By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications
PORTLAND, Ore. -- Willamette University outside hitter Olivia Cadien (Jr., OH, Mesa, AZ/Chandler Preparatory Academy) connected for 19 kills and ended the match with a service ace, as the Bearcats held off a rally by Lewis & Clark College to earn a 3-2 victory on Friday, Oct. 25 at the Pamplin Sports Center. The Bearcats won the first two sets, but the Pioneers tied the match before WU claimed the fifth set for a 25-20, 25-16, 23-25, 18-25, 17-15 win.
The Bearcats trailed 10-7 in the fifth set following a kill by Izzy Willis. Willamette responded with a 6-1 run to claim a 13-11 advantage on a combo block by Caiden and Kaitlyn Westby (Jr., MB, Redmond, WA/Eastside Catholic HS). During the run, Sato registered a sensational dig on an attack by Willis. The dig led to a kill by Cadien. L&C recovered and scored the next three points with a kill from Christi San Diego giving the home team a 14-13 edge.
Cadien tied the score with a kill from the left side, but Annika Traxler added a kill to give the Pioneers a 15-14 advantage. A kill pounded by Cadien tied the set and a kill from Katey Cramer (So., OH, Arroyo Grande, CA/Arroyo Grande HS/Cuesta College) pushed WU ahead 16-15. Cadien then served into the middle of the Pioneers' half of the court, where an L&C player was unable to control the serve and the ball sailed out of bounds.
Willamette is 5-0 in matches decided in a fifth set with wins over California Lutheran University, Pacific University, the University of Puget Sound, Linfield University, and Lewis & Clark. The win on Wednesday improved the Bearcats to 12-8 on the season and to 7-6 in the Northwest Conference. L&C dropped to 7-14 overall, 2-11 in the NWC.
"Tonight was a match of huge momentum swings," Willamette Head Volleyball Coach Lily Hallock said. "While we were frustrated by the runs we allowed the other team, we know we can come from behind and perform when the match is on the line."
Cadien topped all players in the match with her 19 kills, including seven in the fourth set and five in the fifth set. She was joined in double-digits for the Bearcats by Cramer, who contributed 15 kills, including four in the decisive set.
Sydney Locke (So., MB, Federal Way, WA/Decatur HS) added eight kills, and Westby produced six kills with only one attacking error. Westby earned a .357 hitting percentage, while Cadien hit .333. Emma Porter (Grad., S, Honolulu, HI/Mid-Pacific Institute) recorded 29 assists and has 3,060 assists in her career. Sato concluded the evening with a match-high 26 digs, giving her 1,950 career digs.
Both teams worked to find the fine line between service aces and serving errors. In the end, WU gained a slim advantage with 15 aces and 13 errors, while Lewis & Clark claimed 11 aces and committed 12 errors. Cramer paced WU with seven aces, while Willis topped L&C with four aces.
Willamette held several other small leads on the stats sheet. The Bearcats produced a 54-48 margin in kills and achieved a team hitting percentage of .184, while L&C hit .176. Led by Porter, the Bearcats amassed 53 assists on the 54 kills, while the Pioneers earned 42 assists. Willamette also attained a 72-64 lead in digs. The Pioneers were credited with 6.0 team total blocks and Willamette earned 4.5 total blocks.
Willis and Traxler each piled up 16 kills to lead Lewis & Clark. Willis hit .289 for the Pioneers. Ruby Kuerschner supplied 30 assists. Katie Shimaura ranked first on the team with 21 digs, and San Diego led the team with five block assists.
The Bearcats surged out to an 8-3 margin in the first set on the strength of service aces by Cramer and Sato, plus one kill each by Locke, Porter, Cadien, and Westby. L&C cut the margin to 11-9 on a kill by Emily Strand, but the Bearcats replied with a 6-1 run for a 17-10 lead. The Pioneers moved within 21-19 on a kill by Kuerschner. WU closed the set by scoring four of the next five points.
Willamette rallied from a 9-1 deficit in the second set as Traxler earned two kills. The lead for L&C gradually disappeared to 10-9 as WU went on an 8-1. The score remained close until a 9-1 run for the Bearcats, including three service aces by Cramer, gave the Bearcats a 23-15 edge. Willamette took the set, 25-16.
L&C rebounded in the third set with a 25-23 win. The Pioneers grabbed an 8-2 edge after a kill by Traxler. Willamette rallied, which led to 10 ties and five lead changes. WU held a 19-18 lead on a service ace by Cadien, but Lewis & Clark went on to hold a 24-22 edge. A kill by Cramer cut the margin to 24-23. L&C took the final point on a Willamette serving error.
The Pioneers opened the fourth set with a 10-2 run. Willamette battled back and eventually pulled within 24-18 after a 4-0 run ended with a kill by Cadien and an attacking error by L&C. Traxler put down a kill on the next rally as the Pioneers won the set.
Up next for Willamette is an NWC match at Pacific on Saturday, Oct. 28. Match time is scheduled for 6 p.m. PDT.
