OLYMPIA, Wash. – After honoring seniors Jasmine Horton (Seattle, Wash./Foster HS) and Chantal Petkus (Richland, Wash./Hanford HS) before the match, the Evergreen Geoducks battled tough but it was the Oregon Tech Owls who earned the sweep, 3-0, in a Cascade Conference volleyball match on Saturday afternoon in CRC Gymnasium in Olympia, Wash.
The Owls (13-10, 7-9 CCC) took the lead early but the Geoducks (0-17, 0-16 CCC) remained pesky, staying within a few points for most of the set. Evergreen managed to tie things up at 18-18 late in the match but Oregon Tech stepped up to collect the 25-21 set one win.
Set two was also tight as Evergreen seeming played point-for-point with the Owls. Oregon Tech finally used a 6-2 run at the end to take the 25-19 victory and the 2-0 match lead. The Geoducks actually outhit the Owls in the frame, putting down 10 kills with three errors on 28 total swings for a .250 clip, compared with 12 kills and six errors on 30 attacks for Oregon Tech.
The third set was all Oregon Tech from the beginning as the Geoducks struggled to keep it close. The Owls threw down 14 kills with just one error on 27 attacks for a .481 hitting percentage as they earned the 25-16 win to clinch the match, 3-0.
Evergreen was led by a match-high 14 kills from Horton, who also added nine digs and two blocks on the afternoon. Erin Mitchell (Santa Cruz, Calif./Mt. Madonna School) put up 23 assists as well as a team-high 11 digs on the match. The Geoducks had their best hitting match of the season, putting down 27 kills with 17 errors on 87 attacks for a season-best .115 hitting percentage.
The balanced Oregon Tech attack was led by nine kills from Mindy Nalder. Sarah Svedin finish with 19 assists while libero Krystie Vea dug out a match-high 13 balls on the match. Oregon Tech hit .307 on the afternoon, putting down 38 kills with 11 errors on 88 total swings.
The Geoducks will next be in action on Friday evening when they travel to Corban. Oregon Tech will also play on Friday, playing host to Eastern Oregon. Both matches are set to begin at 7:00 pm.
