By Mark Colachico, Interim Assistant Athletics Communications Director

SALEM, ORE. -- After a hard-fought, five-set victory last weekend against George Fox, the Willamette University volleyball team is set to host two Northwest Conference matches this weekend at Cone Field House. The Bearcats will take on Whitworth University (Wash.) on Friday, Oct. 3, and will battle Whitman College (Wash.) on Saturday, Oct. 4.

Willamette enters the weekend at 7-6 overall and 2-2 in the NWC. Whitworth is 9-4 overall and 2-2 in the NWC, while Whitman is 6-7 on the season, 2-2 in the NWC. Friday's match will start at 7 p.m. (PDT), while Saturday's battle will begin at 6 p.m. (PDT).

The Bearcats are led by the combination of Sarah Fincher (Jr., OH, Reno, NV/Bishop Manogue HS/Southwest Baptist Univ.) and Alexa Dowdell (So., MH/OPP, Mililani, HI/Maryknoll HS). Fincher, who was named Northwest Conference Offensive Student-Athlete of the Week on Tuesday, has achieved a conference and team-high 168 kills, while averaging 3.57 kills per set. She owns a .211 hitting percentage. Dowdell has contributed 2.28 kills per set.

Lindsey Compton (Jr., OH/S, Portola, CA/Portola HS/Univ. of Hartford) paces the Bearcats' offense with 359 assists and an average of 8.76 per set, while also registering 27 kills, seven service aces, 117 digs, and 18 blocks. Tynan Gable (Fr., S, Woodinville, WA/Woodinville HS) has also chipped in with 64 assists, while Peyton Wahl (Fr., DS/LIB, Richland, WA/Richland HS) and Fincher have combined to hand out 33 assists for the Bearcats so far this season.

On defense, Wahl leads Willamette with 190 digs and 4.04 digs per set. Other leaders in digs are Compton with 2.85 per set, Alexa Becker (Fr., OH, El Dorado Hills, CA/Rider University) with 2.52 per set and Dowdell with 2.44 per set.

Team leaders for the Bearcats on defense at the net are Taylor Gee (Sr., MH/OH, San Diego, CA/Rancho Bernardo HS) with 0.80 blocks per set, Emma Liband (Fr., MH, Sandpoint, ID/Sandpoint HS) at 0.79 blocks per set, and Taylor Lum (So., MH/OH, Honolulu, HI/Maryknoll HS) with 0.63 blocks per set.

WU players have achieved 18 block solos and 139 block assists. The Bearcats are averaging 1.79 team total blocks per set.

Whitworth comes into Friday night's match riding a two-match winning streak, as the Pirates have won nine of their last 11 matches that included a seven-match winning streak from August 30-September 6.

Nicole Leonard leads the Pirates in kills with 150 and an average of 3.19 kills per set to go along with a team-high 177 digs (avg. 3.77). Brenna Bruil chips in with 2.74 kills per set and a team-high 0.85 blocks per set, while Maddye Dinsmore has ran Whitworth's offense this season handing out a team-best 10.14 assists per set, which ranks second in the NWC, and has also provided 161 digs so far this season.

Whitman enters this weekend's set of matches on a one-match winning streak, as the Missionaries picked up a three-set sweep over Pacific (Ore.) last Saturday night in Walla Walla, Washington.

Shae Kanakaole leads the Missionaries with 124 kills and an average of 2.58 kills set, while Megan Bafus is second at 2.38 kills per set. Natalia Zea is third on the team in kills averaging 1.64 per set, while leading Whitman with a conference-high 1.51 blocks per set.

Anna Dawson has handed out a team-high 341 assists (avg. 7.75), while Hannah Linsenmayer anchors the Missionaries' defense with 221 digs (avg. 4.70) followed by Kanakaole's 136 digs (avg. 2.83).

After hosting Whitworth and Whitman, the Bearcats will hit the road to take on Pacific Lutheran University (Wash.) on Friday, Oct. 10, before returning home on Saturday, Oct. 11, to take on Pacific University of Oregon. Both matches will begin at 7 p.m. (PDT) in Parkland, Washington, and inside Cone Field House, respectively.