ASHLAND – Southern Oregon's opening-day returns, which included a drubbing of the team's first nationally-ranked opponent, were promising on Friday in the Raider Invitational.

The No. 10-ranked Raiders started with a 25-13, 25-8, 25-17 sweep of Simpson (Calif.) during the morning session, then returned for the nightcap to handle No. 14 Bellevue (Neb.) almost as easily – winning 25-22, 25-8, 25-14 just hours after the Bruins took down No. 12 Corban in straight sets.

Senior outside hitter Marin Mackey starred throughout the debut performance, going for team-highs of 19 kills on a .417 attacking average and seven service aces. The returning All-Cascade Conference performer tacked on 15 digs and six blocks over the two matches.

But the Raiders dominated with balance. They attacked at a .461 average against Simpson, as Megan Perry dropped in eight kills, Hannah Stadstad had seven, and neither committed an error. Mackey led the match with 11 kills and five aces, and Vitoria Mattos distributed 22 assists.

The first set was competitive against Bellevue, tied 22-22 before a Mackey kill and a pair of Bruins errors ended it. SOU took over in the second by opening on a 14-2 run that featured four Perry kills. The third, which ended with an 11-2 Raiders spurt, was more of the same.

Stadstad and Mackey had eight kills apiece against the Bruins, and Perry finished with seven. Defense was the difference, though: Bellevue landed on a negative-.067 team attack, logging just 20 kills compared to 27 errors. Sadie Byrd got in on seven of the team's nine blocks, and the Raiders protected the floor with 10 digs apiece from Mackey and Testoni, nine from Kayla Neidigh and eight from Annie Hite.

"For an early-season match we played very well and improved throughout the day on the things we've been working on," SOU coach Josh Rohlfing said. "We got great contributions from our middles and Megan and Marin were exceptional all day."

Neidigh finished the matches with 20 digs, Byrd with nine blocks and Mattos with 40 assists. Senior middle Linda Conceicao had a stellar SOU debut, totaling nine kills on 16 swings and five blocks.

The Raiders are off Saturday but play four matches next weekend at the Hope International (Calif.) Summer Slam, which represents their final nonleague outing. They begin CCC play Aug. 29 at Oregon Tech and return home Sept. 6-7 to face College of Idaho and No. 4 Eastern Oregon.