Bearcats Clinch NWC Tournament Berth with 3-0 Win over Puget Sound

By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

SALEM, Ore. -- The Willamette University volleyball team hit .200 on offense, recorded 12 service aces, and held the Loggers to a .119 hitting percentage, as the Bearcats clinched a Northwest Conference Tournament berth with a 3-0 victory over the University of Puget Sound on Friday, Nov. 3 at Cone Field House. Willamette won the match 25-22, 25-20, 25-19 to improve to 13-9 on the season, 8-7 in the NWC.

It was Senior Night for the Bearcats. The team honored seniors Emma Porter (Grad., S, Honolulu, HI/Mid-Pacific Institute) and Shyla Sato (Sr., LIB, Honolulu, HI/Mid-Pacific Institute) following the match. Porter has achieved 3,112 assists in her career. Sato has recorded 1,971 digs in her career.

Puget Sound dropped to 14-9 overall, 7-8 in the NWC. The Bearcats and the Loggers were tied for fourth place in the NWC when the match began. With only one match left for each team, Willamette has clinched at least a tie for fourth place, and the Bearcats hold the tie-breaker with Puget Sound after winning both matches against the Loggers. Willamette will close the regular season on Saturday, Nov. 4 at George Fox University starting at 6 p.m. PDT.

The first-ever NWC Volleyball Tournament will feature four teams and will be held on Friday, Nov. 11 and Saturday, Nov. 12 at Pacific Lutheran University, which has clinched the NWC regular season title. The winner of the NWC Tournament will receive the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III National Tournament.

Two Bearcats earned double-digit kills in Friday's win against Puget Sound. Sydney Locke (So., MB, Federal Way, WA/Decatur HS) led the way with 11 kills, with just two attacking errors, while claiming a .450 hitting percentage. Katey Cramer (So., OH, Arroyo Grande, CA/Arroyo Grande HS/Cuesta College) registered 10 kills and a .292 hitting percentage. Olivia Cadien (Jr., OH, Mesa, AZ/Chandler Preparatory Academy) tacked on eight kills.

Porter supplied Willamette with 24 assists and six digs. Sato contributed nine digs. Six Bearcats recorded at least one service ace, led by Cramer and Riley Cedergreen (So., DS, Nampa, ID/Liberty Charter School) with three apiece. At the net, Cramer earned one solo block and two block assists, while Locke finished with three block assists.

"Tonight was a match that meant a lot on two fronts: It was Senior Night, celebrating Emma Porter and Shyla Sato, and it was our opportunity to earn a spot in the inaugural Northwest Conference Volleyball Tournament," Willamette Head Volleyball Coach Lily Hallock said. "All of that could have added up to an overwhelming amount of pressure. The team did a great job of staying focused on the moment and controlling the match point by point. This match was very much about the serve and pass. We served effectively, wracking up 12 aces, while Puget Sound missed 12 serves."

Willamette held a slim 32-31 lead in kills and a 42-37 advantage in digs. In addition to gaining an important edge in serving, the Bearcats hled an advantage in blocking. Willamette ended the match with 5.0 team total blocks compared to 2.0 total blocks for the Loggers.

Puget Sound's top attacker was Erin Fagan with eight kills. Avery Allemann and Mia Fedota each had six kills. Logan Winn claimed 25 assists, while Samantha Keightley made 13 digs.

The Bearcats held the lead for most of the match, which ended with just six ties and four lead changes. Even so, the Loggers threatened to battle back in each set.

Willamette owned a 9-5 edge in the first set following a kill by Cramer. The lead reached 13-6 several rallies later on a kill by Locke. After PS cut the lead to 13-10, the Bearcats scored on four consecutive rallies for a 17-10 lead on a kill by Locke, a service ace by Sato, and two kills from Cadien.

The Loggers eventually pulled within 21-20 and 22-21. WU scored next on a kill by Locke and grabbed a 24-21 lead on an attacking miscue by the Loggers. Katelyn Chakian provided PS with a kill before the Bearcats won 25-22 on a serving error by the Loggers.

In the second set, Willamette moved in front for good at 5-4 on a kill from Cramer. The Bearcats held a slim one-point margin two more times, but a 4-1 run gave WU a 13-9 advantage. Later, Willamette went on another 4-1 run to take a 20-13 lead. The Loggers moved as close as 20-15 on a kill by Fedota, but kills by Locke and Cadien opened a 3-1 surge for the Bearcats, who went on to win 25-20.

The third set started with the Loggers earning a 5-1 lead, but Willamette answered with a 9-0 run for a 10-5 margin. Locke registered kills on two of the final three points in the run. A bit later, the Bearcats led 18-9. PS reduced the lead to 18-15 on a service ace by Akira Anderson and trailed by just two points at 21-19. The Bearcats scored the next four points on a kill by Kaitlyn Westby (Jr., MB, Redmond, WA/Eastside Catholic HS), a kill from Locke, and two service aces by Cedergreen to end the match.