SALEM, Ore. – The Linfield Wildcats faced a tough battle on the road, falling in straight sets to the Willamette Bearcats on Friday night at Cone Field House. Linfield dropped to 4-10 overall and 1-6 in Northwest Conference play, while Willamette improved to 5-11 and 4-4 in the NWC.
Despite strong efforts in the first set, Linfield couldn't hold off Willamette's offense, falling 23-25. The Bearcats carried their momentum through the next two sets, taking them 25-14 and 25-17 to secure the win.
The Wildcats' offense attack was a three-headed attack of
Kaitlyn Hough,
Araeya Watanabe and
Madison Millard, each recording six kills on the night.
Marina Erosa contributed another five kills. Watanabe also had 13 digs in the match. Hough also led the 'Cats in hitting percentage at .250
Paige Richards guided the Linfield defense with 16 digs while
Camryn Hirst and
Journey DePonte got one block.
Willamette's Olivia Cadien was the standout player of the match, registering 10 kills and three service aces. The Bearcats posted a .139 team hitting percentage, bolstered by key contributions from Nora Wade, who added five kills, and Leina Chu, who led with 25 assists.
NEXT
Linfield comes back home to take on George Fox on Saturday at 6 p.m in Ted Wilson Gymnasium.
