NAIA VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS | POOL E
Tyson Events Center | Sioux City, Iowa
Wednesday – Viterbo 3, Columbia International 0
Thursday – SOU 3, Columbia International 0
Friday – Viterbo 3, SOU 0

SIOUX CITY, Iowa – A tiebreaking 4-0 run to end the first set fueled No. 5-ranked Viterbo (Wis.) with all the momentum it needed to end No. 12 Southern Oregon's season in a 25-21, 25-17, 25-21 NAIA Volleyball Championships pool play victory Friday at the Tyson Events Center.

Four different players for the V-Hawks (33-4 overall) notched 10 or more kills, led by All-American outside hitter Kenzie Winker's 13, as they advanced to play in the national quarterfinal round Saturday against No. 13 Midland (Neb.) with their 17th win in 18 matches.  

With three rotation players standing between 6-foot-1 and 6-4, their size got the best of SOU. They held the Raiders to a .150 attacking average, their lowest in 15 matches, and middles Jada Mitchell and Martina McGrath combined for 20 kills and just two errors on 36 attempts.

Hannah Stadstad's 10 kills, Megan Perry's nine and Kayla Neidigh's 19 digs led the Raiders, who, like Viterbo, had swept Columbia International (S.C.) in their first match of pool play. They ended the season with a 28-7 record and their fourth national tournament appearance in five seasons.

They made it back to Sioux City despite losing three of their top-four in kills and all three of their setters from a season ago, and they'll lose just two seniors ahead of 2024: middle Sadie Byrd, who had five more blocks to bring her career total to 391, the fifth-highest in school history in only three seasons of play; and defensive specialist Trinity Atuatasi, who wrapped up with a 12-dig performance.

After debuting in the preseason with a No. 12 ranking, the Raiders climbed eight spots over the course of the fall.

The V-Hawks, however, were one of the most tested teams at the final site. SOU was their 13th NAIA Top 25 opponent, and they've now defeated nine of them.