ASHLAND, Ore. – Vanguard provided fans a glimpse of things to come with a resounding four-set women's volleyball victory over host and No. 20-ranked Southern Oregon on Saturday at Lithia Motors Pavilion. The 20-25, 25-21, 25-21, 25-19 triumph enabled the Lions to finish the Raider Invitational with a 3-1 record.

Earlier in the afternoon, the Lions tussled with Corban and took a set off the nation's No. 2 team, eventually falling by set scores of 25-21, 25-21, 24-26, 25-20.

The Lions flashed defensively in holding Corban and Southern Oregon to .130 and .083 hitting totals, respectively. Libero Natalie Escher was outstanding, posting 41 digs over the two matches. Morgan Cole led the Lions offensively with 15 kills against the Warriors and 16 more versus the Raiders. She added 19 digs against Corban for a double-double.

What Happened?

Vanguard 3, Southern Oregon 1

The Lions did not allow the Raiders to hit above .116 in any set and stormed back from a one-set deficit to knock off a ranked team during the opening weekend for the second straight season. The Blue and Gold held a 63-49 digs advantage to frustrate the Raiders into 28 hitting errors.

Set 1 – Southern Oregon opened the match in solid fashion, taking a 4-0 lead before the Lions got on the scoreboard following a Raider hitting miscue.

The Lions closed to within 6-5 before SOU broke away with a 7-0 run. Down 13-5, the Lions climbed back to 17-13 on a double stuff from Callie Bickmore and Bailey Olbur. Back-to-back Cole kills ignited a 4-0 run pull VU within one at 19-18, but the Raiders scurried to safety with another substantial run. They reeled off five straight points to take a 24-18 lead, the last two on Marin Mackey aces. SOU hit just .033 in the 25-20 triumph, but VU managed just .029 efficiency as well.

Set 2 – The Lions adjusted and utilized some serving wizardry from Jenesis Rios as she rattled off three consecutive service aces to provide her team a 10-5 cushion. The Raiders responded with a 5-0 run later in the set to seize the lead back at 15-13 and prompt a VU timeout.

Kills from Bickmore, Cole, Kayla Robinson and Adeline Galvanoni eventually helped the Lions level the score at 18-18. Two more Raider attack errors completed a 4-0 VU run and caused SOU to burn its final timeout. SOU took advantage of a few VU errors to tie the score at 21-21, but the Lions closed the set with four straight points, the final three on SOU attack errors. Viktoria Dickson and Olbur had a combo block on Hannah Stadstad during the run. VU upped its hitting to .152, while keeping SOU to .103.

Set 3 – SOU's blocking came alive in the early stages as the Raiders put VU in an 11-7 hole. The Lions remained at four-point deficit when SOU put together another double block at 14-10. VU utilized a 5-1 surge to knot the score at 15-15 and force a Raider timeout. Cole showcased her blocking ability as she teamed with Olbur and Robinson to reject Megan Perry on two of those points.

The two teams battled through five more ties before VU mounted another late set burst to grab another 25-21 victory. At 21-21, VU laid down a 4-0 run thanks to a SOU service error and three straight kills from Cole, Olbur and Bickmore. The Lions swung at a match-best .243 clip, while SOU had its best hitting effort at .116.

Set 4 – Cole asserted her dominance and proved her All-American pedigree with eight of her 16 kills in the decisive fourth frame. 

The outside hitter had four early kills to stake VU to a 9-7 lead. SOU scored four of the next five points to grab a 11-10 edge. The teams exchanged points and SOU held the slight 16-15 advantage when VU decided to throw down the dagger.

VU embarked on an exhausting 7-0 run to deflate the Raiders. Bickmore started the proceedings with a kill to tie the score, followed by Cole and Galvanoni slams to force a Raider timeout. The stoppage in play did nothing to deter VU, as Robinson and Cole unmercifully stuffed Perry on back-to-back swings. Once Robinson and Cole followed with kills, the damage was done as VU led 22-16.

The Blue and Gold played the side out game the rest of the way and Dickson's slam polished off the 25-19 win. VU had 16 kills for the second straight set and hit .237, while SOU managed just .070 efficiency.

