CALDWELL, Idaho – Oregon Tech battled a Top-10 opponent throughout, but No. 9-ranked College of Idaho made just enough plays to earn a 25-23, 26-28, 25-14, 25-22 victory in the first game played this season inside the J.A. Albertson Activities Center.
C of I (10-0, 3-0 CCC) remained unbeaten on the year, but the Lady Owls forced the hosts to earn every point on the night.
Twin sisters
Tiffini Goss and
Steffini Goss, from nearby Parma, Idaho, each recorded 12 kills in the loss for Tech (7-4, 1-2).
The two teams split the opening two sets, with OIT rallying from a 21-15 deficit in the opener, scoring 6-straight points, including a pair of aces on the serve of
Taryn Ramsay, to even the score. However, consecutive combo blocks by the Yotes allowed the hosts to pull away. Tech answered the bell in Set 2, erasing a 23-20 deficit thanks to kills from both Goss sisters, along with a kill and block from
Aleksen Thayer. The Owls would have three set points before Thayer hammered a kill and C of I followed with a hitting error to give OIT the set victory.
The hosts dominated Set 3, scoring the first seven points, including two Alexa Wheeler kills, extending the lead to 18-8 and eased to the win.
Set 4 went back and forth, with the Owls holding leads of 15-13 and 20-18, before C of I scored 7-of-9 points to end the match.
Ramsay finished with five kills, 37 assists and six digs,
Kaliko Schilling had 10 kills and
Kaley Whalen recorded 14 digs and two aces for the Owls. Jessica Stires led C of I with 12 kills.
Tech closes out the road trip tomorrow with a 4 p.m. match-up at No. 1-ranked Eastern Oregon.
