By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications
PORTLAND, Ore. -- Olivia Cadien (So., OH, Mesa, AZ/Chandler Preparatory Academy) pounded out 15 kills and had no attacking errors on her way to a .455 hitting percentage, as Willamette University claimed a 3-0 victory over Lewis & Clark College in a Northwest Conference volleyball match, on Friday, Oct. 7 at the Pamplin Sports Center. Cadien helped the Bearcats gain a 34-22 edge in total kills as they downed the Pioneers, 25-23, 25-11, 25-17.
Willamette advanced its record to 6-7 on the season, 5-2 in the NWC. Lewis & Clark dropped to 1-11 overall, 0-7 in the NWC.
Cadien led the attack, while Emma Porter (Sr., S, Honolulu, HI/Mid-Pacific Institute) contributed 24 assists. Shyla Sato (Sr., LIB, Honolulu, HI/Mid-Pacific Institute) was credited with 13 digs, while Steele Jasa (Sr., DS/S, Bend, OR/Summit HS) earned 11 digs. Dani Queja (Sr., OH, Ewa Beach, HI/Maryknoll School) supplied five kills and a match-high five service aces. The Bearcats accumulated a .198 hitting percentage and limited Lewis & Clark to a .031 hitting percentage.
The strong night for Cadien on offense was highlighted in the third set, when she registered 10 kills on 16 attacks for a .625 hitting percentage. Cadien leads the Bearcats this season with 166 kills and 3.39 kills per set.
L&C was paced by Ellie Weber with nine kills to go along with nine digs. Ashley Kane provided 16 assists and Katie Shimaura led the Pioneers with 12 digs. Kelsie Nakashima achieved 11 digs.
The Pioneers led for most of the first set, which included six ties and three lead changes. Lewis & Clark built advantages of 11-5 and 16-9, but the Bearcats rallied. Willamette went on a 8-1 run that included two service aces by Queja and ended with a kill by Cadien, as the Bearcats forced a 17-17 tie.
Three more ties followed, before WU scored a trio of consecutive points to grab a 23-20 lead. Willamette's short surge included a combo block by Kaitlyn Westby (So., MH, Redmond, WA/Eastside Catholic HS) and Lexi Martin (Sr., MH, Bellevue, WA/Interlake HS), a kill from Westby, and a combo block from Westby and Queja. L&C reduced the lead to 23-22, but Queja tacked on a kill to reach set point. A kill by Weber cut the lead to 24-23 and then Queja added another kill to win the set.
Willamette controlled the second set after zooming out to a 12-6 lead. The Bearcats extended the margin with an 11-2 outburst for a sizable 23-8 margin. WU took the set 25-11, as the Bearcats recorded seven service aces and just one service error. Porter was a leader during the set with three kills, six assists, four digs, and one of the service aces.
The Bearcats took a 5-4 lead in the fourth set on an attacking error by the Pioneers. Willamette never relinquished the lead. Even so, the set was close at 11-10 following a block by Emma Ehlers of L&C. The next six points went to the Bearcats, starting with a kill by Sydney Locke (Fy, MB, Federal Way, WA/Decatur HS) and two kills from Cadien, and ending with an attacking error by L&C, a service ace by Queja, and another kill for Cadien. Willamette led 17-10 and eventually held a 23-15 advantage. The Bearcats completed the sweep with a 25-17 victory.
Willamette will play at George Fox University in Newberg, Oregon, on Saturday, Oct. 8. Match time is set for 6 p.m. (PDT).
