ASHLAND, Ore. — Northwest University volleyball took a set from Southern Oregon University on Friday night but fell 3-1 to the Raiders at Lithia Motors Pavilion, 17-25, 25-22, 15-25, 9-25.
The Eagles opened the match with a competitive first set, trailing 14-18 before Southern Oregon closed the frame on a 7-3 run to take the opening set, 25-17.
NU responded in the second set, battling throughout the frame and taking control late. The Eagles turned a 12-14 deficit into a 16-14 lead before extending the advantage to 22-19. NU closed out the set, 25-22, to even the match at one set apiece.
Southern Oregon came out strong in the third set, hitting .455 as a team and taking a 25-15 win. The Raiders carried that momentum into the fourth set, closing the match with a 25-9 victory.
"It's a universal truth in volleyball that whoever wins the serve-pass battle is tough to beat, and Southern Oregon won that battle tonight," said NU Head Coach Steven Bain. "As a consequence, we struggled to side out, and their transition game was able to dominate and close out the match. Despite the disappointing outcome, our ladies are making progress, and we are becoming more consistent in multiple phases, which will pay off as we turn the corner into the second half of conference play."
Trinity Godina led the Eagles with 10 kills, while Jaelyn Moeva added eight kills and three digs. Chloe Kennedy and Teagan Schroeder each recorded six kills, with Schroeder adding four block assists.
Katelyn Bogetti finished with 32 assists and 15 digs, while Sydney Faber recorded a team-high 22 digs. Haylee Koetje contributed six kills, seven digs, and two block assists, and Godina added four digs and a service ace.
As a team, Northwest recorded 38 kills, 36 assists, and 62 digs.
Southern Oregon was led by Friley Curtiss with 16 kills and Briella Mathis with 15. The Raiders finished the match with 63 kills and a .289 hitting percentage.
Northwest moves to 6-12 overall and 2-7 in Cascade Collegiate Conference play and will remain on the road Saturday, Oct. 3, traveling to Klamath Falls, Oregon, to take on Oregon Tech at 7:00 p.m.
