via Oregon Tech Athletic Communications
FULLERTON, Calif. – Stifling defense and a big block paved the way for a perfect weekend at the HIU Summer Slam, stopping The Master’s and Hope International to close out non-conference play.
The Lady Owls (7-1) dominated TMU in their early match (25-19, 25-20, 25-14), before recording 16 blocks in a 5-set marathon win against host HIU (25-10, 17-25, 25-22, 17-25, 15-12). It marks the fifth time in program history Tech has started a season 7-1 – joining the 2002, 2014, 2015 and 2021 teams.
Against the Mustangs (2-3), the Owls used two late surges to pull away in the opening two sets. Kills from Molly Grace and Willow Jacobson fueled a 5-1 run to give the visitors a 22-16 lead en route to a Set 1 win. Moments later, OIT ended Set 2 on a 5-point push – starting with a Kennedy Kantola kill and a Lucy Boyd ace, with Kate Hicks and Lex Boccia powering home kills to end the period.
Set 3 was all Tech, as kills from Courtney Green, Boccia and Hicks were instrumental in a 7-1 run to end the match.
Grace had nine kills and 13 digs, Boccia had seven kills and three blocks, with both Hicks and Green adding six kills. Kaley Whalen recorded 15 digs, with Abigail Sorensen posting 10 digs.
Tech’s toughest test of the tournament was in their finale, as the Royals (1-3) withstood a 16-3 block disadvantage to stay in the match. OIT, however, stood strong in Set 5, breaking a 12-12 tie with an Aleksen Thayer-Boccia combo block, with kills from Grace and Jacobson ending the marathon match.
OIT held HIU to a .141 hitting percentage – their seventh-straight opponent under the 16-percent threshold.
The Owls ended Set 1 on a 10-0 run, with Boccia recording two kills in the flurry, while Thayer combined on two blocks in a key 3-0 run to erase a 21-20 Royals lead in Set 3.
Grace had nine kills, both Boccia and Green had eight, with Jacobson recording seven in the victory. Thayer had 10 blocks, with Whalen recording 19 digs and Sorensen finishing with eight digs and four aces.
Tech returns home Thursday night to open a 5-match homestand – hosting No. 10-ranked Southern Oregon in their Cascade Conference opener. First serve is set for 6 p.m.