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Concordia puts an end to SOU's winning ways By Don Hunt ASHLAND � The Concordia University volleyball team ended 20 years of frustration here Saturday night, but it wasn�t easy. Senior outside hitter Shannon Hansen registered 26 digs, 17 kills and three blocks to lead the Cavaliers to a hard-fought 16-14, 17-15, 15-9 Cascade Conference victory over Southern Oregon. With the win, the No. 6-ranked Cavaliers triumphed at McNeal Pavi-lion for the first time since the teams began playing one another in 1980. They also clinched the conference championship by improving to 14-0 and 18-1 overall. The Raiders fell to 11-3 in conference play and 17-6 overall. "We love playing Southern Oregon because we know it�s going to be a dogfight, but at the same time it�s scary because they�re such a scrappy team," said Hansen, an NAIA first-team All-American who led the country in kills as a sophomore. "Those first two games could have gone either way." Southern Oregon outside hitter Shelley Gorin set a single-game school record with 16 kills in Game 2 and had a match-high 23 on the night with just two hitting errors. But the Raiders couldn�t quite get over the hump in either of the first two games, and Concordia pulled away in Game 3 after the teams had battled to an 8-8 tie. "I think we played up to their level tonight � the ball just didn�t bounce our way a couple times," said Gorin, a 5-foot-6 junior from Garden Valley, Calif. "It�s tough to play as well as we did and still lose, but I think we grew as a team. This match will help us down the road." The opening game was nip-and-tuck throughout and featured six ties. With the game tied at 14-14, SOU committed a hitting error and then Concordia freshman middle Andrea Rose pounded a cross-court kill for the game-winner. In Game 2, four straight Gorin kills earned the Raiders a sideout and a 3-0 lead, and the score quickly moved to 7-2. But the Cavaliers rallied behind the hitting of Hansen and Rose, who finished with 13 kills, and eventually took a 14-9 advantage. Then it was the Raiders� turn to come back. Fueled by a sensational, diving dig by Sabrina Garboden that saw the junior defensive specialist sail into the bleachers to keep the ball in play, the Raiders fought back to tie the game 14-14 on yet another kill by Gorin. Ultimately, however, the Cavaliers won 17-15 on kills by Hansen and setter Mindy Wallis. "If I think I can get to any ball then I�m going for it and I don�t care where I land," Garboden said of her diving dig that kept the Raiders alive in Game 2. "My attitude is, why not leave it all on the floor?" Garboden finished with 15 digs and freshman middle Kristina Matchett had 15 kills for the Raiders. Wallace had a rare triple-double for Concordia with 56 assists, 11 kills and 11 digs. Fourth-year Concordia coach Joe Houck, who guided the Cavaliers to their first conference championship last year and has them off to their best-ever start this season, was happy to escape Ashland with a win. "We�ve got pretty much the same group this year as we had last year, and I think our experience and togetherness really showed tonight," he said. "We�ve got some very competitive girls. They would chew their arms off and hit you with them if that�s what it took to beat you." The victory was the 15th in a row for the Cavaliers since their only loss of the season � to Lewis and Clark State of Lewiston, Idaho. Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.