Sato Earns 24 Digs versus St. Thomas and 18 Digs against East Texas Baptist

By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

HOUSTON, Texas -- Shyla Sato (Sr., LIB, Honolulu, HI/Mid-Pacific Institute) provided the Bearcats with two strong defensive performances as Willamette University took on the University of St. Thomas (Texas) and East Texas Baptist University on the second day of the St. Thomas Tournament on Saturday, Sept. 3 at the Jerabeck Activity and Athletic Center. Sato accumulated 24 digs in the match with St. Thomas before concluding the tournament with 18 digs against ETBU.

Willamette dropped both matches. St. Thomas defeated the Bearcats 3-1 with scores of 25-19, 25-12, 23-25, and 25-16. East Texas Baptist prevailed 25-9, 25-21, 25-21. St. Thomas was 2-1 after defeating the Bearcats, while ETBU improved to 4-0. Willamette is 0-4 on the season.

In Saturday's opening match against the Celts of UST, Olivia Cadien (So., OH, Mesa, AZ/Chandler Preparatory Academy) earned 14 kills and seven digs for the Bearcats. Dani Queja (Sr., OH, Ewa Beach, HI/Maryknoll School) was credited with seven kills and 11 digs. Setter Emma Porter (Sr., S, Honolulu, HI/Mid-Pacific Institute) chipped in with 28 assists and 10 digs.

The Celts were paced by Audrey Cataline with 11 kills and nine digs. Ally Peters contributed 21 digs, while Kara Spice made 13 digs. Spice and Kendall Howard each supplied St. Thomas with three service aces, as the Celts earned 13 aces overall, which offset 13 serving errors. UST finished with 7.0 team total blocks and Willamette achieved 4.0 team total blocks.

In the first set, Willamette led 8-7 on a service ace by Queja, but the Celts tallied the next five points for a 12-8 advantage. St. Thomas gained a 22-16 lead at the end of a 10-6 run. WU scored next on an attacking error by the Celts, but couldn't get closer. A bit later, the Bearcats pulled within 24-19 on a service ace by Kaiona Apio (Jr., OH, Edmonds, WA/Edmonds-Woodway HS) before St. Thomas won the next rally to take the first set.

St. Thomas produced 15 kills and hit .400 in the second set. The offensive success helped the Celts win the set 25-12. WU trailed just 13-11 after 24 rallies, but UST pulled away with an 11-0 run.

In the third set, Willamette responded with 15 kills as the Bearcats edged out the Celts, 25-23. WU led for much of the set, but trailed 22-20 following a kill by Emerson Sykes. The Bearcats countered with a 4-0 run to take a 24-22 lead. St. Thomas scored next, but Willamette won the set on a serving error by St. Thomas. The Celts led throughout the fourth set on their way to a 25-15 victory.

East Texas Baptist prevented the Bearcats from creating any offensive rhythm during the first set of WU's final match in the tournament. The Tigers held Willamette to just one kill during the set, as ETBU won 25-9. WU trailed 10-1, but moved within 12-7 a bit later on a bad set by ETBU.

The second and third sets were much closer, with the Tigers recording back-to-back 25-21 wins. The Bearcats surged out to a 7-2 lead in the second set on the strength of two kills by Sydney Locke (Fy., MB, Federal Way, WA/Decatur HS), one kill each by Kaitlyn Westby (So., MB, Redmond, WA/Eastside Catholic HS) and Cadien, and one serving ace by Queja. ETBU eventually moved in front 13-12, before the Bearcats built a 15-13 lead. Later, the teams were tied 21-21 before the Tigers scored four consecutive points.

ETBU built a 7-3 margin in the third set and went on to claim a 17-10 advantage. Willamette battled back and reduced the lead to 24-21. A kill by Hannah Perry won the set and the match for the Tigers.

Cadien, Westby, and Locke each recorded five kills for the Bearcats. Sato's 18 digs led all players on both team. Porter achieved 20 assists for Willamette to go along with eight digs. Avery Reid topped ETBU with 12 kills. She also led all players with four of the Tigers' 12 service aces. Graycee Mosley tallied eight kills and a team-high 17 digs, while Lillie Hill was credited with 14 digs.

The Bearcats will return to action on Saturday, Sept. 10 in Forest Grove, Oregon, where they will compete in the Pacific Tournament. Willamette will play against Austin College (Texas) at 1 p.m. (PDT) and will take on North Park University (Ill.) at 4 p.m.