Salem, OR - Volleyball opened up conference play with a 3-1 win over Lewis & Clark, 25-17, 21-25, 25-12, 25-11.  Willamette attackers hit .179 for the match and the Bearcats had four players with over eight kills each, led by Olivia Cadien's thirteen.  

With the first set tied at 3, Willamette went on a 7-1 run to establish a lead they would not relinquish.  The Bearcats would extend the lead to as many as nine and take the first set 25-17 on the strength of a .241 attack percentage.

The Pioneers got revenge in set two, getting off to a quick 3-0 lead and never trailing.  The Bearcats got close at 22-21, but Lewis & Clark won the final three points to win the set 25-21.

Willamette found their rhythm in the third set, again turning a 3-3 tie into a nine-point lead, this time at 15-6.  Katey Cramer helped close things out 25-12 with three kills in the Bearcats final four points.  They carried that momentum over into set four, getting off to an 8-0 start and leading by as many as 16 points (21-5) before closing out the match 25-11.

Cadien led the Bearcats in kills with 13, followed by Katey Cramer (11), Caroline Jameson (9), Nora Wade (8), and Kaitlyn Westby (5).   Leina Chu contributed 19 digs, with three other Bearcats - Cadien, Cramer, and Dream Takemoto - contributing thirteen.  Chu also led the team in assists with 32.

Volleyball continues Northwest Conference play this weekend in Tacoma, WA, as they take on the University of Puget Sound on Friday, September 20th at 7:00 pm, and Pacific Lutheran on Saturday, September 21st at 6:00 pm.