ROCKLIN, Calif. – A breakout match from freshman Savanna Sterck was not enough for Oregon Tech, as the Lady Owls dropped their first match of the Warrior Volleyball Invitational to host William Jessup in four sets.
 
The Warriors (1-1) used 10 aces and a 46-39 edge in kills to pick up the 25-17, 25-19, 18-25, 25-20 victory.
 
Sterck had a match-high 16 kills for the Lady Owls (2-3), hitting at a solid .324 clip. Courtney Isom posted her third double-double of the year, logging 18 assists and 15 digs, with Kaley Whalen adding 12 digs.
 
"Definitely a frustrating day for us and excited we get to lace them back up tomorrow," said OIT head coach Dr. Ken Murczek. "Good to see some players get moved around today and play well."
 
Big starts for WJU in the first two sets allowed the hosts to control the match. The Warriors rolled to a 13-5 lead in Set 1, before kills from Nicole Reyes and Sterck helped Tech claw within 18-14 – but could not get closer. Set 2, Jessup grabbed a 17-12 lead, but a 7-2 push, capped by a Kate Hicks kill, got OIT even at 19-19. However, the Warriors took advantage of two aces and two Tech hitting errors in a 6-0 run to close the period.
 
The Lady Owls dominated Set 3 – scoring nine of the first 10 points, as Sterck powered down seven kills in the period.  Unfortunately, WJU put the match away in Set 4, jumping to a 17-7 lead and easing to the victory.
 
Tech finished with a 6-4 edge in total blocks – including three each from Alma Solis and Ashley Ripplinger, with Reyes adding five kills and both Willow Jacobson and Hicks each adding four.
 
Marina Gonzalez led WJU with 12 kills and nine digs, with Sydney Hancock posting 11 kills.
 
OIT closes out the non-conference schedule tomorrow morning with a 9 a.m. match-up against Menlo College.