WALLA WALLA, Wash. – Oregon Tech rallied from a two sets to one deficit on the road, completing a season sweep of Walla Walla with a key 14-25, 25-23, 18-25, 25-22, 15-11 win in a match played at Walla Walla CC.
The win moves the Lady Owls (11-9, 5-7 CCC) two games clear of WWU for seventh-place in the league standings.
The victory wasn't easy, as the Wolves (3-11, 3-9) erased an early 8-3 OIT lead in Set 1, closing the period on a 22-6 surge thanks to an attack hitting at .400.
Tech evened the match with a late run in Set 2, as a
Kaliko Schilling kill broke a 21-21 stalemate and a
Ka'ala Masaoka kill ending the set.
WWU won Set 3 behind a late 7-1 run, before the Owls claimed Set 4, using a 4-0 run late in the frame, keyed by a
Steffini Goss kill and a combo block from
Aleksen Thayer and
Larrynn-Alexis Joseph-Rodrigues, to force the final set.
Tied 8-8 in the decisive set, a Wolves hitting error gave OIT the lead, which was extended by a Thayer kill. Kills from Goss and Thayer gave the Owls match point and following a side out, Schilling ended the contest with a kill.
Schilling, Goss and
Alexa Gugliotta each had 11 kills for the Lady Owls, with Thayer adding 10.
Taryn Ramsay finished with 48 assists and 13 digs, with
Kaley Whalen leading all players with 30 digs.
Sahara Browning led WWU with 20 kills and 16 digs in a losing effort.
The Lady Owls continue their 4-match road swing on Tuesday, traveling to Southern Oregon.
