Box Score PORTLAND, Ore. -- Three Lewis & Clark volleyball student-athletes were recognized prior to Saturday night's match with the Whitworth Pirates to close out the 2015 season. One of the three, Isabel Valentine, hadn't set foot onto a court this season after being injured prior to the Pioneers' first game. On Senior Night, she took the first serve, scored the first point and left the match with the Pios up 2-1 in the opening set, her only game of the season.
The Pios lost to Whitworth 29-31, 25-21, 25-20, 25-8 at Pamplin Sports Center, but along with Valentine, seniors Ali Carleton and Emily Drake started in their final intercollegiate match. Carleton finished with six kills and six digs, while Drake added nine digs and 11 assists.
Carleton finishes her career with 370 kills, 355 digs and 49 aces. Drake, a transfer setter, closed out her two-year stint with the Pios averaging 4.41 assists per set, totaling 763 for her career. Valentine blocked 118 attacks for points in her sophomore and junior seasons, while finishing with 313 kills during that span.
"Carleton is just one of those players who always has fire in their eyes and she's amazing to play with," said Drake after the match. "She'll get a kill, or I'll get a kill, and she'll be screaming in your face. Izzy was the same way and I appreciate that. It builds me up."
Lewis & Clark battled against the Northwest Conference's first place team, seven times serving for set point in the opening game. Until an attack error by Whitworth's Cassandra Mendoza, the Pios took the lead to serve for the set, and each time the Pirates tied it. Freshman Julia Somers, who led the Pios with 11 kills, had three during the final seven Lewis & Clark points.
The second set was tied 16-16 before Whitworth closed it out on a 9-5 run. In the third, the Pirates moved from a 20-20 tie to score the next five points to take a 2-1 lead in the match, eventually ending it in the fourth.
Prior to the match, the seniors were accompanied by family and friends and introduced to the crowd inside Pamplin Sports Center. Gifts were presented to each of them and photos were taken, but Drake said that wasn't the most emotional part of the night.
"It was just really quick," said Drake. "I didn't feel the emotion then. I guess it hadn't hit me quite yet. [It finally did] as soon as the game ended."
Lewis & Clark ends the season fourth in the NWC, its highest finish since 2011. The Pios also improved by two conference wins from a season ago. At the beginning of the year, Lewis & Clark had been picked to finish seventh in the NWC Preseason Coaches Poll.
Other Northwest Conference Scores - Saturday
Willamette 3, Whitman 2
Pacific 3, Puget Sound 1
George Fox 3, Linfield 0
