McMINNVILLE, Ore. – Linfield (4-3) almost couldn't do anything wrong on Saturday's final day of the Oregon Trail Classic at Ted Wilson Gymnasium in McMinnville. The Wildcats played on their home floor for the first time this season and aside from one stressful set, could not have looked more comfortable.
The Wildcats came out on top in both matches including back-to-back straight-set wins over McMurry and West Coast Baptist.
Match 1, Linfield 3, McMurry 0
Linfield started scorching hot with a .393 hitting percentage in the first set and rode that momentum to a win 25-10, 27-25, 25-16.
The Wildcats totaled 41 kills, 55 digs, 41 blocks, six serving aces and six blocks. Sophomore,
Araeya Watanabe finished with a game-high 15 kills.
Ryli Kalahiki and
Nora Myre finished behind with 11 and nine kills, respectively.
Claire Johnson dished out 35 assists.
The 'Cats were pushed in the second set and later sent fans into a frenzy when they erased a 10-point set deficit to win the set. Following the epic comeback, the Wildcats pulled away from the War Hawks in the final set with another solid hitting percentage, .282 and 13 more kills.
McMurry finished with 21 kills, 52 digs and 23 assists. Jacee Dinkins led the War Hawks offense with eight kills.
Match 2, Linfield 3, West Coast Baptist 0
The Wildcats couldn't be stopped in their second matchup, putting together another straight sets victory 25-8, 25-6, 25-13.
In the first set, Linfield totaled a .270 hitting percentage, 13 kills and closed it out on a 13-1 scoring run. The Wildcats continued to roll in the second and third sets hitting 10 or more kills while rotating through most of the roster.
The 'Cats finished with a hitting percentage of .250, 35 kills, 33 assists, 55 digs and a season-high 14 team aces.
Marina Erosa,
Paige Pa'aluhi and Kalahiki led the offense with seven kills each.
West Coast Baptist had a tough day, totaling eight kills on a -.120 hitting percentage.
NEXT
Linfield shifts its attention to Northwest Conference play, traveling to Puget Sound on Friday, Sept. 15. The 'Cats complete the Tacoma trip against Pacific Lutheran on Saturday, Sept. 16.
