KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – Oregon Tech shook off a rough first set to dominate the rest of the way, completing a second-straight series sweep of rival Southern Oregon with a 20-25, 25-16, 25-18, 25-19 victory at Danny Miles Court.
 
The Owls (12-10, 9-7 CCC) pulled into a tie for sixth-place in the Cascade Conference standings with six matches to go – with the Top-6 squads earning bids to the CCC Championships.
 
Kaylin Talonen had 17 kills, Paige Tevelde recorded 44 assists and 12 digs, with Kaley Whalen adding 17 digs and three aces – while OIT limited the Raiders (16-7, 10-6) to a .106 attack percentage.
 
"What a great team effort tonight," said OIT head coach Ken Murczek. "I am especially excited how we didn't allow losing the first set to rattle us. Our  freshmen (Savanna Sterck Alma Solis and Whalen) came off the bench and really helped us."
 
Things didn't start well for the Lady Owls, as following six ties, SOU rattled off a 9-1 run, including three block assists from Carol Melo, to take the early advantage.
 
Tech flipped the script in Set 2, turning a 7-6 deficit into a 17-9 lead on the strength of two kills from Talonen, two kills from Sterck and six Raiders hitting errors. The momentum continued in Set 3, as a combo-block from Solis and Molly Grace built the Owls a 15-9 lead and a pair of late Whalen aces secured the set win.
 
OIT used a 7-0 run, fueled by two kills from Grace and two kills from Reyes, to take a 7-2 lead, extending the lead to 18-10 on a Grace-Kate Hicks combo-block. SOU made one last push, pulling within 22-18 on an OIT hitting error, but a service error by the Raiders gave the Owls a side out and Talonen capped the win with a clinching kill.
 
Grace had 13 kills and three blocks in the victory, with Reyes adding 12 kills and nine digs. Hailey Van Well led SOU with 17 kills, Melo had seven kills and six blocks and setter Hannah Randall posted 36 assists and 11 digs.
 
The Owls hit the road this weekend for huge match-ups at Bushnell and No. 3-ranked Corban.
 
"We can enjoy this win for the evening, but will need to get ready for two nationally-ranked opponents this weekend," Murczek said.