Joey Parnell's 27 kills was not enough, as Concordia came back from a two set deficit to beat Oregon Tech in Cascade Conference volleyball action. (photo by Kelly Caleb)
Oregon Tech Suffers Five Set Loss to Concordia
KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – The Oregon Tech volleyball team took the first two sets over Concordia University, but it was all Cavs from that point, as CU took tonight's Cascade Conference match in five sets 3-2 (23-25, 20-25, 25-18, 25-20, 15-10) tonight at Danny Miles Court.
Oregon Tech falls to 5-3 overall and 0-2 in conference play, while Concordia improved to 8-2 on the season and remained undefeated at 3-0 in the conference standings.
Oregon Tech fell behind 8-3 to start the match, but behind two Joey Parnell kills, along with back-to-back aces from the outside hitter, OIT would move ahead 16-14.
The remainder of the opening set included five ties, the last at 22-22, before Jennifer Saltenberger and Parnell kills gave Tech a 24-22 advantage. CU scored the next point, but Parnell ended set 1 on a spike, as OIT took the opener 25-23.
Concordia moved out to a 7-3 lead in set 2, but the Owls once again battled back and tied it up at 9-9.
Oregon Tech took their first lead on an assisted block from Saltenberger and Kristen Walters, but an ace from Jenna Huie eventually put the Cavs up 17-16.
The set remained tied at 19-19, but Parnell would tally five kills over the span of the next six points to lift Tech to a 25-20 win in set 2.
In set 3, Concordia jumped out to a 6-0 lead, as OIT never could recover. The Owls tied it up at 10-10, but never could take control from that point on. CU moved up 20-14 on the way to a 25-18 set 3 win.
Both teams continued to see-saw in set 4 with Oregon Tech taking their first lead at 17-16. After a 20-20 tie, it was all Cavaliers, as a 5-0 run closed out the set to tie the match at 2-2.
CU took the momentum into the final set as well, leading 8-2 as the teams traded sides. The Owls got to within three points, 13-10, but back-to-back points would send the Cavs into the win column.
Oregon Tech outside hitter Joey Parnell was unstoppable tonight, tying a school-record with 27 kills to go along with 10 digs and four aces in the loss for the Owls. Mindy Nalder added nine kills and 10 digs, while Krystie Vea finished with a team-high 20 digs and Sarah Svedin finished the night with 46 assists.
Concordia was led by Aria Nojima’s 19 kills, followed by Jane Moesche’s double-double effort of 14 kills and 16 digs. Lindsay Mangan tallied 45 assists, while Aubrie Concannon came away with a match-high 26 digs.
Oregon Tech will host Warner Pacific on Saturday, while Concordia travels to No. 13 Southern Oregon University.