By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications
NEWBERG, Ore. -- Olivia Cadien (Jr., OH, Mesa, AZ/Chandler Preparatory Academy) pounded 12 kills to lead a balanced offensive attack, and the Bearcats provided strong serving, as Willamette University defeated George Fox University in four sets on Saturday, Nov. 4 at the Wheeler Sports Center. Willamette dropped the first set, but rallied for the win, 15-25, 25-21, 25-21, 25-23.
In the fourth set, Willamette led 21-16 on a kill by Sydney Locke (So., MB, Federal Way, WA/Decatur HS), but the Bruins put together a 7-0 run to take a 23-21 lead. Following a timeout, the Bearcats surged into the overall win by scoring four consecutive points. The run began with a kill from Cadien and a hitting error by the Bruins that tied the score at 23-23. Katey Cramer (So., OH, Arroyo Grande, CA/Arroyo Grande HS/Cuesta College) of Willamette served back-to-back aces to end the match, as the Bearcats took the set 25-23.
Cadien's double-digit kill total was part of an attack that included five players with at least eight kills for the Bearcats. Cramer, Syd Bowen (So., OH/OPP, Tigard, OR/Wilsonville HS), and Kaitlyn Westby (Jr., MB, Redmond, WA/Eastside Catholic HS) each contributed nine kills, while Locke added eight kills. Emma Porter (Grad., S, Honolulu, HI/Mid-Pacific Institute) set up the Bearcats with 38 assists. Led by three aces from Cramer, Willamette finished with nine aces overall.
On defense, Shyla Sato (Sr., LIB, Honolulu, HI/Mid-Pacific Institute) led the way with 25 digs, while Cadien made 17 digs. Westby was credited with one block solo and three block assists. Porter has supplied WU with 3,150 assists in her career. Sato's career stats include 1,996 digs.
For George Fox, Kassandra Staton led the team with 15 kills and also provided 11 digs. Addison Robertson and Taylor Dekoning both accumulated eight kills and Emily Blagg tacked on seven kills. Kennedy Kibby earned 29 assists. Piper Harrop matched Sato of Willamette with 25 digs. The Bruins recorded seven service aces and committed 12 serving errors. In two matches this weekend, Willamette's opponents combined for 24 serving miscues, while the Bearcats produced a total of 21 service aces.
Willamette concluded the regular season with a 14-9 overall record, including 9-7 in the Northwest Conference. The Bearcats have qualified for the inaugural NWC Volleyball Tournament and will take on host Pacific Lutheran University at 4:30 p.m. PST on Friday, Nov. 10. In the other semifinal, George Fox will battle Whitworth University at 7:30 p.m. The NWC Tournament Championship Match is set for Saturday, Nov. 11 at 6 p.m. between the two semifinal winners
George Fox zoomed out to an 11-4 lead in the first set as Staton provided four kills. The Bearcats rallied to within 15-12 on a kill by Porter before the Bruins ended the set with a 10-3 run.
The Bearcats connected for 18 kills in the second set and for 16 kills in the third set, as they grabbed a 25-21 win each time.
WU trailed 17-12 in the second set, but tied the score at 19-19. The Bruins scored the next two points, and then Willamette won six consecutive rallies, ending with kills by Cadien and Bowen, to win the set. In the third set, Willamette held a 15-11 lead on a kill from Cramer and later owned a 22-16 advantage on a combo block by Westby and Cadien. After GFU cut the lead to 23-20 and 24-21, the Bearcats took the set on a kill by Locke.
