By Robert McKinney, Athletics Communications Director, (503) 370-6110

THOUSAND OAKS, CALIF. -- Willamette University lost to Occidental College (Calif.) and to California Lutheran University on Friday, Sept. 9, during the first day of the Posada Royale Volleyball Invitational, hosted by California Lutheran. The losses dropped the Bearcats to 2-5 on the season.

Occidental defeated Willamette, 3-0, in the Bearcats' first match of the day. The Tigers won 25-17, 25-10, 25-20. In the second match, WU won the first set before California Lutheran rallied for a 3-1 win. CLU prevailed, 25-27, 25-23, 25-16, 25-16.

Madisyn Leenstra (Jr., MH/OH, Bellingham, WA/Sehome HS) led the Bearcats in kills during both matches.

Against Occidental, she provided nine kills to go with five digs and two block assists. Shannon Waltz (So., MH, Honolulu, HI/La Pietra HS) added six kills and three block assists versus the Tigers. Emily Compton (So., S, Portola, CA/Portola HS/Boise State Univ.) achieved 25 assists, six digs and two block assists.

In the match with California Lutheran, Leenstra earned 12 kills and registered a .423 hitting percentage. Carly Hargrave (So., MH, Happy Valley, OR/Clackamas HS) supplied the Bearcats with seven kills and three block assists. Waltz and Elisa Ahern (Fr., OPP, Lake Forest Park, WA/Shorecrest HS) each tacked on six kills. Waltz also earned four block assists and Ahern tallied two service aces.

Compton finished with 29 assists against the Regals. She also achieved seven digs. Lizzy Balding (So., LIB/DS, Honolulu, HI/Punahou School) led all players with 19 digs, while Nicole Mertens (Jr., OH, Olympia, WA/Olympia HS) chipped in 13 digs.

Kylie McLogan paced California Lutheran with 19 kills. Shannon Pearson connected for 14 kills and Casy McWhirk amassed 12 kills. Jackie Russell helped the Regals earn the win by contributing 47 assists and eight digs. Jacki Richards produced 18 digs. Rachel Smith accumulated 16 digs.

California Lutheran, ranked #10 in the NCAA Division III Poll released this week by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA), improved to 4-1 with the win. Occidental, which received votes in the AVCA Poll but was not in the Top 25, evened its record at 1-1 after defeating the Bearcats.

Willamette will conclude the Posada Royale Volleyball Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 10 with two more matches. The Bearcats will play the University of La Verne (Calif.) at 3 p.m. (PDT) and will take on the University of Redlands at 5 p.m.