No. 5 SOU rolls past Oregon Tech
Published 8:42 pm Wednesday, October 2, 2024
- Megan Perry, SOU volleyball
ASHLAND — For the second time this season, Oregon Tech had no answer for Southern Oregon’s big arms in a 27-25, 25-18, 25-16 sweep on Wednesday night at Lithia Motors Pavilion.
Megan Perry amassed 14 kills and only one error on 21 attempts, leading the No. 5-ranked Raiders to a .351 attacking average as they completed their second consecutive Cascade Conference series sweep of the Owls. At 15-1 overall and 9-1 in the CCC, they own a half-match lead atop the standings in front of Corban and Eastern Oregon.
Perry’s kill total was her highest ever in a straight-set contest. SOU also got an excess of production from the second right-side hitter in its rotation, Hannah Stadstad, who finished with 12 kills on 22 swings. Outside hitters Marin Mackey and Mylena Testoni tacked on nine kills apiece while combining for 25 digs.
The Raiders attacked at a .341 clip in the first set, .324 in the second and .389 in the third, committing no more than five errors in any frame. The consistency kept them in control throughout the night. They experienced their only hiccup in the first, where they lost a 24-21 lead but prevailed anyway on back-to-back kills from Mackey and Perry.
Kayla Neidigh, the reigning CCC Defender of the Week, starred in the back row again with 18 digs — matching the three-set season-high she established four days earlier. Her work, completed by 10 digs from Annie Hite and seven total blocks, kept the Owls at a .165 average.
Tessa Zimmermann subbed in late in the first set and impacted the match with a team-high four blocks. The sophomore chipped in three kills. Vitoria Mattos led the Raiders with 24 assists and Hite added 22.
The Owls’ top attacker, Molly Grace, recorded nine kills but needed 34 attempts to get there and ended the night at a .118 average. She’d recorded 22 kills on 35 attempts last Saturday against Northwest (Wash.).