Pacific Lutheran and Willamette Battle in First Two Sets, before Lutes Win, 3-0

By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

SALEM, Ore. -- For two sets, Willamette University battled Northwest Conference power Pacific Lutheran University, earning seven more kills than the Lutes in the first set and trailing by just two points late in the second set. PLU won each of those sets, 25-19, and then took the third set, 25-14, as the Lutes downed the Bearcats, 3-0, at Cone Field House on Saturday, Sept. 30. Pacific Lutheran upped its record to 11-3, including 5-1 in the NWC. Willamette moved to 5-9 on the season, 2-4 in the NWC.

Although the Bearcats competed on even ground for most of the first two sets, Willamette couldn't overcome 25 attacking errors and seven serving errors during the match. WU finished with 37 kills, compared to 35 kills for PLU, but the Lutes had just 10 attacking errors and committed just four serving errors, while earning five service aces. Willamette recorded only one service ace.

Two Bearcats and one Pacific Lutheran player tied for the match lead in kills. Kendall Fox (So., OH, Dupont, WA/Steilacoom HS) and Arianna Khan (Fr., OPP, Yuba, CA/River Valley HS) of Willamette, and Chloe Epker from PLU, each registered 10 kills. Khan hit .320 with only two attacking errors and Epker hit .281 and made only one attacking error.

Elena Vasquez (Fr., DS/OH, Kingston, WA/North Kitsap HS) led Willamette with a match-high 25 digs. Fox added 10 digs. Jaiden Mason (Fr., S/OPP, Charlotte, NC/Charlotte Christian School) provided 31 assists, seven digs and four kills. Kiana Galles and Caylie Shiramizu from Pacific Lutheran each registered 12 digs. Calles also supplied the Lutes with 19 assists.

"We were close in sets one and two," Willamette Head Coach Tom Shoji said. "But they (PLU) won a lot of the longer rallies and that took its toll. We started to think we were playing bad because we were losing. We were just playing against a really good team that was playing very well. It was tough on our young team."

Each of the first two sets featured four ties and two lead changes. In the first set, Willamette took a 3-1 lead on a kill by Kendall Fox. PLU tied the score at 3-3, and the Bearcats regained the lead at 4-3 on a kill by Mason. The Lutes earned four of the next five points to claim a 7-5 advantage. Several points later, Pacific Lutheran owned a slim 10-9 lead following a Willamette kill by Khan.

WU trailed by at least two points for the rest of the set. The Bearcats pulled within 14-12 on a kill by Fox, but the Lutes responded with a 4-2 run for an 18-14 lead. The short run started with a kill by Epker and ended with an attacking error by the Bearcats. Two consecutive points for Willamette reduced the lead to 18-16, before PLU ended the set with a 7-3 run.

The Bearcats recorded 17 kills and a .231 hitting percentage in the first set, while Pacific Lutheran accumulated 10 kills and hit .235.

PLU took an 8-4 lead in the second set. Willamette countered with a 6-0 run with Vasquez serving for the final five points. The teams alternated scoring the next four points, leaving WU in front 12-10. The Lutes put together a 6-0 surge for a 16-12 lead. Three of the points were recorded on combination blocks by the PLU defense. Mackenzie Harris was involved in all three blocks.

Willamette fought back to within 20-18 on a kill by Khan. The Lutes tallied five of the last six points in the set.

"Elena was outstanding in the back row," Shoji said. "And Kendall, Arianna and Jaiden were working so hard to stay with PLU. We are close, but still have work to do. People have to keep looking at our improvement every time out."

In the third set, Pacific Lutheran controlled the action. The Lutes gained a 6-2 lead and also led 12-3. Willamette got as close as 16-13 four points later. A 6-3 run by PLU, including three kills from Lauren Wilson, gave the Lutes a 19-9 margin. Pacific Lutheran won the set, 25-14.

The Bearcats will return to action on Friday, Oct. 6 at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon. Match time is slated for 7 p.m. (PDT).