WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Oregon Tech got a record-setting performance from Aleksen Thayer in today's opener and added a complete team effort in the nightcap, as the Lady Owls split two matches on the final day of the Viper Sports Academy Classic inside the KU Student Life Center.
 
Thayer recorded 13 total blocks against Benedictine Mesa, a 2023 NAIA Tournament team, as the Lady Owls (3-1) nearly earned a reverse sweep, falling 25-17, 25-23, 16-25, 22-25, 15-7, before rebounding for a statement four-set win over host Keiser (25-21, 22-25, 25-23, 25-23).
 
The 13 blocks from Thayer were the most by an OIT player in a 5-set match in program history and ranks No. 2 all-time in single match blocks behind the 14 blocks from Madisen Garlie against George Fox in 2014.
 
Tech dug themselves a hole in today's opener, as the Redhawks (5-1) used a pair of 6-1 runs in Set 1 to pull away from a 10-10 score. OIT battled back in Set 2, rallying from a 15-10 deficit to take a 22-21 lead on an Abigail Sorensen ace – but Kylie Bartel followed with 3-straight kills to give BenU the set win.
 
Defense fueled the Lady Owls rally – as consecutive combo-blocks from Kate Hicks and Willow Jacobson started an 18-5 run in Set 3 to put Tech on the board, while in Set 4, back-to-back blocks from Lex Boccia and Thayer, along with a stuff block from Molly Grace, gave OIT an 18-12 lead – helping the visitors force a final set.
 
BenU took command in the winner-take-all period, as two Jewel Corning kills started a 5-0 run that gave the Redhawks a 9-4 lead – a margin they would not surrender.
 
Grace led OIT with 13 kills, 19 digs and four blocks, Jacobson had eight kills and five blocks, with Thayer adding six kills to her record-setting block mark. Paige Tevelde had 18 assists and eight digs, with Sorensen leading Tech with 21 digs. Bartel led BenU with 15 kills and 18 digs.
 
Playing back-to-back matches for the second time in the tournament, the Owls kept the pressure on the host Seahawks (5-2) throughout the late contest.
 
Tech trailed 14-11 in Set 1, but Jacobson powered home two kills and added a block in a 5-point push and Grace closed the set with three kills over the final four points. KU answered in Set 2, breaking a 19-19 tie with two Emma Friese kills, part of a 6-3 run to even the match.
 
OIT made the winning plays late in Set 3, as following the 12th tie of the frame at 23-23, Grace ripped a winner and Courtney Green added a spike of her own to give the Owls the match lead. In Set 4, Tech built a 23-18 lead, only to see the Seahawks answer with a 5-0 run to tie the score – however, a Grace-Thayer block gave OIT match point, with a KU hitting error ending the contest.
 
Grace capped a big weekend with 19 kills and eight digs, Boccia added 12 kills and Jacobson finished with 10 kills and three blocks. Lucy Boyd had 24 assists in the win, with Kaley Whalen posting 21 digs. Division I transfer Mackenzie Pryor led KU with 19 kills, but the Owls forced 31 hitting errors.
 
"Against BenU, we had a slow start, but picked it up and battled towards the end," said head coach Alexis Garrison. "The team was able to stay resilient and go into the next game ready to compete. In the Keiser match, Molly and our offense picked it up and we dominated the net. Our defense held their own the entire day and kept us in both matches."
 
The Lady Owls continue their season opening road trip this weekend in Fullerton, Calif., playing four matches at the Hope International Summer Slam.