McMINNVILLE, Ore. – Three players racked up double digit kills in Linfield volleyball's four-set Homecoming win Saturday night at Ted Wilson Gymnasium.
The trio was led by
Marina Erosa's 12 kills on a .242 hitting percentage. She also contributed four digs.
Raelynn Hammock and
Ellie Mead finished with 11 kills apiece. Hammock also recorded 12 digs while Mead turned in a .444 hitting percentage. Erosa's 12 kills fell just one short of matching her season-high of 13, set against Whittier on Sept. 3.
Linfield dominated the first set, winning 25-14 before dropping a close second set, 23-25. The Wildcats left no doubt in sets No. 3 and 4, taking the frames by scores of 25-19 and 25-17, respectively.
The Wildcats held the advantage in kills (49), assists (45), blocks (11) and aces (nine). They secured their first Northwest Conference win of the season with a match-high .333 hitting percentage in the fourth set.
On the defensive end,
Paige Richards tallied 16 digs.
Aylea Dixon had 36 assists and 10 digs to go with three kills on five attempts.
Izzy Willis carried the load for the Pioneers on the attack with 11 kills on 23 attempts. Ellie Weber and Debi Chun both finished with eight kills. Chun also had nine digs. Bethany Ballesteros ended the night with a team-high 15 digs while Katie Shimaura had 14.
With the win, the 'Cats already matched their win total from a year ago, showing much improvement and depth at all positions. They will look to keep things rolling with three matches next week.
NEXT
Linfield improved to 5-3 on the season with an even 1-1 NWC mark. The 'Cats will host Division II Saint Martin's at 6 p.m. on Tuesday in a non-conference bout before returning to NWC action against Pacific Lutheran on Friday at TWG. They will wrap up a three-match week on the road, playing at cross-county rival George Fox on Saturday.
