Raiders Nearly Reach .400 Attack Percentage in Sweep of Beacons

Haley Kasler prepares to spike.

Southern Oregon hit .393 with only seven total errors to defeat Northwest Christian 3-0 (25-15, 25-21, 25-16) in Cascade Collegiate Conference volleyball action Friday night at Bob Riehm Arena.

Southern Oregon improves to 11-7 overall and 7-1 in conference play, while Northwest Christian falls to 10-8 overall and 3-5 in the CCC. Both teams return to action Saturday, with SOU hosting Corban and NCU visiting Oregon Tech at 7 p.m.

Renee Yomtub serves against NW Christian.

Natalie Scheller finished with a match-high 16 kills and an incredible .652 attack percentage, while Haley Kasler added nine kills on a .429 attack percentage and Nikki Keller finished with eight kills on a .700 attack percentage and five blocks. Tami Brown led Northwest Christian with 14 kills.

Natalie Scheller, Nikki Keller, and Hayler Kasler put up a blockade against Northwest Christian

The Raiders hit .571 as a team in the opening set, compiling 17 kills with only one attack error as they built a 17-6 lead and earned the 25-15 set victory. The second set was much closer, featuring seven tie scores, four lead changes and an SOU comeback from eight points down.

Northwest Christian used a 9-1 run midway through the second game to take a 17-9 lead. After SOU scored the next four and the Beacons tallied a pair, a kill by Scheller sparked a  nine-point streak that gave the Raiders a 22-19 advantage. Southern Oregon completed the comeback with two more kills by Scheller and a Katie Thompson service ace to clinch the 25-21 set win.

The team puts their hands together.

Southern Oregon took an early 12-5 lead in the final set. Northwest Christian scored the next four points to draw within three, but the Raiders pulled away to earn the set and match victory on a Jordan Crossley kill.

The Raiders finished with 42 kills and only seven errors, while Northwest Christian tallied 39 kills with 15 errors for a .233 team attack percentage. Southern Oregon added nine blocks to only one for the Beacons as SOU earned its 12th straight victory over NCU.

Leave a Reply