The Pioneer volleyball improved to 2-0 in the NWC with a 27-29,25-18,25-20,25-18
victory over the Whitworth Pirates in Spokane Saturday night.
Margaret Dowling had 21 kills to lead the Pioneers.
The Pioneers opened up the match with a 21-15 lead in the first
set. Still trailing 23-17, Whitworth rallied, gettin a pair of
service aces and timely kills to cut the lead to two, 23-21. A
Pioneer service error, a Pirate kill, and a Pioneer attack error
helped the Pirates tie the set 24-24. After trading points and
tying the set three times, the frame was knotted 27-27.
Back-to-back kills by Kaimi Rocha, the Pirates leading hitter, put
the Pioneers away and gave Whitworth the 29-27 victory.
The Pioneers shook off the upset and settled into the second set
with steady, solid play. The Pioneers broke open a 8-7 set with
kills by Andrea Chase (senior, Santa Rosa, Calif.), Jessamy Holland
(junior, Honolulu, Hawaii), and Katherine Fiedler (sophomore, San
Diego, Calif). followed by a block by Fiedler and Holland to build
a more-comfortable 12-7 lead. Whitworth could only pare the lead
down to four, 18-14, with the Pioneers in control the entire set.
Lou Ohki (sophomore, Winton, Calif.) finished out the set with an
ace to secure the 25-18 victory.
In the third set, it was once again the steady play of the
Pioneers that dominated the game. The Pioneers broke a 7-7 tie with
a kill by Katherine Fiedler, followed by a Jessamy Holland kill, a
service ace by Margaret Dowling, and another joint block by Holland
and Fiedler to push out to a 8-12 lead. Whitworth managed to pull
within one, 17-18, but a pair of service aces by Kelsey Neussl
(senior, Juneau, Alaska) helped get momentum back on the Pioneers
side. Three late kills by Margaret Dowling helped secure the 25-20
Pioneer victory.
In the fourth set, the Pioneers jumped out to a 7-1 lead. They
expanded that lead with two more Kelsey Neussl aces to go up 13-4.
Whitworth never really threatened, with Margaret Dowling closing
out the match with a final kill to give the Pioneers a 25-18
victory and a 3-1 match win.
Margaret Dowling had 21 kills to lead the Pioneers. It was just
the third time since 2000 that a Pioneer landed more than 20 kills
in a match. Dowling also had 11 digs, the fourth time this season
she had double-digit kills and digs in a match. Jessamy Holland had
ten kills and four block assists. Katherine Fiedler had nine kills
and eight blocks (three solo, five assisted). Kelsey Neussl had
five service aces. Lou Ohki had 18 digs to lead the Pioneer
defensive efforts.
With the victory, the Pioneers improve to 7-6 overall and jump
out to a Conference-leading 2-0 mark in NWC action. It was the
first time since 1988 that the Pioneers won both games of the
Whitma-Whitworth road series and also the first time since 1988 the
Pioneers began with a 2-0 mark in Conference play. The 1988 squad
went on to a perfect 12-0 mark in NCIC action.
The Pioneers will be back in action next Friday night, September
26, when they head to Linfield to take on the Linfield Wildcats.
The match will be available live on the internet through
sportsjuice.com. The action begins at 7pm.
