By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

TACOMA, Wash. -- Willamette University trailed 2-0 in their volleyball match at Pacific Lutheran University on Friday, Sept. 17, but the Bearcats won the next two sets to force a fifth set. The Lutes took the fifth set to prevail in the match, 3-2. Pacific Lutheran won 25-17, 25-20, 21-25, 21-15, 15-6. It was the Northwest Conference opener for both teams.

The Lutes improved to 4-6 overall, 1-0 in the NWC. Willamette fell to 4-3 on the season, 0-1 in the NWC.

Dani Queja (Jr., OH, Ewa Beach, HI/Maryknoll School) led the Bearcats with 13 kills. She also provided 19 digs and three service aces. Natalie Klotz (Sr., OH, Bonner Springs, KS/Bonner Springs HS) tacked on 12 kills and two aces, while Olivia Cadien (Fy., OH, Mesa, AZ/Chandler Preparatory Academy) contributed 10 kills and two aces. Shyla Sato (Jr., LIB, Honolulu, HI/MId-Pacific Institute) topped the roster with 21 digs. Emma Porter (Jr., S, Honolulu, HI/Mid-Pacific Institute) was credited with 39 assists to go along with 12 digs.

PLU was paced by McKenzie Pfeiffer, who earned match highs with 17 kills and six block assists. Baylee Johnson supplied the Lutes with 14 kills, while Callie Simmonds added 12 kills and 18 digs. Emily Dulaney produced 47 assists and 12 digs. Halle Hetzler led all players with 29 digs.

Both teams excelled in serving, as Willamette finished with eight service aces and five serving errors, while the Lutes had 12  aces and eight errors. PLU gained in defense at the net, as the Lutes registered 9.0 team total blocks on one block solo and 16 block assists. Willamette achieved 4.0 team total blocks on eight block assists.

The Lutes hit over .300 in each of the three sets won by PLU, but the Bearcats held the home team to hitting percentages of .104 in the third set and .087 in the fourth set, as Willamette rallied. The match ended with PLU holding a 60-54 edge in kills and an 89-87 margin in digs.

Pacific Lutheran built a 6-0 lead at the start of the match. After Pfeiffer supplied a kill on the first rally, Makenna Jackson was the server on five consecutive rallies that went to the Lutes, ending with a service ace. On her sixth serve, Jackson committed a serving error that opened a 4-2 run by Willamette, cutting the lead to 8-4. The Lutes pulled out to a 13-6 lead on a kill by Dulaney, but the Bearcats scored four of the next five points -- including a kill by Caiden plus a kill and ace from Queja -- to reduce the margin to 14-10. PLU countered with a 6-0 run for a 20-10 advantage on its way to a 25-17 win.

The Bearcats grabbed a 6-2 advantage in the second set, including one kill by Queja and two kills by Porter. Queja also contributed a service ace to the early surge. A bit later, WU led 10-6 following a kill from Ana James (Jr., OPP, Imperial Beach, CA/Mar Vista HS). The Bearcats also led 15-11 on another service ace by Queja and 19-15 on a service ace by Klotz. The Lutes rallied with a 5-0 run to move in front 20-19 on a kill from Johnson. After Queja tied the score with a kill, the Lutes added a second 5-0 run to win the set.

WU and PLU played through 10 ties and three lead changes in the third set. The final tie was at 21-21 after Klotz pounded a kill. The Bearcats scored on the net four rallies to win the set, including two service aces by Cadien that created a 24-21 lead. Porter and Martin combined to block an attack by Pfeiffer for the final point.

Momentum remained with the Bearcats in the fourth set, as Willamette held leads of 6-2, 12-7, and 18-10. Queja recorded five kills during the set, while Cadien, Klotz, and James each supplied three kills. PLU got as close as 23-20 on a kill by Simmonds, and pulled within 24-21 two points later. Cadien registered a kill on the next rally to give the Bearcats a 25-21 win.

Willamette scored the first point of the fifth set, but the Lutes answered with a 4-0 run, ending with a kill by Simmonds and back-to-back aces from Hetzler. Later, PLU's lead reached 8-2 on a kill by Johnson. Klotz countered with a kill for WU. The Lutes closed the match with a 7-3 run to take the set, 15-6.

The Bearcats will host Whitman College at 7 p.m. (PDT) on Friday, Sept. 24 at 7 p.m. Willamette will remain at home to take on Whitworth University on Saturday, Sept. 25 at 6 p.m.