By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

SALEM, Ore. -- The Willamette University volleyball team will open the 2023 season at the UC Santa Cruz Slugfest on Friday, Sept. 1 and Saturday, Sept. 2. On Friday, the Bearcats will take on California Lutheran University at 4 p.m. PDT at Kaiser Permanente Arena in Santa Cruz, California. On Saturday, Willamette will battle Hamline University (Minn.) at 1 p.m. in the UCSC West Field House on the University of California, Santa Cruz campus, before playing against Gustavus Adolphus College (Minn.) at 4 p.m. at UCSC.

Willamette finished the 2022 season with an 11-11 record including 10-6 (3rd place tie) in the Northwest Conference. The Bearcats were just one win behind the NWC co-champions from the University of Puget Sound and Whitworth University.

Key returning players for the Bearcats this fall include Emma Porter (Grad., S, Honolulu, HI/Mid-Pacific Institute), Shyla Sato (Sr., LIB, Honolulu, HI/Mid-Pacific Institute), Olivia Cadien (Jr., OH, Mesa, AZ/Chandler Preparatory Acad.), and Kaitlyn Westby (Jr., MB, Redmond, WA/Eastside Catholic HS).

Porter and Sato were chosen Second Team All-NWC in 2022. Sato received All-NWC recognition for the second season in a row after earning Honorable Mention All-NWC in 2021.

This year, Porter begins the season with 2,502 career assists. She played in 282 sets and 76 matches for the Bearcats while averaging 8.87 career assists per game. She has registered 238 kills, 71 service aces, 817 digs, and 72 total blocks with the Bearcats. She has accumulated 934 career total attacks as an offensive threat. On defense, he has averaged 2.90 career digs per set.

Porter led the WU attack last year by providing 683 assists and 8.23 assists per game. She added 69 kills and 21 aces on offense, and made 209 digs (2.52 avg.) and 25 blocks on defense.

Sato provided the Bearcats with a career-high 479 digs in 2022, while averaging 5.77 digs per set. She also achieved 30 service aces (0.36 avg.). Sato was credited with a career-high 41 digs against Pacific Lutheran on Oct. 29 for the second-highest total by a Bearcat since 2006. She was selected to the St. Thomas All-Tournament Team at the start of the season.

In her career, Sato has supplied Willamette with 1,529 digs and 5.40 digs per set. She has played in 283 sets and 76 matches, while recording 84 career service aces. She has earned more than 420 digs during all three full seasons she has played (2020-21 was a short 8-match season).

Cadien led WU with 297 kills and 3.58 kills per set last season. She also provided the Bearcats with 193 digs (2.33 avg.), 29 service aces, and 29 total blocks.

Westby topped the roster in 2022 with a .191 hitting percentage and ranked third on the team with 110 kills. She led the Bearcats with 64 total blocks, including 60 block assists.