By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications
SPOKANE, Wash. -- Olivia Cadien (So., OH, Mesa, AZ/Chandler Preparatory Academy) of Willamette University registered 12 kills for her sixth match with 10 or more kills this season, but Whitworth University defeated the Bearcats, 3-0, in a Northwest Conference volleyball match at the Whitworth Fieldhouse on Saturday, Sept. 24. The Pirates won 25-19, 25-19, 25-17 to up their record to 9-3 overall, 3-1 in the NWC. Willamette fell to 4-6 overall, 3-1 in the NWC.
The Bearcats, in addition to receiving a dozen kills from Cadien, also gained nine kills by Dani Queja (Sr., OH, Ewa Beach, HI/Maryknoll School). Shyla Sato (Sr., LIB, Honolulu, HI/Mid-Pacific Institute) provided 15 digs, while Queja added six digs. Emma Porter (Sr., S, Honolulu, HI/Mid-Pacific Institute) accumulated 25 assists. Cadien led the Bearcats with a .214 hitting percentage.
Whitworth's top hitter was Madison Lee with 11 kills and just two attacking errors, as she finished with a .409 hitting percentage. Jaye Hodge was credited with eight kills. Evan Millan amassed 15 digs, with Madison tacking on eight digs. Joelle Forbes supplied 20 assists, while Cassidy Franklin earned four total blocks. Logan Spencer and Ella Jimenez each contributed three block assists, helping the Pirates attain 7.0 team total blocks.
The Pirates hit .286 as a team and limited Willamette to a .106 hitting percentage. Whitworth held a slim 35-30 lead in kills, a 40-37 margin in digs, and a 9-2 edge in service aces. Lee and Millan both recorded three aces for the Pirates, while Sato earned both of Willamette's aces.
In the first set, Whitworth owned just a 10-8 lead after 18 rallies. The Pirates scored the next five points to start an 8-3 run for an 18-11 advantage following a kill by Lee. Cadien answered by starting a 3-1 run with a kill for the Bearcats to pull within 19-14. A bit later, Willamette moved within 22-17, but the Pirates scored three of the next five points for a 25-19 win.
Willamette took a 5-2 lead in the second set, including two kills by Cadien. Whitworth tallied the next four points to move in front, 6-5. The Bearcats scored next, before the Pirates added a 4-0 run to claim a 10-6 edge. Willamette eventually tied the game at 11-11, and the Bearcats trailed by just a single point five times from 12-11 to 16-15. A 5-0 surge allowed Whitworth to gain a 21-15 lead on its way to taking the set 25-19. Madison provided two service aces during the key 5-point run.
The third set began with the Pirates claiming five of the first six points. Later, Whitworth held a 13-8 lead on a kill by Jimenez. Sydney Locke (Fy, MB, Federal Way, WA/Decatur HS) registered the next point for Willamette on a kill, and the Bearcats pulled within 15-11 on a service ace by Sato, but couldn't catch the Pirates. Whitworth ended the set with a 10-6 run.
Up next for Willamette is an NWC match against the University of Puget Sound at Cone Field House on Friday, Sept. 30. The action is slated to begin at 7 p.m. (PDT). Willamette and Puget Sound are four teams tied for the NWC lead at 3-1.