ASHLAND – Northwest passed its first big conference road test with a stunning 3-2 win at No. 21 Southern Oregon Friday night.
 
The Eagles won 15-25, 25-19, 15-25, 25-18, 16-14, handing the Raiders their first loss of the season. The NU win snapped a 14-game Cascade Collegiate Conference winning streak for the Raiders that dated back to a 3-2 loss to Eastern Oregon in 2019.
 
"Southern Oregon is a perennial powerhouse in the CCC, and they were everything we had seen on film and more," said NU Head Coach Steven Bain. "They were as good as could be in the first set, and we simply couldn't get anything going as we struggled in serve-receive and were completely overwhelmed by their offensive firepower. As we went into set two, we simply reminded the team to stick with the plan, and if we could stabilize in serve-receive and serve our identity we would get back into the match. Credit our ladies for doing just that, and from there it was back and forth with both teams playing at a high level."
 
Megan Horne led four Eagles in double-figure kills with 20, with Abigail Broussard adding 14 and Susana Bailey and Jill Botsford with 10 apiece. Anna Saelens put up 52 assists.
 
The Eagles also won nine points on aces, including four by Broussard and two each by Savannah Hale and Horne.
 
After having no blocks through the first three sets, the Eagles finished with four, led by Broussard with three assists. Cristina Lorenz cleaned up the back row with 14 digs.
 
SOU looks strong in the opening set, swinging at an amazing .864 clip. 
 
After dropping the first set, Northwest scored the first four points of the second game on two kills and an ace by Broussard.  
 
Five different Eagles recorded kills in an 11-4 run, led by Horne with three, to build a 23-11 lead.
 
In the third set, NU fell behind 11-3 and rallied to within 17-14 before the Raiders closed on an 8-1 run for the set.
 
Northwest got kills from Broussard and Bailey to make it a 20-16 NU lead in the fourth set. The Eagles got a block from Saelens and Broussard to go along with four SOU errors to take a 24-17 lead. 
 
Horne sent the match to the fifth set with a kill.
 
After scoring the first three points, the Raiders got out to an 8-3 lead in the decisive set. A block by Azaria Johnson and Bailey pulled the Eagles to within 8-6, forcing SOU to take a time out.
Bailey put down three kills after the timeout to help deliver a 10-9 NU lead, but the Raiders answered with three points to take a 12-10 advantage.
 
Broussard got a kill and Hale added an ace to knot the game at 12-12. Broussard delivered the 13-12 lead but a service error re-tied the game at 13-13.
 
Saelens put the Eagles on the cusp of victory with a kill, but the Raiders answered to force the set onward.
 
Horne got her 20th kill to make it 15-14 and the Eagles won on an attack error.
 
"In the fifth set, it came down to which team was going to make the plays when the match was on the line and we were fortunate to be that team tonight," said Bain. "Now we need to enjoy this win for a minute and prepare for another tough road opponent tomorrow."
 
The Eagles, now 4-4 overall and 3-0 in the CCC, meet another 3-0 team Saturday at Oregon Tech. The first serve is slated for 5 p.m. in Klamath Falls.
 
SOU (7-1, 2-1) had previously won all 24 of its matches against unranked opponents at home since moving into Lithia Motors Pavilion in 2018.