Fincher Hits for 15 Kills, as Willamette Wins 3-0 versus Puget Sound

By Robert McKinney, Athletics Communications Director

SALEM, Ore. -- Sarah Fincher (Sr., OH/Reno, NV/Bishop Manogue HS/Southwest Baptist Univ.) pounded out a match-high 15 kills, leading Willamette University to a 3-0 victory over University of Puget Sound in a Northwest Conference volleyball match on Saturday, Sept. 26. The win at Cone Field House improved the Bearcats to 8-4 on the season, 4-0 in the NWC. Puget Sound slipped to 5-7 overall, 2-2 in the NWC.

UPS battled back against Willamette in all three sets, but the Bearcats held off the Loggers each time.

Willamette is tied for first place in the NWC with Whitworth University (4-0) and Lewis & Clark College (4-0). The Bearcats will host L&C on Wednesday, Sept. 30 for the chance to move one-half match in front of Whitworth.

Fincher hit .369 against the Loggers. She committed just one attacking error -- none in final two sets -- on 36 total attacks. After earning three kills in the first set, she contributed five kills in the second set and registered seven kills in the third set.

Lindsey Compton (Sr., OH/S, Portola, CA/Portola HS/Univ. of Hartford) added eight kills, 16 assists and nine digs for the Bearcats. Taylor Lum (Jr., MH/OH, Honolulu, HI/Maryknoll HS) recorded six kills and hit .455.

Alexa Dowdell (Jr., MH/OPP, Mililani, HI/Maryknoll HS) provided 18 digs. Macy Hayashi (Sr., OH, Hilo, HI/Waiakea HS) and Kaylen Higa (Fr., LIB/DS, Mililani, HI/Punahou School) earned 10 digs apiece.

Also for WU, Emma Liband (So., MH, Sandpoint, ID/Sandpoint HS) accumulated two block solos and five block assists. Willamette achieved 9.0 team total blocks during the match.

Hannah Stinson topped Puget Sound with 10 kills to go along with a .318 hitting percentage. Katie Rice finished with seven kills. Rachael Garrison earned a match-high 23 digs.

Willamette led 5-0 in the first set, but Puget Sound rallied to claim leads of 11-7 and 17-12. The Bearcats reeled off a 7-2 run to tie the set at 19-19. WU surged in front on a kill by Liband, and then UPS created another tie with a kill by Stinson.

The next five points went to Willamette on a kill by Riley Fawcett (Jr., OH, Normandy Park, WA/John F. Kennedy HS) and four attacking errors by the Loggers. WU won the set, 25-20.

In the second set, the Bearcats used a 6-1 run to turn a slim 12-11 advantage into an 18-12 lead. The run featured a kill by Lum and two kills from Compton. A bit later, Willamette was in front 21-15, but Puget Sound rallied to within 22-21 on a kill by Rice.

The Loggers eventually tied the score at 23-23 on a block by Heather Sangster. WU won the set following consecutive kills by Dowdell and Lum.

A 7-0 run in the third set gave Willamette a 12-5 lead. The Bearcats also held margins of 14-9 and 17-12, before UPS fought its way back to within a single point at 19-18 on a service ace by Stinson.

Dowdell countered with an ace for the Bearcats, and Fincher tacked on two kills for a 22-18 advantage. The Loggers scored on the next rally, but WU responded with a kill by Fincher, a kill from Higa and another kill by Fincher to win the set, 25-19.

Willamette earned a team hitting percentage of .234 and held the Loggers to a .092 hitting percentage. The Bearcats recorded 43 kill and had 65 digs. Puget Sound was credited with 37 kills and 58 digs.