NEWBERG, Ore. – Beginning the season close to home, the Linfield volleyball team split their first day in the Oregon Trail Classic, winning the opener over Methodist (N.C.) 3-0 before dropping the second match 3-0 to John Carroll (Ohio).
Linfield 3, Methodist 0
To begin the match, the Wildcats jumped out to a 3-0 run, thanks to two errors by the Monarchs and a kill by junior
Regan Dean.
With the set at 7-6 Linfield, the Wildcats went on a 10-3 run highlighted by an ace from
Megan Stanek.
Down four set points, the Monarchs made a 3-0 run to pull to 24-23, but an unreturned serve from
Leisa Eto gave the Wildcats the set.
Linfied jumped out to a 10-1 run to start the second set and forced Methodist to call a timeout after a service ace by
Regan Dean, which put Linfield up by 10. Another service ace by Dean gave the Wildcats the second set.
The most competitive set of the match came in the third as the two teams went back and forth before the Monarchs used a late rally to jump out to a 22-18 lead, thanks to back-to-back aces by Megan Andrews.
A service error by
Aylea Dixon gave Methodist four chances to close out the set, but a kill by
Megan Stanek jumpstarted Linfield in the final stanza. The 'Cats won six of the last seven points and secured the first win of the season on an ace by Eto.
Dean, Dixon, and Eto each finished with nine digs in the match. Dean and Dixon led the way with three aces as well.
Freshmen Stanek and Hammock shined in their first collegiate contests. Stanek got 10 kills and a service ace while Hammock grabbed 10 digs and six kills.
John Carroll 3, Linfield 0
The Wildcats jumped out to a 2-1 lead thanks to a kill by Dean, but the Blue Streak went on a 6-2 run to gain some momentum in the first stanza.
The two teams split the final eight points of the set, but the early lead by John Carroll led it to win in the first set, 25-16.
Looking to bounce back, the Wildcats went on a 4-0 run to lead 4-1, but the Blue Streak returned with a 6-1 run to take an early 7-5 lead in the second set.
Linfield bounced back to grab a 17-15 lead on a kill by Eto before John Carroll went on a 5-0 run and to win the second frame, 25-22.
Like the first match of the day, the third set was a back-and-forth affair. The two teams were tied at 18, but a late 6-1 run by the Blue Streaks put them ahead of the Wildcats for good.
Dean just missed her fifth career double-double, finishing with eight kills and 14 digs to lead the way for the Wildcats.
Dixon, a freshman, had another strong match as she totaled with 13 digs and 21 assists.
Next
The Wildcats return to George Fox Saturday morning to take on Hamline (Minn.) at 10 a.m. before driving down Highway 99W to take on Central (Iowa) on the campus of Lewis & Clark in the afternoon at 3 p.m.
