Willamette Edges Pirates, 3-2, to Join Four-Way Tie for First Place in NWC

By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications, (503) 370-6110

SALEM, Ore. -- Dani Queja (Sr., OH, Ewa Beach, HI/Maryknoll School) earned 20 kills and Willamette University rallied from a 10-6 deficit in the fifth set, as the Bearcats outlasted Whitworth University, 3-2, in volleyball action at Cone Field House on Saturday, Oct. 22. The victory moved Willamette into a four-way tie for first place in the Northwest Conference at 8-4. Whitworth, George Fox University, and the University of Puget Sound also share first place at 8-4. Pacific Lutheran University is fifth in the NWC with a 7-5 record.

Willamette took the match, 25-22, 25-22, 11-25, 24-26, 17-15. The loss dropped Whitworth to 14-6 on the season, while the Bearcats evened their record at 9-9. Willamette is 9-5 in its last 14 matches and the Bearcats are 4-1 in NWC matches decided in five sets.

After the Pirates claimed a 10-6 advantage in the final set on a kill by Kaity Barr, Willamette answered with a 5-0 run. The scoring surge began with a kill by Lexi Martin (Sr., MH, Bellevue, WA/Interlake HS) and continued with a kill by Queja, a kill from Olivia Cadien (So., OH, Mesa, AZ/Chandler Preparatory Academy), a second kill from Queja to tie the score, and a service ace by Steele Jasa (Sr., DS/S, Bend, OR/Summit HS) to take an 11-10 lead.

Whitworth won the next two rallies for a 12-11 lead, but the Bearcats added kills by Queja and Nora Wade (Fy., MB, San Diego, CA/Point Loma HS) to regain the lead at 13-12. Willamette also took a 14-13 advantage on a kill by Cadien, and two rallies later, the Bearcats led 15-14 on another kill from Caiden. Whitworth tied the score with a kill by Ella Jimenez before Willamette completed the match with a kill from Martin and a service ace by Caiden for a 17-15 win. The fifth set included 10 ties and three lead changes.

"This win against Whitworth was big in two ways," Willamette Head Volleyball Coach Lily Hallock said. "First, it moves us into a tie for first in the conference. Second, and just as important, it's the first time anyone currently on the team has beaten Whitworth. I think it helps prove to the group how good they are and squash self-doubt.

"There was definitely a little bit of a David versus Goliath feeling," Hallock added regarding playing the Pirates. "Whitworth dominated the match in team blocks and soundly outpaced us in hitting percentage, but we scraped and found a way."

The victory was Wilamette's first over Whitworth since narrowly defeating the Pirates 3-2 at Cone Field House on Nov. 6, 2015.

In Saturday's renewal of the rivalry, Whitworth registered 15.0 team total blocks while Willamette finished with 2.0 team total blocks. The Pirates attained a .222 hitting parentage compared to .137 for Willamette. However, the Bearcats pounded out 64 kills, while the Pirates achieved 52 kills. Willamette also held an 81-75 lead in digs.

Queja's match-leading 20 kills were followed by 16 kills from Cadien. Shyla Sato (Sr., LIB, Honolulu, HI/Mid-Pacific Institute) provided 29 digs, with Cadien adding 15. Led by Emma Porter (Sr., S, Honolulu, HI/Mid-Pacific Institute) supplied 51 assists, as the Bearcats accumulated 56 assists overall. Whitworth had 48 assists. Heavenly Tuputala (Fy., OH, Auburn, WA/Federal Way HS) chipped in four service aces for Willamette and Cadien tacked on three.

Maidson Lee topped Whitworth's offense with 16 kills, while Jaye Hodge was credited with 12 kills and Cassidy Franklin amassed 10 kills. Eva Millan contributed 24 digs, Madison recorded 13 digs, and Megan Lange produced four service aces.

Willamette won each of the first two sets 25-22. In the first set, the Bearcats prevailed after 10 ties and seven lead changes. The Bearcats closed the set with a 6-4 run. In the second set, Willamette led 12-6 and 14-8, but Whitworth went on a 14-4 run to grab a 20-16 lead. The run ended with six consecutive points for the Pirates. Willamette recovered and eventually took a 23-22 lead on a kill by Cadien. Queja added a kill and Cadien completed the set with a service ace.

The Pirates won the third set 25-11 after leading by a slim 6-5 margin through 11 rallies. A 13-4 run followed, giving Whitworth control of the set as the Pirates hit .333. The fourth set began with three phases, as Willamette built a 9-4 lead, Whitworth rallied for a 20-15 advantage, and the Bearcats rallied for a close finish. The Pirates won 26-24 by breaking a 24-24 tie with a kill from Franklin and a block by Franklin and Amblessed Okemgbo.

Willamette will play at Puget Sound on Friday, Oct. 28. Match time in Tacoma, Washington, is set for 7 p.m. (PDT).