SALEM, Ore. -- Debi Chun had no less than two kills per set after entering the game in the second as the Lewis & Clark Pioneers won their season opener 25-16, 23-25, 26-24, 22-25, 17-15 against the Willamette Bearcats on Wednesday. There were 30 ties and 10 lead changes in the match.

Chun had nine kills, second only to Kelsey Parker's team-high 13. Parker, Chun and Isabel Artiaga landed three apiece, and Emma Ehlers had two aces, as the Pioneers squeaked out a third-set win. 

Michelle McGinn posted 43 assists, while Katie Shimaura led the team with 22 digs.

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Key Moments

In the third set, the Pios trailed 23-19 and were at risk of failing behind 2-1 in the match. Ehlers dropped a kill and earned the serve that led to three more Pios points (a Willamette error, an ace and a kill by Chun) and a 23-23 tie. Two errors sandwiched a kill by Willamette's Natlie Klotz and gave Lewis & Clark set point. Parker's kill sealed the six-point swing. 

Overall, every member of the Pios' roster saw the floor on Wednesday.

"Coming into tonight's match, we knew the objective was to give everyone on our team an opportunity to get out there and represent," interim head coach Kaiao Nahale-a said. "I am constantly in awe of who this team decides to be day in and day out. No matter if people were normally a starter or not, we motivated, congratulated and celebrated our teammates every point."

Sydney Richardson held serve for four points late in the fourth set, a sequence that included her own ace. Ultimately the Bearcats won, in part, on a pair of kills by Klotz, who finished with a match-high 19. 

In the fifth, the Pios never trailed, although the teams were tied five times in double digits. An attacking error by Willamette and a kill by Artiaga broke a 15-15 tie, and Lewis & Clark won in five.

"A true team victory and fun way to start the season," Nahale-a said. "As always, it's not about the wins and the losses. It's about who we decide to be in the process of it all. We took a step forward today."

Deeper Look

• McGinn's 43 assists were four off her career high, and she added four kills and 13 digs
• Artiaga finished with seven kills, while Annika Traxler added five in her collegiate debut 
• Kate Kimbro put down four kills in four sets of work, while Jenna Timmerman and Izzy Willis added three apiece
• Shimaura had the second-most assists (4) for the Pios, while Chun and Ehlers finished with three aces each to lead the team
• Ka'anelaokapu'uwai Pakaki-Pias and Parker had 12 receptions apiece to trail Shimaura's 25, with Parker totaling nine digs
• Ehlers led the Pios with two blocks, tied for the match high
• Ashley Kane (2), Mollee Chenoweth (1) and Artiaga (1) joined McGinn and Shimaura as Pios with assists on Wednesday
• Bethany Ballesteros and Cameryn Nagaji joined Traxler and Chun in their collegiate debuts
• Lewis & Clark hit a match-best .265 in the third set, while Willamette found its peak at .343 in the fourth

Looking Ahead

Lewis & Clark travels to the Bear Invitational in St. Louis, Mo. for their next matches.