ASHLAND, Ore. – A raucous crowd and a nationally-ranked opponent did not faze Oregon Tech, as the Lady Owls pounded down 59 kills in rallying for a 22-25, 25-23, 26-24, 25-22 victory over No. 17 ranked Southern Oregon inside Lithia Motors Pavilion.
 
The Owls (6-5, 3-2 CCC) ended Southern's 9-match win streak, while winning back-to-back matches on the Raiders home floor for the first time in program history.
 
"Fantastic job tonight on the road to beat a ranked team," said OIT head coach Ken Murczek. "I am excited for the program, knowing the history between these two teams over the years. What a great start to playing three matches in four days against top competition."
 
Nicole Reyes led the OIT attack with 15 kills, with Ashley Ripplinger adding 14 kills with a .440 hitting percentage. Molly Grace logged 11 kills, as Tech hit at a .316 clip for the evening.
 
The Raiders (10-2, 4-1) grabbed big leads in each of the first three sets – but were only able to close one of the sets out.
 
SOU had a 20-15 lead in Set 1, only to see the Owls scored 5-of-6 points – the last on a Reyes kill – to cut the margin to 21-20. However, a pair of OIT hitting errors and a Hannah Randall kill allowed the hosts to end the set.
 
Southern led 17-10 in Set 2, but watched Tech storm back – as Ripplinger powered down three kills in an 8-2 run to get the visitors back in the frame. Trailing 22-20, Kate Hicks earned a side out with a kill and Ripplinger added back-to-back kills – capping a 5-1 push to end the set.
 
OIT turned the tide in Set 3, as a 12-4 run, capped by a Kaylin Talonen kill, gave the Lady Owls a 24-21 lead. SOU battled back with three-straight points, but consecutive hitting errors by the Raiders handed Tech the set win.
 
Reyes gave OIT momentum in Set 4, recording three kills in a 9-2 run to open the frame. Southern rallied behind Hailey Van Well, logging four kills in a 16-9 run to even the set. Tied at 22-22, Tech ended the match on a 3-point run, as a Grace kill, a SOU hitting error and an Aubrey Kievit ace handed Tech the upset win.
 
Courtney Isom had 25 assists and Paige Tevelde had 23 assists to pace the Owls, with Kievit recording 23 digs and Kaley Whalen adding a career-high 17 digs.
 
Mylena Testoni had a match-high 19 kills to lead SOU, with Van Well adding 17 kills and three blocks.
 
The Owls return home this weekend for matches – Friday vs. Corban and Saturday vs. Bushnell.