PORTLAND, Ore. – Lewis & Clark volleyball took the first set in extra points and dropped the second 25-23 as Pacific University earned a four-set Northwest Conference road win in Pamplin Sports Center on Saturday night.
THE BASICS
Pacific 3, Lewis & Clark 1 (24-26, 25-23, 25-18, 25-16)
(Lewis & Clark 0-15, 0-8 NWC)
(Pacific 8-8, 3-5 NWC)
HOW IT HAPPENED
Senior Bethany Ballesteros led three Pioneers in double-digit digs with 14 against the Boxers. Sophomore Ruby Kuerschner added 13, and first-year Ainsley Mochrie dug up 10 Pacific attacks to finish second and third on the team. Kuerschner dished out a match-high 28 assists to record her 12th career double-double.
Lewis & Clark outside hitters, senior Annika Traxler (14 kills, nine digs) and sophomore Isabel Meleán-Williams (seven kills) led the offensive effort. Sophomore middle blocker Christi San Diego and senior outside Ella Ruark were right behind with six and five kills, respectively.
Defensively at the net, San Diego led the team with four blocks while Traxler, Ruark and senior Emily Strand (three kills) added two each.
Lewis & Clark started strong, taking the lead at 2-1 and not relinquishing it the rest of the set. The Pioneers led by as many as four points, and the Boxers would tie the set five times in the tight opening frame. Five different Pios had multiple kills in the first set, led by Traxler, who hit .417 (5-0-12).
Traxler gave Lewis & Clark their first set point at 24-21, but Pacific fought back to tie it at 24-all. Ballesteros found San Diego to put the Pioneers ahead 25-24, and an error by Pacific's Kayla Craft sealed the first-set win for the home team.
The second set was closer than the first, which saw a back-and-forth battle with 13 tie scores and four lead changes. At no point did either team lead by more than a point until Kuerschner served up an ace to put the Pioneers up 20-18. Lewis & Clark led by two again at 22-20, but Pacific closed out on a 5-1 run to even the match at a set apiece.
In the third set, Lewis & Clark jumped out to an early 4-1 lead on a kill by Meleán-Williams, but Pacific tied the set. The two teams battled it out with seven ties and five lead changes, all before either of them scored 15 points. The Boxers pulled away after tying the set for the last time at 11-all and went on a 9-4 run, forcing the Pioneers to use their final timeout. Pacific won the set 20-18 to go up two sets to one.
The Boxers carried their momentum into the fourth set, taking control early and maintaining their lead throughout. After falling behind 8-4, the Pioneers scored four points to tie the set at 8-all. Pacific again pulled away and closed out the match with a 25-16 victory in the final frame.
BY THE NUMBERS
- Lewis & Clark's had a .950 serve receive in the opening frame of the match, which led to 15 kills.
- First-year Daphne Ibrao recorded a career-high five digs and two assists.
- Traxler hit .238 on the weekend with 24 kills, putting together one of her best-hitting weekends in NWC play of her career.
WHO'S NEXT
Lewis & Clark closes out a three-game homestand on Tuesday, hosting Willamette University at 7:00 p.m. in Pamplin Sports Center.
