MCMINNVILLE, Ore. – Linfield welcomed Pacific Lutheran to Ted Wilson Gymnasium Saturday night in a matchup that did not disappoint. The Lutes entered the match sitting at second place in the Northwest Conference standings but the Wildcats played their hearts out, winning the first set 25-21 before dropping the next three 25-19, 25-20, 25-20 .
Linfield began the first set on a strong note, super back and forth set, tied at 17. Tied at 20. Linfield goes up 22-20. PLU timeout
The first set turned out to be a rollercoaster ride with 11 ties and four lead changes. Linfield came out firing on all cylinders, working its way to a slim 5-3 lead in the early goings. The Lutes fought their way back into it and made it a back-and-forth battle until the bitter end when back-to-back service aces by
Bella Rodriguez gave the Wildcats a 25-21 win.
The second set started out as another nailbiter as Linfield found a way to build upon the first set momentum. Midway through the set, Pacific Lutheran began to pull away after back-to-back points gave the Lutes a 13-10 lead and forced a Linfield timeout. The Wildcats continued to battle but errors hurt them down the stretch in a 25-19 loss.
The final two sets started out as tight battles before Pacific Lutheran was able to pull away and come away with 25-20 victories in both sets.
Araeya Watanabe and
Nora Myre spearheaded the Linfield offense, both putting up an impressive 13 kills.
Kanoe Contreras and
Pi'ilani Hirahara effectively shared the ball, contributing 16 and 14 assists respectively. Watanabe also led the 'Cats in digs with 11 while
Paige Richards added eight. Linfield struggled to capitalize at the net, recording just .070 hitting percentage and allowing 15 Pacific Lutheran blocks.
Shaela Allen-Greggs and Julissa Pernsteiner played well for the Lutes. Allen-Greggs finished the match with 13 kills and Pernsteiner added 12 of her own. Makenna Jackson anchored the defense with 15 digs and the Lutes finished Saturday's match with a .214 hitting percentage.
NEXT
Linfield next takes the court in Walla Walla, Washington to battle Whitman on Friday at 7 p.m.
