SALEM, Ore. - Strong defense and a consistent offense helped the
10th-ranked Puget Sound Loggers sweep past the host Willamette
Bearcats, 25-15, 25-18, 25-22, in a Northwest Conference volleyball
match on Friday night at Cone Field House in Salem, Ore.
In the first set, the Loggers (9-3, 4-0 NWC) battled with the
Bearcats for the opening points but with UPS holding an 8-6 lead,
the Loggers scored 11 straight points to take a 19-6 lead.
Willamette went on a five-run of their own but it was too little,
too late as UPS took the first set, 25-15.
In the second set, the Logger continued to pile it on, taking
advantage of poor Willamette attacks and a strong team-oriented
defense. Using a number of four-point runs, the Logger again
pulled ahead, holding a 20-11 lead at one point. After a
late Bearcat push, the Loggers continued to capitalize on
Willamette mistakes to take set two, 25-18.
In the third set, it looked like the Bearcats might steal a set
but after being down 22-16, the Loggers scored nine straight points
to not only come from behind to take the set but to clinch the
match in three straight sets. The sweep was the fourth
straight for the Loggers, who have yet to lose a set in NWC play.
The Loggers were led by eight kills from junior Lindsey Denman
(Kenmore, Wash./Inglemoor), who was eight-for-14 with no attack
errors for a .571 clip. Senior setter Jamee Fred (Centennial,
Colo./Grandview) had 16 assists while junior setter Stephanie
Harvey (Yakima, Wash./Eisenhower) added 11 in the win.
Freshman libero Juliette Witous (Sonoma, Calif.) had a
team-high 11 digs.
Willamette was led by eight kills from Jessica Durham, who also
had 12 attack errors on the match. Clare Chedester had 11
assists in the loss while Durham added 15 digs for the 'Cats.
The Loggers will head east next weekend, traveling to Whitworth
on Friday and Whitman on Saturday.
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