 14-13 campaign, and out of the mix emerged Hailey Van Well as one of the circuit's most electric hitters and the CCC Freshman of the Year. Simone Gordon, also wearing a Raider uniform for the first time, received All-CCC honorable mention from the right side. Following the season, they lost only two individuals to graduation: starting libero Kadyn Jones and middle Chanel Groom, who was sidelined for most of the fall.

POSITION BY POSITION:
SETTERS: SOU has deployed a two-setter rotation for five years, and Rohlfing has no plans to depart from it anytime soon. He also doesn't plan to exclude any of the three setters who guided the team to a respectable .222 attacking average last year: seniors Taylor Russell (5.7 assists/set) and Gwen Sheldon (4.8 assists/set), and junior Hannah Randall (4.3 assists/set). Each enjoyed outings with 28 or more assists and are back for their second seasons.

"I'm incredibly impressed with their growth over the last three months and they're all deserving of playing time," Rohlfing said. "Gwen has great hands, Taylor is extremely intelligent on the court, and Hannah is an exceptional athlete who can distribute from anywhere. They all bring a lot of value."

OUTSIDE HITTERS: Hailey Van Well, a 5-foot-11 sophomore, was the only player in the CCC to rank both top-three in kills per set (3.6) and top-10 in attacking average (.280). In addition to her conference award, she collected NAIA West Region Freshman of the Year accolades after posting more kills than any Raider rookie since Rohlfing took over in 2007. The Dallas High product is a cornerstone piece, and the Raiders are believed to have added another in Mylena Testoni, a 5-9 Brazilian. Testoni was a two-time selection to the National Junior College Athletic Association All-America first team at Barton College (Kan.), where she posted 3.0 kills on a .327 average and 4.5 digs per set over two seasons.

"It feels like Hailey has focused a lot more on skill development and getting herself in the right condition, because even with the great freshman season she had, I think she learned a lot about what she needed to do to be physically ready for the season," Rohlfing said. "Mylena will be able to do a little bit of everything for us, so it's going to be exciting to see them on the floor together."

Katie Vroman averaged 1.7 kills per set in her first season of action and had "one of the best offseasons of anyone," according to Rohlfing. He also noted the improvement of sophomore Savannah Schwindt, whose serve was a reliable asset over 18 matches last year.

OPPOSITE HITTERS: After transferring from Concordia (Ore.), Simone Gordon became a go-to hitter for the Raiders as a sophomore with 2.5 kills on a .224 average to go with 0.6 blocks per set. She and sophomore lefty Hannah Stadstad both stand at 6-0, and Stadstad impressed with 1.8 kills on a .256 average and 0.6 blocks per set in her first season.

"Simone was a little beat up last year and has done a lot to get her body healthy, so we feel good about where she is as a great blocker with a quick arm," Rohlfing said. "Stadstad is one of the best athletes on the team in terms of her ability to get up and play in front of the net, and they'll both be saddled with a lot of responsibility in setting good blocks against some of the best outsides in the nation that play in our conference."

MIDDLES: No group will benefit more from moving a year along in the maturity process than SOU's middles. All four major contributors are back after entering last fall with one season of combined collegiate experience between them, which result in the Raiders ranking ninth in opponents' attacking average during CCC play. Sadie Byrd, a 6-foot junior, is an incumbent starter and recorded 1.1 kills on a team-best .316 attacking average with 0.9 blocks per set. So is 5-11 Carol Melo, who produced 0.8 kills on .222 attacking and 0.9 blocks.

"Carol has shown that she has the motor to produce everyday and is a little undersized but quick and pretty variable in what she can do offensively," Rohlfing said. "Sadie is probably our truest middle in terms of size and ability to play above the net with exceptional timing."

Taylor Jackson will be in the mix after hitting .303 and leading the team in blocks per set (1.0), and Ani Farmer has come on following an injury-plagued freshman year.

"They're all competing for time, and all four middles contribute something different," Rohlfing said. "Taylor is a great blocker and one of the most athletic players on the team, and Ani has improved even in the last couple weeks."

DEFENSIVE SPECIALISTS: With Jones' graduation, senior Brazilian Karina Oliveira has taken over the starting libero job. She had an impactful debut season for the Raiders, collecting 2.6 digs per set and logging a team-best reception percentage of .954. Kayla Neidigh appeared in 24 matches and started eight as a freshman, totaling 116 digs, and will see an uptick in playing time as the first defensive specialist off the bench. Trinity Atuatasi has made strides in her second year with the team, and sophomore Em Collie was a key addition after averaging 4.8 digs per set last year at Southwestern Oregon C.C.

"I think we're really solid at DS and we're back to having some really good depth there," Rohlfing said. "They're all ready to step into some bigger roles and we won't be afraid to play any of them."