MCMINNVILLE, Ore. – Lewis & Clark College volleyball fell to Linfield University 28-26, 25-20, 25-20 in a Northwest Conference road match Saturday night at Ted Wilson Gymnasium.
THE BASICS
Linfield 3, Lewis & Clark 0 (28-26, 25-20, 25-20)
(Lewis & Clark 4-7, 1-3 NWC)
(Linfield 6-5, 3-1 NWC)
HOW IT HAPPENED
Senior
Kaitlyn Jensen led the River Otters with nine kills on 20 attempts. She added five digs, an ace and a block assist. Senior
Isabel Meleán-Williams finished with five kills, an ace and two block assists. First-year
Lexi Musselwhite served a team-high three aces and added two kills.
Senior
Ruby Kuerschner distributed 15 assists and added eight digs and two aces. Sophomore libero
Coco Otto led the defense with nine digs, while fellow sophomore
Ariah Potts added eight.
Lewis & Clark led 8-3 in the opening set after kills from Jensen and Meleán-Williams. The River Otters extended their lead to 17-10 on a Musselwhite service turn that included an ace and a block by Meleán-Williams and first-year
Skyler Staab. After Linfield scored four straight points, Lewis & Clark answered with four of its own. A kill by junior
Morgan Armitage and an ace by Kuerschner helped give the River Otters a 21-14 lead.
Linfield scored the next five points to cut the deficit to 21-19. A kill by Otto gave Lewis & Clark a 23-20 lead before the Wildcats scored four straight points. Jensen served an ace to give the River Otters set point at 26-25, but Linfield won the final three rallies to take the set.
Jensen and Armitage recorded early kills in the second set, and the teams played through six ties. Kuerschner served an ace for an 8-6 Lewis & Clark lead. Linfield responded with five consecutive points and later scored six straight to take a 17-10 lead. The River Otters answered with three straight points, starting with a block from Jensen and Staab. A kill from Meleán-Williams and an ace from Musselwhite fueled another three-point run, cutting the deficit to 21-19. Linfield won four of the final five rallies for a 25-20 win.
Lewis & Clark opened the third set with three consecutive points on Linfield attack errors. Musselwhite added a kill and an ace as the River Otters took a 9-6 lead. Linfield scored six straight points to go ahead 14-11. Meleán-Williams started a four-point run with a kill and an ace, and Jensen's kill gave Lewis & Clark a 15-14 lead.
The teams were tied five more times. Jensen's kill put the River Otters ahead 20-19, but Linfield scored the final six points. Nora Myre served four consecutive aces to close the match for the Wildcats.
BY THE NUMBERS
- Kuerschner surpassed 1,500 career assists.
- The match included 20 ties and 10 lead changes.
- Armitage finished with two kills and five digs.
- First-year Maya Doerr had five digs in the match.
WHO'S NEXT
Lewis & Clark begins a three-match homestand against the University of Puget Sound at 7 p.m. Friday.