Olbur hit .385 (7-2-13) and match-tying best seven blocks. Escher had 20 digs, followed by 10 from Rachel Lim. Lim added 25 assists, while Madeline DeLucia chipped in 24.

Corban 3, Vanguard 1

The Lions hung with the Warriors and stayed competitive in each set as the sophomore triumvirate of Cole, Delaney Hill and Dickson accounted for 34 of the team's 55 kills.

Set 1 – Similar to the Southern Oregon match, the Lions fell into an early 4-0 hole to start the contest. Galvanoni peppered a kill to get VU on the scoreboard, Corban opened as much as an eight-point lead before the Lions located their rhythm.

A Rylee Troutman service ace put VU into a 16-8 gap, but the Lions roared back with a 10-1 run. Lim and Cole had long service runs as the Lions took their first and only lead of the set at 18-17.  Hill had three kills during the burst and Robinson slammed one down to provide VU the lead.

The teams battled through four ties – the last at 21-21 – when Corban sped away with the final four points of the frame. Troutman and Kylie Davey had kills, and the Warriors ended it on a Nadeiah Howard ace.

Set 2 – The Lions fell behind again early as Corban posted its second straight 25-21 score. The Warriors pasted a 6-1 run to turn a narrow 5-4 lead into an 11-5 bulge.

The Warriors remained in command at 16-10 when the Lions reenergized and used a 4-0 run to pull within two. Dickson sandwiched two kills around a Hill slam to key the comeback roles.

Down 17-15, the Lions could not squeeze any more juice out of the comeback as back-to-back Corban blocks helped the Warriors extend their advantage to 20-15. The Lions chopped a couple points off the deficit as Troutman's attack error made the score 24-21, but VU's set ended on an error of its own.

Set 3 – VU dominated a majority of the set, leading by as many as eight points. But Corban rallied to take a one point lead late. However, the Lions pulled out the 26-24 triumph.

The Blue and Gold stormed out to a 10-4 lead thanks to four kills from Cole and two more from Bickmore. Bickmore and Robinson denied Troutman at the net to keep Corban in a 17-10 deficit, and a Hill kill widened the gap to 20-12.

Corban didn't flinch. The Warriors engineered a 10-1 run to take a 22-21 lead, helped along by six Lion attack errors.

Hill stopped the siege with a kill to knot things at 22-22, but the Warriors created set point at 24-23 on a Makayla Roginski throw down. However, the Lions stiffened and scored the next three straight points to take the 26-24 triumph. Robinson and Cole teamed up for a huge block, and Escher's service ace was the final blow.

Set 4 – Tantalized with the prospect of taking a top team to a fifth set, the Lions began the fourth with a block party. Olbur had a hand in three straight blocks, combining with Bickmore twice and Cole on the other as VU had an early 3-1 edge.

The Warriors committed three more attack errors as VU extended the lead to 10-7. But Corban took the lead back for good with a stifling 8-0 surge. Two kills from Troutman, followed by Roginski and Emma Bischoff slams forced a timeout with VU now trailing 14-10.

Bischoff's solo block gave Corban a 15-10 lead, but VU slowly began to whittle away its deficit. Robinson and Cole had kills to get the Lions within 18-16 as Corban called timeout. The Warriors used their final timeout after an Olbur and Hill combo stuff narrowed the gap to 20-19.

But Corban ended the match on a 5-1 run with solid blocking and a couple of unforced VU errors. The Lions limited the Warriors to .079 hitting, but only hit .025 (10-9-40) themselves.

Why Is It Important?: The Lions snapped a three-match skid against SOU and won for the first time on the road against its foe from the north.

What Was Said?: "I think our biggest culprit this weekend was doubt and we are seeing what we are capable of," said Head Coach Jennifer Dorn. "Against Southern Oregon, once we figured out our offense, we started outpacing and outlasting long rallies with our incredible defensive work, especially with both Blair Dodge and Natalie on the floor at the same time. We're very happy leaving here 3-1."

What's Next?: Vanguard takes on La Sierra in its home opener on Tuesday at Orange Coast College. First serve is at 6:00 p.m.