The Pioneer volleyball team closed out their weekend with a 26-30, 30-23,
30-25, 30-22 loss to the #17 Pacific Lutheran Lutes. Katherine
Fiedler had 11 kills and seven blocks for the Pioneers.
In game one, the Pioneers took advantage of key PLU errors and a
block by Katherine Fiedler (freshman, San Diego, Calif.) and Andrea
Chase (junior, Santa Rosa, Calif.) to break a 16-16 tie and edge
out to a 19-16 lead. With the Pioneers clinging to a 24-22 lead,
scored five straight points on an ace by Leah Collins (senior,
Philo, Calif.) and four more Lute errors to have game point at
29-22. The Lutes rallied back, helped by two kills by Sarah Beaver
to make it a 29-26 match until Sara Kettler (senior, Dana Point,
Calif.) closed out the frame for the Pioneers with a kill.
In game two, the Lutes took control of the match, taking control
of a game that was tied early on, 8-8, by going on an 9-2 run to be
firmly in control of the match. Down 28-20, the Pioneers had a late
surge to pull within five, 28-23, but the lutes closed out the
match with a kill by Stacie Matz to earn the 30-23 victory and to
make it 1-1 in the match.
Game three looked to be a competitive set, with both teams
coming out, seemingly unwilling to give the other the advantage
until a kill by Stacie Matz earned a sideout for the Lutes and gave
them the serve, trailing by one 14-13. By the time the Pioneers got
a sideout on a kill by Katherine Fiedler, they were trailing 21-15.
The Pioneers threatened late, pulling within two, 27-25, but a kill
by the Lutes Stacie Matz put the Lutes back in control. A kill by
Beth Hanna secured the 30-25 victory for PLU.
In game four, a kill by Beth Hanna followed by back-to-back aces
by Megan Kosel put momentum in the Lutes favor, giving them a 14-10
lead, a lead they extended to 18-12. The Pioneers, guided y their
front-line blockers, pulled within one, 19-18 until an L&C
attack error gave the Lutes a sideout. A pair of kills by Stacie
Matz extended the Lutes lead to 23-18. The Lutes closed out the
match with a kill from Beth Hanna, winning the game 30-22 and
taking the match 3-1.
For the Lutes, Beth Hanna had a dominant game, landing 28 kills
with 19 digs. She also had a pair of block assists and a service
ace. Stacie Matz also had double-digit kills and digs, with 18
kills to go along with 15 digs. The Lutes had ten aces in the
match, including three each by Megan Kosel and Lauren Poole.
For the PIoneers, Katherine Fielder led the team with 11 kills.
She also had seven blocks (one solo, six assisted). Sara Kettler
had ten kills with four blocks (one solo, three assisted) and a
service ace. Leah Collins (senior, Philo, Calif.) had three aces
with 16 digs.
With the victory the Lutes improve to 10-0 in the NWC and 17-3
overall. The PIoneers fall to 6-14, 2-8 NWC.
The Pioneers play next weekend in Forest Grove and Newberg,
taking on Pacific Friday night and George Fox on Saturday. Both
matches will be available live on the internet through
sportsjuice.com.
