By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications
NEWBERG, Ore. -- Willamette University earned more kills, 48-47, and registered more digs, 75-57, against George Fox University on Friday, Oct. 29, but the Bruins defeated the Bearcats, 3-1, in a Northwest Conference volleyball match at Miller Gymnasium. GFU won 25-17, 25-17, 22-25, 25-18. Olivia Cadien (Fy., OH, Mesa, AZ/Chandler Preparatory Academy) led Willamette with 17 kills and also provided seven digs.
Dani Queja (Jr., OH, Ewa Beach, HI/Maryknoll School) chipped in 14 kills and 10 digs for the Bearcats, while Emma Porter (Jr., S, Honolulu, HI/Mid-Pacific Institute) provided 38 assists. Shyla Sato (Jr., LIB, Honolulu, HI/MId-Pacific Institute) topped the defensive chart with 30 digs. Kela Iwata (Sr., LIB, Honolulu, HI/Kalani HS) accumulated 11 digs.
For George Fox, Bailey LeBreton finished with 14 kills and three block assists. Kassandra Staton tacked on 13 kills and led the Bruins with 15 digs. Addison Robertson totaled 10 kills, while Addison Hawes was credited with 35 assists. GFU attained a team hitting percentage of .187, while the Bearcats hit .125. The Bruins also gained a 12-3 advantage in service aces.
The Bruins advanced their record to 11-8 on the season, including 7-7 in the NWC. Willamette, playing without hitters Natalie Klotz (Sr., OH, Bonner Springs, KS/Bonner Springs HS) and Ana James (Jr., OPP, Imperial Beach, CA/Mar Vista HS), slipped to 7-11 overall, 4-9 in the NWC. The Bearcats will host Lewis & Clark College at Cone Field House on Saturday, Oct. 30, starting at 7 p.m. (PDT).
In the first set, Willamette and George Fox were tied at 11-11 after 22 rallies. The Bruins scored the next two points before Cadien recorded a kill to pull WU within 13-12.
GFU earned two more kills for a 15-12 lead, but the Bearcats were able to get as close as two points at 15-13, 16-14, and 17-15 on kills by Porter, Cadien, and Queja, respectively. Even so, the Bruins took a 19-15 lead on a block by Caitlin Nemecek and a kill from LeBreton. Queja cut the margin to 19-16 with a kill for Willamette. George Fox tallied the next two points and went on to win the set, 25-17.
The second set featured 10 ties and five lead changes. The final tie was at 13-13 on a GFU kill by Staton. On the next rally, Staton served and recorded an ace, as the Bruins moved in front. Although GFU held the lead for the rest of the set, the margin was just one point at 16-15 following a kill by Porter, and only two points at 18-16 after a kill from Cadien. George Fox answered with a 4-0 run, including two kills by Robertson and a service ace by Hawes, as the Bruins grabbed a 22-16 advantage on their way to taking the set, 25-17.
There were nine ties and three lead changes during the third set, but this time Willamette prevailed. The Bearcats held leads of 7-4 and 10-7 early in the set, but the teams were tied at 17-17 following a kill by LeBreton. WU led 19-17 two points later when Lexi Martin (Jr., MH, Bellevue, WA/Interlake HS) pounded down a kill. GFU tied the score at 19-19 before three consecutive attacking errors by the Bruins gave Willamette a 22-19 edge.
After the Bruins cut the margin to 22-21, Martin registered two more kills to move the Bearcats to set-point with a 24-21 lead. After an attacking error by WU, George Fox pulled within two points. The Bruins committed a ball-handling error on the next rally, as Willamette grabbed the set, 25-22.
George Fox created a 4-1 advantage in the fourth set and never lost the lead. The Bearcats trailed by just two points at 7-5, and the GFU lead was only three points, 14-11, following a service ace by Porter. The Bruins then went on a 4-0 surge for an 18-11 margin. The run ended with back-to-back service aces by Staton. WU eventually reduced the lead to 19-17 and later moved within 21-18. George Fox scored on four consecutive rallies for a 25-18 win to end the match.
