By Robert McKinney, Athletics Communications Director
SALEM, Ore. -- The Willamette University volleyball team is off to a 10-4 start and is in first place in the Northwest Conference at 6-0. A key reason the Bearcats have experienced great success so far this season is because they have several players who provide quality options when they attack.
Sarah Fincher (Sr., OH, Reno, NV/Bishop Manogue HS/Southwest Baptist Univ.) ranks first in the NWC with 186 kills and 3.65 kills per set. She has a solid .257 hitting percentage. She made a big difference in two wins last week, as she recorded 16 kills against Lewis & Clark College on Sept. 30 and pounded out 19 kills against Pacific Lutheran University on Oct. 2.
Lindsey Compton (Sr., OH/S, Portola, CA/Portola HS/Univ. of Hartford), who has excelled as both an outside hitter and a setter, ranks second on the team with 116 kills and 2.25 kills per set. She has earned at least eight kills in nine of 14 matches, and has recorded three triple-doubles with 10 or more kills, assists and digs in the same match.
Alexa Dowdell (Jr., MH/OPP, Mililani, HI/Maryknoll HS) is listed fourth in the NWC with a .265 hitting percentage. She has earned 106 kills and is averaging 2.08 kills per set. Dowdell registered a career-high 18 kills in Willamette's 3-2 win over Trinity University (Texas), which was ranked #16 in NCAA Division III at the time.
At least one of Willamette's trio of Fincher, Compton and Dowdell as contributed 10 or more kills in all but four matches this season. The Bearcats are 9-1 in the those matches.
All three athletes have significant career statistics with the Bearcats. Fincher has recorded 805 kills and a .208 career hitting percentage since transferring to Willamette in 2013. She has played in 64 matches and 234 sets. Fincher owns a career average of 3.44 kills per set.
Compton has competed in 62 matches and 211 sets since arriving at Willamette for her sophomore season. She has amassed 322 career kills to go along with 937 assists and 656 digs.
Dowdell, now in her third season at WU, has amassed 335 kills and 2.03 kills per set in her career. She has seen action in 54 matches and 165 sets.
Fincher, Compton and Dowdell give the Bearcats a formidable attack. Their efforts have set the stage for other Willamette players to help out on offense, too.
Emma Liband (So., MH, Sandpoint, ID/Sandpoint HS), Riley Fawcett (Jr., OH, Normandy Park, WA/John F. Kennedy HS) and Taylor Lum (Jr., MH/OH, Honolulu, HI/Maryknoll HS) have made important contributions. Liband has pounded out 68 kills, with Fawcett adding 62 and Lum supplying 40.
The net result is that Willamette is averaging 11.5 kills per set with a .209 team hitting percentage. The Bearcats have hit at least .200 as a team in nine matches, including their last five matches in NWC action.
Willamette will put its undefeated conference record on the line in two road games this weekend.
The Bearcats will play at Whitworth University on Friday, Oct. 9 at 7 p.m. (PDT) in Spokane, Washington. Whitworth is 10-6 overall and 4-2 in the NWC. Willamette will take on Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington, on Saturday, Oct. 10 at 5 p.m. Whitman is 3-9 on the season, 1-5 in the NWC.
