PORTLAND, Ore. – Playing their first match in nearly 16 months, the Linfield Wildcats fell 3-1 to the Lewis & Clark Pioneers on Thursday night at the Pamplin Sports Center. The Pioneers took the first, third and fourth sets by scores of 25-21, 25-13 and 25-17, respectively. The Wildcats won the second set, 30-28.
 
Thursday's match was the season opener for both teams, Lewis & Clark is now 1-0, Linfield is 0-1.
 
Lewis & Clark took the early 7-3 lead in the first set, forcing Linfield to call the first timeout of the match.
 
The Wildcats pulled to as close to 15-14, winning three points on a kill by Regan Dean and two attacking errors by the Pioneers, who scored the next four points to force Linfield to burn its final timeout of the set.
 
Linfield fought off three set points, but Lewis & Clark took the first set, 25-21 on a kill by Michelle McGinn.
 
An attacking error by Lewis & Clark gave Linfield a slight 13-12 edge in the middle of the set, but Lewis & Clark took seven of the next 11 points to lead 19-17, when Linfield called its first timeout.
 
Down two set points, the Wildcats scored three straight points on Mia Naccarato kill, an attacking error by the Pioneers and a service ace by Raelynn Hammock to lead 25-24. Both teams went back and forth, being tied at 28 all.

Following a timeout called by Lewis & Clark, the Wildcats took the second set 30-28, on a block by McKenzie Brock and a kill by Hammock, who had 16 kills in the match, one shy of her career high that she had in the final match of 2019 season.
 
In the third set, Lewis & Clark took a 5-1 lead early and extended it to 17-7. The Pioneers took a 2-1 lead in the match with a 25-13 third set win, despite the Wildcats fighting off four set points.
 
An ace from Dean gave Linfield a 3-0 lead in the fourth, but Lewis & Clark came right back to tie the set on a kill by Emma Ehlers. Dean was second on the team with 11 kills.
 
Lewis & Clark had a 16-13 lead in the fourth, they clinched the match win with a 25-17 win in the fourth on an ace by Ka'anelaokapu'uwai Pakaki-Pias. Izzy Willis was the team leader for the Pioneers with 11 kills. Pakai-Pias had team-high 16 digs.
 
Libero for the Wildcats, Maya Nakasone had 16 digs.
 
Thursday night was the first match coached by Haley Doerfler, the first woman to coach the Wildcats since 1979.
 
Freshman Naccarato and sophomore newcomer Seraiah Ochse made their first career starts on Thursday. Junior transfer Brock made her first start as a Wildcat.
 
Ochse had eight kills and team-high three aces. Naccarato played three of the four sets and had 17 assists, Aylea Dixon came in as the primary setter in the third set and had 10 assists. Brock had three total blocks, two assisted and one solo.
 
Sophomore transfer Ellie Mead and freshman Yssa Alcones made their Linfield debuts as well.
 
UP NEXT
Both teams finish the back end of the home-and-home series at Ted Wilson Gym on Friday at 7 p.m. No spectators are allowed at any Northwest Conference events. Coverage on the Linfield Sports Network begins at 6:50.