SALEM, Ore. –
Hannah Linsenmayer registered a game-high 21 digs and
Megan Bafus put down a game-high 11 kills for Whitman College's volleyball team Saturday night, but host Willamette University was able to scratch out a 3-1 Northwest Conference victory over the Missionaries at Cone Field House.
The loss drops Whitman's record to 6-9 overall and 2-4 in the league while Willamette improves to 8-7 overall and breaks even within the conference with a 3-3 mark.
The Bearcats jumped ahead with a 25-18 victory in Game 1 then held a five-point advantage at 16-11 in Game 2 before Whitman clawed back to within a point at 19-18. A short three-point Willamette run ended the Missionaries' threat and allowed the Bearcats to then close out a four-point win, 25-21, to push ahead 2-0 in game totals.
Whitman didn't go quietly, however, as the visitors traded points in Game 3 with the hosts until breaking out to a 13-10 edge over the Bearcats. A four-point run gave Willamette the lead but the Missionaries reeled off 12 consecutive points to cash out a Game 3 victory, 25-14. During that 12-0 run
Natalia Zea accumulated a kill, two block assists and a solo block which ended the game. Bafus contributed a kill and two block assists in the run while
Abby Seethoff chimed in with a pair of kills.
Willamette turned the momentum back in its favor to start Game 4, rolling out to a quick 4-0 run, and never trailed in its deciding 25-18 victory.
For the night Bafus added four digs and four block assists to her 11 kills. Zea came away with five kills, a service ace, and two digs to go along with her two solo blocks and six block assists. Falling just shy of reaching double-digit totals in kills was
Shae Kanakaole with nine.
Elisa Ahern, Sarah Fincher and Taylor Lum led the Bearcats attack as each finished with eight kills in the home victory.
Whitman returns home for a five-match conference stretch following Saturday's road loss. The Missionaries begin the string of matches at the Sherwood Athletics Center with a 7 p.m. game Friday, Oct. 10 against Lewis & Clark College, then square off against visiting George Fox University at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 5.
