Bearcats drop two in St. Louis

Bearcats drop two in St. Louis
August 29, 2025
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ST. LOUIS — Willamette faced two tough opponents at the WashU Field House, falling to Carthage in a five-set match, 25-22, 23-25, 22-25, 25-14, 16-14, and then to Washington University in St. Louis in straight sets, 32-30, 25-20, 25-14. In their opening match against Carthage, the Bearcats battled hard but were edged out in the decisive fifth set. Carthage secured the win with a strong attack, recording 63 kills to Willamette's 48.

Leina Chu led the Bearcats with 35 assists against Carthage, making a significant contribution to the team's playmaking efforts. Cora Sorem was instrumental in scoring, amassing 17 points with 15 kills on 44 attempts. Tai Sorenson showcased a perfect hitting percentage of 1.000 with one kill, while also adding three aces. Emalia Freitas was effective on both offense and defense, recording nine kills with a .500 hitting percentage and contributing two blocks.

In their next match against WashU, despite a closely contested first set, Willamette ultimately fell short. WashU totaled 50 kills compared to the Bearcats' 30. The first set was particularly intense, ending at 32-30 in favor of WashU. Willamette managed to put up five service aces, but WashU maintained control with nine aces and 43 assists. Willamette's defense was led by Caroline Jameson, who recorded 14 kills on 33 attempts with a hitting percentage of .364 and contributed 15 points total. Dream Takemoto excelled defensively with 15 digs and no reception errors. Leina Chu continued to facilitate the offense with 20 assists and a service ace.

With the losses, the Bearcats fell to 0-2 overall, while Carthage improved to 1-0 and WashU to 1-0.

The Bearcats will face Webster University tomorrow, Saturday, Aug. 30, with the first serve at 8 a.m.