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50 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, November 25, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend November 19, 2004 SOU lumbers into regional tournament semifinals ASHLAND — It wasn’t always pretty, and it certainly wasn’t easy, but the 21st-ranked Southern Oregon University volleyball team advanced to the NAIA Region I Tournament semifinals by surviving upset scares from Northwest University and Oregon Tech in pool play action Thursday at McNeal Pavilion. The second-seeded Raiders (24-6) ran their wins streaks to 17 straight at home and 14 consecutive in regional tourney play by topping the Eagles in five games and stopping the Owls in four. Against fifth-seeded Northwest, SOU rallied from a 2-games-to-1 deficit for a 22-30, 30-21, 26-30, 30-26, 15-8 stat-heavy decision that contained over 200 digs, 148 kills and 24 blocks. Senior all-star hitter Kristin Ferris (21 kills) and junior libero Kristen Lilly (28 digs) posted match-high totals, while junior middle Nicholette Le Bel had 18 kills and five blocks to lead the Raiders. Le Bel accumulated a season-best 20 kills and equaled a career-high with nine blocks, and Lilly had another 26 digs in the 34-32, 25-30, 35-33, 30-23 thriller against the fourth-seeded Owls. SOU, which rallied from a 28-23 deficit and staved off two OIT game point tries in the wild third stanza, posted healthy 78-kill and 99-dig totals. Junior setter had 139 assists in the nine games -- a 15.44 average well above her Cascade Conference regular season-best 12.8 clip. Advertisement The wins propelled three-time defending regional champion Southern into today’s 5 p.m. semifinal clash, and the team faces either top-seeded and 13th-ranked Carroll College or No. 6 draw Western Baptist, which play a one-game-to-30 pool play tiebreaker at 1 p.m. Northwest, which downed OIT in five games, meets Montana Tech in the other semifinal match at 7:30 p.m. The Orediggers won their three-team pool by upsetting the Frontier Conference champion Saints in straight games after suffering a similar fate against WBC. The semifinal winners play for an automatic berth to the NAIA Championships Saturday at 2 p.m. Women’s Basketball OREGON TECH 77, SOUTHERN OREGON 47, At Klamath Falls, the Oregon Tech women's basketball team forced 35 Southern Oregon turnovers en route to a non-conference triumph at Danny Miles Court Thursday afternoon. The Raiders (0-6) outrebounded the Owls 45-42 and held them to a 33-percent shooting clip, but SOU went just 14 of 46 from the floor. Junior guard Courtney Bothum led the Raiders with 10 points, while sophomore center Robyn Ward had seven points and six rebounds. OIT (1-2), which led 42-29 at the half, received a 31-point, 13-rebound performance from senior all-star forward Nikki McElligott. Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities