McMINNVILLE, Ore. – Linfield battled in four sets but couldn't force a fifth as George Fox won by scores of 25-19, 25-17, 25-27 and 25-16 Saturday night at Ted Wilson Gymnasium.
George Fox led as much as six points in the first set before Linfield cut the Bruins' lead to 19-18. The Bruins went on a 6-1 run to take the set 25-19. The Bruins hit .242 in the second set to run away with a 25-17 victory.
The Wildcats got in a rhythm in the third set, racking up 15 kills on a .180 hitting percentage while only posting six errors. The 'Cats led as much as nine, growing their lead to 14-5. The Bruins marched back to tie it at 22-22, and the match would remain tied numerous rallies later at 25-all. With the match on the line,
Ellie Mead came up with back-to-back blocks to take things to set No. 4. The first block was assisted by
Ryli Kalahiki.
The Bruins were fired up after not claiming a sweep over the 'Cats. They went off for 15 kills on a match-high .333 hitting percentage to go with just one error. The cross-county rivals separated with a 17-10 lead and then extended that lead to 10 (21-11), holding on the rest of the way to take the match with a 25-16 set win.
Three George Fox players registered double digit kills. Kassandra Staton had a monster double-double with 15 kills and a match-high 25 digs. Addison Robertson also had 15 kills on a .289 hitting percentage while Bailey LeBreton hit .364 to finish with 11 kills. Kennedy Kibby had 28 assists.
Raelynn Hammock led all players with 16 kills on 59 attempts. She also had 11 digs. It's the senior outside hitter's fifth straight match with double digit kills and 13
th of the season. It's the 11
th time this year that she's had 10 or more digs. Mead contributed nine kills, backed by a .438 hitting percentage, to go with a match-high six blocks. It's the third-most blocks in a single match this season for the senior middle blocker.
Kara Thomas added eight kills and five digs while
Maya Nakasone led the 'Cats with 20 digs.
Aylea Dixon was just shy of 40 assists with 39. She has dished out 30 or more assists on 11 occasions. Her season high is 42, set against Whittier on Sept. 3.
Linfield celebrated the volleyball and academic careers of
Morgan Baker and
Terra Leiber Saturday, which marked Nursing School Matriculation Night. Baker and Leiber will both move on to Linfield's nursing campus in Portland. Baker finished with three kills, two assists and a dig while Leiber had two digs.
NEXT
The 'Cats (8-11, 4-8 NWC) have a short break before returning to TWG to host Pacific in a Wednesday night matchup. The match is scheduled to start at 7 p.m.
