Bearcats Hit .409, Dowdell Pounds Out 12 Kills, in Sweep of George Fox

By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

SALEM, Ore. -- Willamette University hit .409 as a team with 40 kills and only four attacking errors, as the Bearcats swept George Fox University, 25-18, 25-13, 25-20, in a Northwest Conference volleyball match on Friday, Oct. 28. Alexa Dowdell (Sr., OH/OPP, Mililani, HI/Maryknoll HS) registered 12 kills to lead the Bearcats at Cone Field House, while Kaylen Higa (So., LIB/DS, Mililani, HI/Punahou School) added 19 digs.

The Bearcats advanced their record to 7-14 overall, 5-8 in the NWC. George Fox fell to 4-18 on the season, 2-12 in the NWC.

Dowdell earned a .393 hitting percentage with only one attacking error. Jennifer Lane (Fr., MH/OH, Salinas, CA/Notre Dame HS) added nine kills and one error, while hitting .533.

Madison Haley (Fr., MH/OPP, Truckee, CA/Tahoe Truckee HS) provided seven kills, had no attacking errors and hit .636. Emma Liband (Jr., MH, Sandpoint, ID/Sandpoint HS) achieved five kills, no errors and a .417 hitting percentage.

Higa led the back line, as her 19 digs increased her season total to 438. Lauren Stiles (Fr., OH, Altadena, CA/Flintridge Preparatory School) contributed 10 digs. Tynan Gable (Jr., S, Woodinville, WA/Woodinville HS) recorded 21 assists.

Willamette amassed six service aces in the first set and finished the match with 12. Gable and Higa each led the way with three aces, while GFU was credited with just aces overall.

Sarah Davies topped George Fox with eight kills. Danyle Dupray added six kills, supplied nine digs and hit .308 for the Bruins. Kelsea Meyers led GFU with 12 digs, while Hanna Kamasaka registered a team-high 16 assists.

Three of Willamette's service aces helped the Bearcats surge out to a 7-2 lead in the first set. The opening run also included two kills by Dowdell and a service error by GFU.

George Fox scored the next two points, but WU responded with a 4-0 run to take control at 11-4. The Bearcats eventually extended the lead to 18-7 on a combination block by Stiles and Taylor Lum (Sr., MH/OH, Honolulu, HI/Maryknoll HS).

After Willamette took a 21-9 lead, the Bruins scored six consecutive points -- two on service aces by Meyers -- to pull within six points. A kill by Lane ended the run and helped WU on its way to a 24-18 win.

Willamette owned a slim 8-6 lead in the second set, but went on an 11-3 run to expand the margin to 19-9. The Bearcats won the set, 25-13.

GFU achieved a 5-3 lead in the third set on a kill by Dupray. The Bruins also led 7-4 and 8-6, before the Bearcats went on a 7-0 run to zoom into the lead. Later, Willamette took a 22-14 lead on a kill by Liband.

The Bruins answered with five unanswered points. A kill by Haley gave WU a 23-19 lead, and the Bearcats reached match point on a kill by Liband. Davies provided GFU with a kill, before Liband pounded down an attack to end the match.

Willamette will take on Lewis & Clark College on Saturday, Oct. 29 in Portland, Oregon. Match time is scheduled for 7 p.m. (PDT).