LA GRANDE, Ore. – Senior middle blocker Kylie Porter swung in for a match-high 21 kills, and No. 25 College of Idaho downed No. 15 Southern Oregon in five sets (25-19, 19-25, 19-25, 25-16, 15-8) on Friday night to advance to the 2015 Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) Volleyball Championship.
Key Performances
Porter did her damage on 46 attempts for a .370 hitting percentage. Senior setter Sierra Porter dished out 57 assists to go along with seven kills and nine digs, while junior middle blocker Randi Sturtz and junior outside hitter Katy Robinson added 14 and 11 kills, respectively.
Southern Oregon saw a couple of Raiders notch double-doubles in senior outside hitter Laura Morse (12 kills, 12 digs) and junior outside hitter Corynn Kopra (13 kills, 15 digs).
The Storyline
After a Raider kill pulled Southern Oregon to within three (18-15) in the opening frame, the Yotes racked up six answered capped by a kill from junior middle blocker Randi Sturtz to reach set point. Four Yote miscues kept the Raiders in the set, but then Porter found Sturtz for the final kill of the frame to put the Southern Oregon away.
The second set saw 12 ties and a pair of lead changes before the Raiders claimed a 25-19 triumph. A Porter kill put College of Idaho on top, 18-15, but Southern Oregon responded with a furious 10-1 run to steal the stanza.
The Raiders hit an astounding .500 clip in the third set, tallying 18 kills and just one error to claim another 25-19 win. After Southern Oregon leaped to an early 4-0 lead, College of Idaho managed to tie the frame on three occasions, but with Southern Oregon leading, 23-19, Kopra hammered down a pair of kills to give the Raiders a 2-1 lead.
Desperate to equalize the match, the Yotes opened the fourth set on fire and never trailed to take a 25-16 win. Southern Oregon got as close as one (12-11), but a Sturtz kill ignited a 13-5 run to end the frame for College of Idaho.
The Yotes carried that momentum into the fifth and decisive set, racing to a 10-3 lead in the early going. A Raider kill by senior outside hitter Laura Morse pulled Southern Oregon (24-4, 17-3 CCC) to within four (12-8), however, the Yotes tallied three-straight points to pull off the upset.
Stats of the Match
21 – Kills by Porter for College of Idaho. .
Up Next
College of Idaho (20-10, 16-4) will battle No. 9 Eastern Oregon in the 2015 CCC Championship tomorrow at 4 p.m.