BOX SCORE

SALEM, Ore. – The Lewis & Clark volleyball team defeated the Willamette Bearcats on Wednesday night in Salem, winning 3-2 (25-18, 25-20, 21-25, 15-25, 15-13) in a Northwest Conference match.

The Pioneers improve to 7-8 on the season and 3-2 in conference action, while the Bearcats fall to 6-8 overall and 2-3 in the NWC.

Jenn Dowdy finished the night with a match-high 19 kills, while Margaret Dowling chipped in 18. On the defensive end, Dowling concluded the match with 15 digs and a block solo and assist. Freshmen Kayla Ernewein, Gaby Hands and Alicia Callejo-Black both had strong nights at the net. Ernewein and Hands posted four block assists, while Callejo-Black had three.

For the Bearcats, Molly Blankenship finished with a match-high 19 kills. Emily Compton led the Bearcats in digs with 19, while Carly Hargrave had six block assists and a block solo.

The Pioneers jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the first set, but the Bearcats would quickly counter with a run of their own to tie the set 3-3. Leia Matsunaga regained the lead for the Pios with a sneaky touch over the net. The Pioneers would never trail again in the set running up their largest lead at 17-9 on solid defensive work at the net from Hands and Ernewein who denied an attack by Blankenship. The Pioneers continued to cruise through the set, eventually winning 25-18 on a Bearcat error.

The second set opened with the Bearcats putting the pressure on the Pioneers, keeping the score close. The Bearcats pulled within one point on a Compton ace to make the set 9-8 Pios, but that would be as close as they would get the rest of the set. Lewis & Clark began to pull away on back-to-back kills, from Callejo-Black and Dowdy. Matsunaga picked up consecutive aces to hand the Pioneers a six point, 16-10, lead - their largest of the set. Dowdy ended the set on a kill to give the Pios a 2-0 advantage in the match.

Willamette came out with a vengeance in the third set, running up a huge 12-2 advantage. The Pioneers would slowly inch their way back into the contest, pulling within 22-20 on a Dowdy kill, but the Bearcats would not let them any closer. A Pioneer error ended the set 25-21 Bearcats.

The fourth set began with Willamette once again coming out with something to prove, amounting an early 8-1 lead after opening with seven straight points. An ace by Elena Hoff pulled L&C within two points, 9-7, but once again the Bearcats would put their foot on the gas. Willamette went on to capture a 10-point, 25-15, victory, finishing on a Shannon Waltz kill.

The fifth set was a battle to the end, with the Pioneers trying to regain the momentum they had in the first two sets. Willamette continued to play solid, keeping the pressure on the Pioneers, earning an early 4-2 lead. A double block from Callejo-Black and Matsunaga shifted the lead in the Pios favor. Lewis & Clark tacked on a couple more points, before the Bearcats tied the set 10-10 on a Pio error. On the next play, the Bearcats would hand the lead back over to the Pios with an error of their own. The game set would belong to the Pioneers the rest of the way, earning them the 3-2 conference win.

Lewis & Clark returns to the court on Saturday, Oct. 2 at 7 p.m. when they host Puget Sound as part of Homecoming 2010.