Owls Topped by No. 1 Ranked Sunbirds
Ashland, Ore. – Oregon Tech would get off to good starts in set one and set two of their 2008 season opener, but could not overcome the consistency and power of the NAIA’s top-ranked Sunbirds of Fresno Pacific, falling in three straight sets 25-14, 25-15, 25-14 in the opening match of the Raider Classic in Ashland.
In set one the Owls were hanging tough at 12-12 before unforced errors propelled FPU on a 13-2 run to close out the set. Set two saw the Owls trail by only two points at 13-11, but again hitting errors opened the door for a Sunbird 12-4 run to shut down any hopes for an Owl rally. After a negative hitting percentage in the opening sets, Tech would finally find themselves on the positive end, but again FPU was to strong to overcome and would go on to close out the Owls in three straight.
Nicole Andrew (SR. Chehalis, WA) and Krista Wooley (SR. Reedsport, OR) led the Owl attack with six kills followed by Anna Leal (JR. Yreka, CA) with five kills in only six attempts. Junior libero Krystie Vea (Honolulu, HI) recorded 8 digs for the Owls while setter Lizzie Law (SR. Kennewick, WA) totaled 12 assists.
Oregon Tech will try to pick up their first win of the season tonight at 5:00pm when they play Simpson University of Redding, Ca. to close out their end of the Raider classic later this evening.