ROCKLIN, Calif. – Outside hitters
Mylena Testoni and
Hailey Van Well dominated Day 1 of the William Jessup Invitational, combining for 42 kills on a .400 attacking average over seven sets as Southern Oregon defeated Menlo (Calif.) and Chico State (Calif.) on Thursday at Warrior Arena.
The Raiders (4-1 overall) won both matches convincingly, starting with a 25-18, 22-25, 25-19, 25-10 decision over the Oaks (3-2). A couple hours later they swept the NCAA Division II-affiliated Wildcats (0-1) by scores of 25-19, 25-20, 25-19 with a season-best .305 attack.
Testoni debuted for SOU with 22 kills and 12 attacking errors over 11 sets last week at the Raider Invitational, but easily and efficiently outdid those numbers in an afternoon of work. The junior Brazilian opened with a match-high 13 kills on 26 attempts and 11 digs against Menlo, then went for 10 kills on 19 swings, six digs and three service aces against Chico. She committed only three attacking errors all day.
Van Well, a sophomore from Dallas, Ore., followed a seven-kill, seven-dig performance against the Oaks with 12 kills on 21 attempts against the Wildcats. She was right on par with her team-best average of 2.8 kills per set.
The Raiders attacked at a .283 clip in the first match and compiled 12 blocks.
Sadie Byrd and
Carol Melo were both in on six of them, while
Simone Gordon and
Katie Vroman assisted three apiece.
Gwen Sheldon assisted 17 kills,
Hannah Stadstad had seven of them and Gordon and Melo both had six.
Complementing Testoni and Van Well in the second match, Vroman recorded seven kills on a .385 average.
Hannah Randall directed the attack and set the tone in serve-receive, finishing with 20 assists and four aces.
Kayla Neidigh came up with 25 digs on the day, including 18 against Menlo.
The Raiders play two more at the Invitational on Friday, facing UC Merced at 1 p.m. and Simpson (Calif.) at 5 p.m. Then it's on to Cascade Conference play, which they'll start at home on Sept. 2-3 against Walla Walla (Wash.) and Lewis-Clark State (Idaho).
