MCMINNVILLE, Ore. --- Linfield volleyball (4-5, 2-2 NWC) were unable to put away the Willamette Bearcats (4-9, 2-4 NWC) on Tuesday night inside Ted Wilson Gymnasium, as the Wildcats were able to overcome a two-set deficit to win 3-2.
Following an early 2-2 tie in the opening set, Willamette stormed out to a 10-4 lead over Linfield. A 7-1 run led by Areya Watanabe and
Naia Alefaio-Foifua knotted the score yet again at 11-11. The first set saw three more instances of a tied score before the Wildcats took a 21-19 lead late; forcing a Bearcat timeout. Overall, a 9-2 run capped off the comeback 25-20 set win for Linfield, ending on a kill by
Madison Millard.
After set two was back-and-forth with six ties up until 10-10, Linfield pulled away to take a 17-11 lead. Willamette wouldn't go away though, as they fought back to tie it up at 17-17. From there, the two teams traded blows, with Willamette grabbing a 21-20 lead, their first since 6-5 in the set. Watanabe and Myre came through in the end, dropping kills in two of the final three points to give the 'Cats a narrow 25-23 win in set two.
With Linfield looking to close out the match early, Willamette fought to take an early four-point lead. The 'Cats fought back to tie the match at 12-12, but the Bearcats were able to string together kills, taking the third set, 25-19. Set four was all Willamette, the Bearcats cruised to a 25-6 set win, forcing a fifth.
Willamette had all the momentum, propelled in the final set by a 5-0 run, grabbing an 8-3 lead. Linfield was unable to find their mojo from sets one and two, as the Bearcats took their third-straight set, 15-7.
Myre recorded a team-high 10 kills, trailed closely by
Autumn Gaboury-Parker with eight. The junior outside hitter also handled the most digs for the team, tallying 22, while libero Alefaio-Foifua snagged 17. Millard was able to total five blocks, aiding her second-ranked total in the NWC.
Volleyball looks to rebound and get back on track although a busy week, heading to Tacoma, Washington, for matches against Puget Sound and Pacific Lutheran this weekend.
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