SALEM, Ore. – Lewis & Clark College volleyball opened the third set with a five-point run but fell to Willamette University 25-19, 25-12, 25-18 in a Northwest Conference match Saturday at Cone Field House.
THE BASICS
Willamette 3, Lewis & Clark 0 (25-19, 25-12, 25-18)
(Lewis & Clark 4-11, 1-7 NWC)
(Willamette 7-8, 4-4 NWC)
HOW IT HAPPENED
First-year
Lexi Musselwhite led the River Otters with eight kills and added a block assist. Senior
Kaitlyn Jensen recorded seven kills and a team-high 16 digs.
Senior
Isabel Meleán-Williams added five kills and six digs. Senior
Ruby Kuerschner recorded 11 assists, two aces and seven digs. First-year
Maya Doerr finished with 11 digs, sophomore libero
Coco Otto added eight digs and senior libero
Ainsley Mochrie served two aces.
Willamette scored six of the first seven points of the first set to take a 6-1 lead. Jensen recorded three kills as Lewis & Clark won five of the next six points to cut the deficit to 7-6. The Bearcats extended their lead to 20-13. Meleán-Williams recorded a kill, and Mochrie served an ace during a three-point run that cut the margin to 20-16, but Willamette won the set 25-19.
Willamette's Tessa Reed served nine consecutive points to turn a 3-1 lead into a 12-1 advantage in the second set. First-year
Skyler Staab ended the run with a kill on an assist from Kuerschner. Meleán-Williams added two kills, and Mochrie served her second ace, but Willamette held at least an 11-point lead for the rest of the set.
Lewis & Clark scored the first five points of the third set on Kuerschner's serve. A Willamette attack error opened the run, Musselwhite recorded a kill, Musselwhite and senior
HB Schuett combined for a block, and Kuerschner served consecutive aces. Musselwhite's kill gave the River Otters a 7-1 lead, and Staab's block put them up 11-6.
Willamette tied the score 13-13 on an ace by Reed. Meleán-Williams then scored a kill to take a 14-13 lead. The Bearcats scored the next six points, including two kills by Lexie Scott, to lead 19-14. Jensen's kill cut the deficit to 20-17. Willamette won the set 25-18 on a kill by Chelsea Velez.
Scott led Willamette with 10 kills and three total blocks. Velez added six kills and 15 digs, while Lylah Worsley recorded 17 assists.
BY THE NUMBERS
- Lewis & Clark and Willamette each finished with 61 digs and four aces.
- Staab, Schuett and Kuerschner each had a kill.
- Sophomore Izzy Faulkner had four digs in the match.
WHO'S NEXT
Lewis & Clark travels to Forest Grove to face Pacific University in a Northwest Conference match Tuesday at 7 p.m.
