MOSCOW, ID. – The ORU volleyball program kicked off its 2025 season at the Vandal Volleyball Invitational, falling to Idaho, Portland and Cal State Fullerton.
 
Despite losing the points battle by just nine, the Golden Eagles fell 3-0 to Vandal Volleyball Invitational host, Idaho. Cortnee Smith matched her 2024 season total with 14 kills in the match, in addition to 10 digs and her first career double-double. Rachel Resta logged 27 assists to go along with 12 digs, her fourth double-double of her career. ORU trailed by as many as six points as Idaho grabbed the advantage at 8-7 in a set that was tied five times before the Vandals took control. The Golden Eagles registered a .302 attack percentage with 17 kills in the second set loss. In the third set, neither team had a lead of more than three points.
 
ORU dropped its second match of the invitational to Portland on Saturday night, 3-0. Hayden Hart finished with 10 kills to lead the Golden Eagles' offense, finishing with a hitting percentage of .350. Defensively, Sophie Johnson led the team with seven digs. The Golden Eagles lost the first set 25-19 despite a strong showing on the attacking side. Oral Roberts registered 10 kills in the set loss and fell 25-20 in the second set, which was tied up six times before the Pilots went on a late run. ORU was fighting from behind in the third set after an early 8-1 run from Portland.
 
The Golden Eagles hit the 50-kill mark against Cal State Fullerton, but their comeback efforts fell short, suffering a 3-1 loss to close out the Vandal Volleyball Invitational. ORU's attack against Cal State Fullerton was controlled by Hayden Hart and Hope Hickman, who had 13 and 10 kills, respectively. Julia Carr had 13 digs and Sophie Johnson had 10 on the defensive side of the ball while Rachel Resta matched her career-high with 39 assists. ORU never trailed in their lone 25-20 second-set win. The Golden Eagles led by as many as six points at 17-11 before finishing off the set two with 16 kills.
 
Match Notes

• Rachel Resta logged the fourth double-double of her career against Idaho.
• Cortnee Smith recorded her first career double-double against Idaho.
• Freshman Hayden Hart tallied a team-high 30 kills in her first three matches as a Golden Eagle (7,10,13).
• Julia Carr led ORU with 26 digs on the weekend.
• Rachel Resta tied her career-high in assists, recording 39 against Cal State Fullerton.
• ORU is three wins away from 1,000 as a program.

Up Next
The Golden Eagles will travel to North Carolina next weekend to take on Bucknell and North Carolina in Chapel Hill, N.C.
 
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