PORTLAND, Ore. – Lewis & Clark College volleyball scored 24 of its 25 third-set points on serves by seniors
Ruby Kuerschner and
Ainsley Mochrie to win the set 25-2 before Whitman College completed a 25-15, 25-12, 2-25, 25-14 Northwest Conference victory Saturday at Pamplin Sports Center.
THE BASICS
Whitman 3, Lewis & Clark 1 (25-15, 25-12, 2-25, 25-14)
(Lewis & Clark 4-14, 1-10 NWC)
(Whitman 9-7, 7-3 NWC)
HOW IT HAPPENED
Kuerschner finished with season highs of 20 assists and six service aces, adding five digs and three kills on four attempts without an error. Sophomore
Coco Otto led all players with a career-high 25 digs.
Senior
HB Schuett recorded a team-high eight kills and tied their career high with six blocks, including two solo blocks. First-year
Lexi Musselwhite and senior
Kaitlyn Jensen each added six kills and five digs. Junior
Morgan Armitage contributed four kills, a career-high three block assists and an ace.
Kuerschner opened the match with an ace. After two early ties, Whitman scored six consecutive points to take an 8-2 lead. Armitage served an ace, and Schuett followed with a solo block to cut the deficit to 9-6.
The Blues answered with six straight points, including three consecutive aces by Arina Gushchina. Kills by Schuett and Jensen and a block by Schuett and Kuerschner brought Lewis & Clark within 15-9. Whitman extended its lead to 19-9 and won the set 25-15.
Whitman took a 12-1 second-set lead. Trailing 19-4, Lewis & Clark scored four consecutive points, including kills by Musselwhite, Kuerschner and Schuett. Kuerschner later served an ace to make it 23-12 before Gushchina ended the set with consecutive kills.
Lewis & Clark opened the third set with 12 consecutive points on Kuerschner's serve, including three aces. Whitman used two timeouts during the run. Schuett recorded two kills and two blocks in that stretch, and Musselwhite added two kills. After Whitman scored twice, Musselwhite's kill made it 13-2. Mochrie then served the final 12 points of the set, including two aces. Jensen and Armitage each had two kills during Mochrie's service run. Lewis & Clark hit .474 in the set and held Whitman to one kill and a minus-.391 hitting percentage.
Whitman led 15-6 in the fourth set. Lewis & Clark scored three straight points, two on Mochrie's serve, to make it 19-11. Kills by Jensen and Armitage later cut the deficit to 21-13. Senior
Isabel Meleán-Williams recorded her second kill of the set on an assist from fellow senior
Kenzie Edwards to make it 22-14. Whitman scored the final three points, with Holmer and Addie Belt recording the final two kills.
Gushchina finished with 11 kills, nine digs and three aces for Whitman. Belt added 11 kills and 10 digs, and Holmer had six kills, 12 digs and three aces. Haylee Pruse recorded 16 assists.
BY THE NUMBERS
- Lewis & Clark recorded 7.5 team blocks to Whitman's four.
- Kuerschner accounted for six of the River Otters' 10 service aces.
- Musselwhite's five digs marked a career high.
- Sophomore Ariah Potts contributed six digs and two assists.
- Mochrie added two aces and four digs.
WHO'S NEXT
Lewis & Clark hosts Linfield University Friday at 7 p.m. for a Northwest Conference match to close a three-match homestand.
