KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – The Northwest Christian University volleyball team dropped to 0-2 in the Cascade Collegiate Conference on Saturday night, falling on the road to Oregon Tech, 25-14, 25-20, 25-20.
 
After laying everything on the court in an intense Friday night battle with Southern Oregon, NCU didn't have as much fuel left in the tank as they would have liked and it showed during the first set. Trailing 15-13, The Beacons were outscored 10-1 down the stretch, victimized by four blocks as the Owls cruised to the opening win. NCU had eight unforced errors in the set.
 
The Beacons never led in the second set, but kept close by forcing six ties during the first 13 points. Later, a Cassidy Winters kill put the Beacons down 21-19, but four kills over the final five points gave the win to OIT.
 
Set three played out in a similar fashion with NCU accounting for six ties along the way. The Beacons, however, took a significant lead midway through the set, holding a 13-8 advantage after a four-point stretch featuring two kills and a block from Chelsea McGowan. OIT then rallied to force a 14-14 tie before running to the match-ending 25-20 win.
 
Head Coach Kelly Rosin said, "I think we learned a lot of important things this weekend with the two losses. We've seen some of the best moments that show the hard work the girls are putting in. We have also learned a valuable lesson that we can't take a night off during conference. Everyone we play is solid and we need to go hard both nights with the teams we play."
 
The Beacons (2-2, 0-2 CCC) were led by Chandler Gabrio, collecting 10 kills and three blocks while hitting a team-high .292. McGowan added nine kills and a pair of blocks. Senior Alyssa Dorr (pictured) threw in a double-double, accounting for 23 assists and ten digs while freshman Libero Haley Damian led the Beacons with 12 digs.
 
Oregon Tech (11-2, 2-0) was led by Kelsey Sampson, scoring 11 kills and 15 digs. Madisen Garlie hit .385 in the match with seven kills. She had her hand in all eight blocks by the Owls. Mykala Rubey added eight kills and five blocks while Renee Boumann led all players with 18 digs.
 
NCU will look to bounce back on Wednesday night when they travel to Portland for a non-conference match against Lewis & Clark (5-3) at 7:00 pm. The Beacons will be home on Friday for a CCC tilt against Concordia (5-4, 2-0), also slated for a 7:00 pm first-serve.