McMINNVILLE, Ore. – It took five sets, but the Linfield Wildcats got the job done Friday night at Ted Wilson Gymnasium.
Linfield dominated the first two sets, winning by scores of 25-17 and 25-21. Sets No. 3 and 4 belonged to PLU as the Lutes got off the ropes to win each set by a score of 25-12.
The Wildcats left no doubt in the fifth set, avoiding the reverse sweep with a 15-7 win. Leading 8-6, the 'Cats went on a 6-0 run to force match point in the first-to-15 set. The Lutes were able to break the run, but
Raelynn Hammock closed the match with her 14
th kill of the night.
Hammock also recorded double digit digs with 12.
Marina Erosa tacked on eight kills and 11 digs while
Kara Thomas had five kills. Freshman
Lexi Correa filled in nicely for
Ellie Mead, coming up with a team-leading six blocks.
Because of the lopsided wins by PLU in the third and fourth sets, the Lutes held the advantage in points (67), kills (49) and aces (10). But 31 errors proved to be the difference in the Wildcats' first win over the Lutes since 2016.
The Wildcat defense, despite missing Mead, stayed zoned in.
Paige Richards (15), Hammock (12), Erosa (11) and
Ryli Kalahiki (11) all tallied double digit digs. The team also added 12 blocks.
Hailey Iha registered a team-high 11 kills for the Lutes on a .320 hitting percentage. Elle Thomas and Baylee Johnson had 10 kills apiece. Olivia Evaro's 36 assists and Torie Takeuchi's 20 digs were both match-highs.
NEXT
Linfield improved to 6-4 overall and 2-1 in Northwest Conference play. A three-match week ends on Saturday when the 'Cats hit the road to take on George Fox (5-5, 2-1 NWC) at 6 p.m. at the Bruins' Wheeler Sports Center.
