Bearcats Improve to 5-0 in NWC with Three-Set Sweep of Lewis & Clark

By Robert McKinney, Athletics Communications Director

SALEM, Ore. -- Willamette University pounded out 45 kills and earned a team hitting percentage of .333 to remain undefeated in Northwest Conference action with a 3-0 sweep of Lewis & Clark College on Wednesday, Sept. 30 at Cone Field House. Senior outside hitter Sarah Fincher (Sr., OH, Reno, NV/Bishop Manogue HS/Southwest Baptist Univ.) topped Willamette's offensive chart with 16 kills.

Willamette outlasted L&C in two close sets, before pulling away in the third set. The Bearcats won the match, 25-23, 25-20, 25-17, and improved to 9-4 on the season, 5-0 in the NWC. The Pioneers slipped to 7-5 overall, 4-1 in the conference. Willamette leads the NWC standings by one-half match over Whitworth University (4-0) and by one full match over L&C.

The Bearcats held the Pioneers to a .153 hitting percentage. Ali Carleton and Maeleen Hopeau each recorded 10 kills for L&C. Mikayla Lopez produced 15 assists.

Alexe Navarro, the Pioneers' libero, set a school record for career digs during the match. She now has 1,230 digs in her career after achieving 20 against Willamette.

Fincher led the way for the Bearcats, but she received plenty of support. Emma Liband (So., MH, Sandpoint, ID/Sandpoint HS) registered eight kills, hit .429 and supplied three block assists. Lindsey Compton (Sr., OH/S, Portola, CA/Portola HS/Univ. of Hartford) tallied seven kills, 25 assists and 10 digs.

In addition, Kaylen Higa (Fr., LIB/DS, Mililani, HI/Punahou School) contributed a team-high 18 digs, while Tynan Gable (So., S, Woodinville, WA/Woodinville HS) provided 13 assists.

Riley Fawcett (Jr., OH, Normandy Park, WA/John F. Kennedy HS) of WU, with five kills and no hitting errors, and teammate Alexa Dowdell (Jr., MH/OPP, Mililani, HI/Maryknoll HS), with five kills and one hitting error, added to the attack.

Willamette fell behind 3-0 and 4-1 early in the opening set, but rallied with a 6-0 run for a 7-4 lead. L&C eventually tied the score at 11-11, and then took a one-point lead on a combo block by Kortney Meyer and Emma Contreras.

The Bearcats countered with four consecutive points for a 15-12 advantage, and then Lewis & Clark reeled off five points of its own to take a 17-15 lead. Willamette tied the score twice, before going in front 19-18 on a kill by Liband.

WU never trailed again in the set, but the teams were tied three more times, before kills by Compton and Taylor Lum (Jr., MH/OH, Honolulu, HI/Maryknoll HS) gave the Bearcats a 23-21 edge. L&C created the 10th tie of the set with back-to-back points. A kill by Compton, followed by a kill from Fincher, ended the set.

The second set included five ties and three lead changes. Lewis & Clark led for much of the set, but Willamette overcame a 17-12 deficit to claim a 25-20 win. WU tied the score at 20-20 on an attacking error by the Pioneers. After L&C committed a ball-handling error during the next rally, the Pioneers called a timeout.

When play resumed, Dowdell, who served the previous two points, continued to serve and finished the set. Fincher and Lum combined on a block, and then L&C had an attacking error. Another block, this time by Comptom and Lum, brought WU to set point. An attacking error by the Pioneers provided the final point.

Willamette surged out to a 4-1 advantage in the third set, but the score tightened as L&C pulled within a single point four times. After the Pioneers cut a three-point lead down to 9-8, the Bearcats began to pull away with a 6-0 run that featured kills by Higa and Lum, plus a service ace by Compton.

L&C cut the margin to 15-11 after an attacking error by Willamette, but the Bearcats replied with four points in a row to go up 19-11. The 4-0 run ended with a kill by Liband and two kills by Fincher. WU went on to win the set, 25-17.

The Bearcats will remain at home to take on Pacific Lutheran University on Friday, Oct. 2. Match time at Cone Field House is set for 7 p.m. (PDT).