By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications
SALEM, Ore. -- Olivia Cadien (Jr., OH, Mesa, AZ/Chandler Preparatory Academy) pounded 20 kills, Emma Porter (Grad., S, Honolulu, HI/Mid-Pacific Institute) supplied 45 assists, and Shyla Sato (Sr., LIB, Honolulu, HI/Mid-Pacific Institute) made 30 digs, as Willamette University rallied past Pacific University, 3-2, in a Northwest Conference match on Friday, Sept. 29.
Willamette trailed 1-0 and 2-1, before winning the fourth and fifth sets for the overall victory. The Bearcats outlasted the Boxers, 19-25, 26-24, 17-25, 25-16, 15-12. In the fifth set, WU trailed 4-1, but took a 7-6 lead and never trailed again. The Bearcats held slim leads of 8-7, 11-10 and 13-12, and responded by scoring the next point all three times. At match point, Willamette won on a service ace by Alayna Hughes (Fy., Eugene, OR/Sheldon HS/Univ. of Providence).
The victory advanced Willamette to 8-5 on the season, 3-3 in the NWC, with the Bearcats' third consecutive win. Pacific fell to 5-8 overall, 1-4 in the NWC.
Cadien was one of three Bearcats with double-digit totals for kills. Katey Cramer (So., OH, Arroyo Grande, CA/Arroyo Grande HS/Cuesta College) registered 13 kills and Syd Bowen (So., OH/OPP, Tigard, OR/Wilsonville HS) added 10 kills. Caroline Jameson (So., OH/OPP, Everett, WA/Everett HS) earned seven kills and hit .278. Jameson provided several key kills in the center of the attack.
Meanwhile, Porter's 45 assists kept the offense moving, especially in the three sets won by the Bearcats. WU held a 55-54 advantage in team kills.
On defense, Sato continued her strong play as the team's libero. Her 30 digs and 20 digs by Pacific's libero Claire Stipsits kept both teams in many long rallies. Cadien provided 16 digs, Cramer tacked on 11, and Porter finished with 10. In addition, Jameson, Bowen, and Kaitlyn Westby (Jr., MB, Redmond, WA/Eastside Catholic HS) each earned three block assists as Willamette finished with 7.0 team total blocks.
"This match was a battle with definite highs and lows for each team," Willamette Head Volleyball Coach Lily Hallock said. "There were moments when we let doubt creep in, but not during the fifth set. We went down early in the fifth, stayed strong mentally, and clawed our way back on the shoulders of aggressive serving. I want to say a shout out to the amazing defense of Shyla Sato with 30 digs. She's done it before and she'll do it again."
Mara Murphy of the Boxers led all players with 22 kills. Teammate Allison Brown supplied 13 kills, while Kayla Craft was credited with 12 kills. Emily Cheavtharn registered 39 assists. Stipsits' 20 digs were followed by 15 digs from Cheavtharn and 14 digs by McKenzie Uyehara.
"Pacific has multiple strong attackers that they rely on and we were able to contain those hitters so none of them could take over the match," Hallock commented.
The Boxers achieved a .214 team hitting percentage, held an 86-82 edge in total digs, and ended the match with 10.0 team total blocks, but couldn't overcome eight ball-handling errors. Willamette also gained an advantage in serving, as the Bearcats finished with 11 service aces and just five serving errors, while Pacific earned five service aces and committed 10 serving errors. The combined difference provided WU with an 11-point margin on serves.
In the first set, Pacific broke a 4-4 tie with an 11-4 run for a 15-8 lead. Willamette scored the next three points, and then Pacific moved out to a 19-13 advantage, completing a 4-2 run with a combo block by Craft and Anneke Hanson. WU cut the margin to 19-15 on a kill by Jameson and to 23-19 on an ace from Cadien, before the Boxers won, 25-19.
WU fell behind 8-4 and 10-6 in the second set, but rallied for the win. The Bearcats tied the score at 10-10 on a kill by Bowen and eventually held a 17-14 lead following a kill by Cadien. The Boxers pulled within 17-16 and the score remained close for the rest of the set. At 24-24, Cadien pushed the Bearcats in front for the final time with a kill. Willamette won on the next rally when Bowen sent a successful dink over the right side of the net.
The Bearcats forced a 7-7 tie in the third set on a kill supplied by Bowen. Pacific answered with a 6-0 run and later held a 20-12 lead. The Boxers took the set, 25-17.
Willamette rallied to tie the match during the fourth set. Two kills each by Cramer and Cadien helped the Bearcats claim an 8-4 lead. A bit later, WU owned a slim 11-9 edge following a kill by Murphy of Pacific, but the Bearcats went on a 7-2 run for an 18-11 advantage. The Bearcats won the set, 25-16.
Cramer pounded a kill to start the fifth set with a point for Willamette. Pacific tallied the next four points. The Bearcats recovered and tied the score at 6-6 on a service ace by Sato. A kill by Jameson sent WU in front at 7-6. Soon the Bearcats held a 10-7 lead on block assists by Jameson and Cadien. The Bearcats also led 11-8 on a bad set by Murphy for the Boxers.
Pacific pulled as close as 11-10. WU tallied the next point on a kill by Bowen, and then took a 13-10 lead on a combo block from Bowen and Westby on an attack by Murphy. After Pacific moved within 13-12, the Bearcats ended the match with a kill from Cramer and a service ace to the far right corner by Hughes.
The Bearcats will be back in action on Friday, Oct. 6 with a match at the University of Puget Sound. Match time in Tacoma, Washington, is set for 7 p.m. (PDT).
