By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

SALEM, Ore. -- Willamette University was led by many of its statistical leaders as the Bearcats defeated Lewis & Clark College in three sets on Friday, Nov. 4 at Cone Field House. The Bearcats prevailed, 25-20, 25-22, 25-17, despite a strong effort from the Pioneers. Willamette improved to 10-11 on the season, while advancing their Northwest Conference record to 9-6. Lewis & Clark fell to 2-18 overall, 1-14 in the NWC.

The Bearcats excelled on defense behind 12 digs from libero Shyla Sato (Sr., LIB, Honolulu, HI/Mid-Pacific Institute) and 10 digs each from Dani Queja (Sr., OH, Ewa Beach, HI/Maryknoll School) and Steele Jasa (Sr., DS/S, Bend, OR/Summit HS). Willamette produced a balanced offense that featured Olivia Cadien (So., OH, Mesa, AZ/Chandler Preparatory Academy) with 10 kills, Kaitlyn Westby (So., MH, Redmond, WA/Eastside Catholic HS) with seven, and Queja with six. Westby earned a .312 hitting percentage, while setter Emma Porter (Sr., S, Honolulu, HI/Mid-Pacific Institute) supplied 23 assists.

For the season, Cadien leads the Bearcats with 281 kills (3.51 per set) and Queja is second with 184 kills (2.30 per set). Porter leads the team with 650 assists (8.13 per set) and Sato ranks first with 455 digs (5.69 per set.). During Friday's match, Sato moved past the 1,500-dig mark in her career. She now has 1,505 digs for the Bearcats. Westby leads WU with a .187 hitting percentage and is first on the team with 62 total blocks.

"Tonight's match was tough to prepare for because Lewis & Clark's record and what they looked like the last time we faced them doesn't represent where they are now," Willamette Head Volleyball Coach Lily Hallock noted. "They are playing much better volleyball and came out serving tough. In the end, it felt like we were in control of the serve and pass battle which was a big part of the victory."

Issy Willis provided 10 kills for Lewis & Clark. Debi Chun added seven kills. Kelsie Nakashima and Emily Stand each earned six kills, and Nakashima led all players with a .417 hitting percentage. Ashley Kane was credited with 25 assists, while Katie Shimaura led the Pioneers with 18 digs. Chun ended the match with nine digs.

Willamette scored the first five points of the match, as Sato's serving made things difficult for the Pioneers. The last two points of the 5-0 surge were a combo block by Cadien and Nora Wade (Fy., MB, San Diego, CA/Point Loma HS) followed by a service ace from Sato.

The Bearcats kept the lead for the rest of the set, although L&C pulled within one point five times, first at 8-7 on a service ace by Annika Traxler, and for the final time at 17-16 on a kill by Traxler. Each time, Willamette grabbed the next point, including a kill by Lexi Martin (Sr., MH, Bellevue, WA/Interlake HS) for an 18-16 lead. WU expanded the lead to 20-16 with kills from Queja and Westby. The Pioneers cut the margin to two points at 20-18 and 22-20, but Willamette earned the final three points for a 25-20 win.

In the second set, there were seven ties and six lead changes before Willamette took the set, 25-22. The Bearcats held the largest leads at 3-0 and 12-9 following kills by Westby. WU trailed by a single point several times, including 20-19 after a kill from Chun. A kill by Queja tied the set and opened a decisive 6-2 run.

The Pioneers took an 11-4 lead in the third set. L&C also owned a 12-5 advantage on a kill by Willis before Willamette rallied to end the match. The Bearcats used a 14-2 offensive surge to move past the Pioneers and claim a 19-14 lead. Queja supplied a kill to start the run and soon contributed two service aces. Several points later, Wade gave the Bearcats a 15-14 lead with a kill. Wade also concluded the surge with a kill. The Pioneers reduced the margin to 19-17, but WU tallied the final six points of the match, including three kills by Cadien.

Willamette will close out the season with Senior Night at Cone Field House on Saturday, Nov. 5 against George Fox University. Match time is set for 6 p.m. (PDT). WU and GFU are tied for fourth place in the NWC standings at 9-6. The winner on Saturday will move into a tie with Pacific Lutheran University at 10-6 for second place or third place, depending on the result between the University of Puget Sound (10-5) and Lewis & Clark. Whitworth University has already clinched at least a tie for first place at 11-5. Whitworth and PLU have already completed their NWC schedules.