By Robert McKinney, Athletics Communications Director
SALEM, Ore. -- Lindsey Compton (Sr., OH/S, Portola, CA/Portola HS/Univ. of Hartford) earned a triple-double with 11 kills, 21 digs and 20 assists to lead Willamette University, as the Bearcats lost the first set, but rallied past Linfield College for a 3-1 victory at Cone Field House on Friday, Sept. 18. The Bearcats won the match, 17-25, 25-19, 25-21, 25-16.
Willamette, playing its Northwest Conference opener, improved to 5-4 on the season, 1-0 in the NWC. Linfield, which defeated NWC rival Pacific University, 3-2, on Wednesday, fell to 3-7 overall, 1-1 in the conference.
Sarah Fincher (Sr., OH, Reno, NV/Bishop Manogue HS/Southwest Baptist Univ.) contributed 13 kills for Willamette and Alexa Dowdell (Jr., MH/OPP, Mililani, HI/Maryknoll HS) recorded 10 kills. Macy Hayashi (Sr., OH, Hilo, HI/Waiakea HS) and Kaylen Higa (Fr., LIB/DS, Mililani, HI/Punahou School) each earned 18 digs.
The Bearcats also received strong play from Emma Liband (So., MH, Sandpoint, ID/Sandpoint HS), who battled at the net for three block solos and six total blocks. WU limited Linfield to a .085 team hitting percentage.
Audrey Hyem topped Linfield with 15 kills, while Courtney Uyeda recorded a match-high 28 digs. Darian Stedman produced 11 kills and 18 digs. Casie Gaza finished with 40 assists and 15 digs.
Willamette held a 5-1 lead in the first set, but Linfield tied the score with four consecutive points. The 5-5 tie was the first of nine ties during the set. WU and Linfield were tied 15-15, before the Wildcats registered seven points in a row on their way to a 10-2 run to win the set.
Linfield hit .300 and earned 17 kills in the first set, but hit just .027 the rest of the way, as Willamette gained momentum in each of the remaining sets.
In the second set, WU took an 11-6 lead. The Wildcats eventually pulled within a single point at 15-14, following a kill by Stedman.
Willamette answered with a kill from Dowdell, and then added two more points on Linfield attacking errors. The Wildcats pulled within 18-16, but the Bearcats tallied the next three points, including a pair of kills by Fincher, who had six kills during the set. WU tied the match with a 25-19 win.
After Linfield led 14-12 in the third set, Willamette rallied with a 5-0 run for a 17-14 edge. The Bearcats never tailed again during the set. Even so, WU held a slim 22-20 lead before a long rally ended with Hyem of Linfield hitting the ball into the net. The set went to the Bearcats, 25-21.
The Bearcats were in front for most of the fourth set. Back-to-back kills by Fincher gave WU a 9-5 lead. A bit later, a solo block by Liband resulted in a 14-9 advantage. The Bearcats eventually led 17-10 and kept at least a four-point lead the rest of the way for a 25-16 victory.
Willamette will return to action on Saturday, Sept. 19 with an NWC match at George Fox University in Newberg, Oregon. Match time is set for 7 p.m. (PDT).
