SALEM — The No. 4-ranked Southern Oregon beach volleyball team fell 3-2 to NCAA Division I opponent Sacramento State on Saturday at the Corban Beach Volleyball Courts
SOU trailed 2-0 after No. 2 pair Kira Sandoval and Molly Grace fell in three sets, and No. 4 pair Amanda Moffat and Kaitlyn Shilling forced a third set before ultimately being defeated. Andressa Ribeiro Soares and Maelle Garon, the No. 3 pair, secured a straight-set victory (22-20, 21-16) to put the Raiders on the board.
No. 5 pair Natalie Perez and Kendal Hadwick dropped their first set, but won a marathon of a second set, 28-26, to force the tiebreaker. The Hornets (3-1) clinched 15-7 for the dual victory.
"We learned a lot about ourselves today and know what we need to work on in practice next week," said coach Paul Elliott.
Grace Gulbrandsen and Tessa Zimmermann, the No. 1 pair, accounted for SOU's other match win.
The Raiders split duals at the Corban Invitational to start the season 1-1.
Their first home contests are Feb. 27-28 against Simpson (Calif.) and Portland. The Simpson matchup also marks the start of the Raiders' 15-dual CCC schedule, which includes three duals against every opponent in the six-team circuit.
SACRAMENTO STATE 3, SOUTHERN OREGON 2
1. Grace Gulbrandsen/Tessa Zimmermann (SOU) def. Victoria Marthaler/Aurora Bibolotti (SAC) 15-21, 21-15, 15-12
2. Ashlynn Archer/Reese Ampi (SAC) def. Kira Sandoval/Molly Grace (SOU) 21-17, 18-21, 15-12
3. Andressa Ribeiro Soares/Maelle Garon (SOU) def. Karlie Spohn/Greta Davis (SAC) 22-20, 21-16
4. Kate Doorn/Mia Guevara (SAC) def. Amanda Moffat/Kaitlyn Shilling (SOU) 16-21, 21-16, 15-8
5. Charlee Lepp/Abbey Kadillak (SAC) def. Natalie Perez/Kendal Hadwick (SOU) 16-21, 28-26, 15-7
Ext. Skyler Gartin/Mackenzie Natusch (SAC) def. Jenna Whitmore/Kiahla Granger (SOU) 21-19, 21-11
Order of finish: 6-2-4-3-5-1