McMINNVILLE, Ore. – Linfield volleyball (1-0) opened the 2026 season with a five-set victory Tuesday night, outlasting Warner Pacific 25-8, 19-25, 23-25, 25-17, 15-11 inside Ted Wilson Gymnasium. The Wildcats overcame a 2-1 deficit to secure the 3-2 victory and begin the year with a win.
Linfield came out firing in the opening set. The Wildcats hit .364 with 14 kills and only two attacking errors, racing past Warner Pacific 25-8.
Bella Rodriguez helped fuel the strong start from the service line, while
Madison Millard,
Kaitlyn Hough and
Nora Myre provided an early spark.
Warner Pacific responded by taking the next two sets, 25-19 and 25-23. The Wildcats closed a seven-point deficit in the third set to 24-23 before Warner Pacific escaped with the final point.
Facing a must-win fourth set, the Wildcats turned a 7-6 deficit into a commanding advantage behind a service run from Rodriguez. Linfield scored 11 consecutive points to move ahead 17-7, with Myre and
Ascha Nielsen contributing kills during the surge. Millard later finished the 25-17 set with a service ace to force a deciding fifth frame.
The Wildcats fell behind 9-6 in the fifth before mounting their final comeback. Nielsen started the push with a kill, Myre followed with another and consecutive Rodriguez aces put Linfield ahead 10-9. The Wildcats scored nine of the final 11 points, with
Tatum Montiel, Myre and Margaritah Banuelos helping close out the 15-11 victory.
Myre led Linfield with 13 kills while adding nine digs and two aces. Millard set a new career-high 15.5 points with 12 kills on 30 attacks, hitting .367 with two aces and two total blocks. Nielsen added nine kills while hitting .292, and Hough finished with seven kills.
Banuelos distributed 21 assists and
Kaarina Geymann added 16, while
Naia Alefaio-Foifua anchored the back row with a match-high 26 digs. Rodriguez totaled 13 digs and a team-high four service aces. Linfield finished with 54 kills, 88 digs and 11 aces while holding Warner Pacific to a .032 hitting percentage.
Volleyball returns this Friday inside Ted Wilson Gymnasium, hosting a portion of the Oregon Trail Classic. Of the four games on Friday, the 'Cats take on Augsburg and Nebraska Wesleyan at 4:30 and 7 p.m.
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