SPOKANE, Wash. -- In a game featuring the two best teams in the Northwest Conference, the Loggers came out the victor with a 3-1 victory over the Whitworth Pirates.

How it Happened
In the game of the week, the Loggers showed that they were ready for the action. They jumped out to an impressive 9-2 start in the first set, featuring several kills by Maddie Badger, and both a kill and an ace by Erin Fagan. The Loggers maintained their pressure, with Mackenzie Leith and Mia Fedota also picking up kills to make it 14-6. The Pirates responded with a kill of their own, but not before Badger filed two more to make it 17-7. 

Badger picked up two more kills in a row, and an attack error by the Pirates extended the lead to 11 – 21-10. In an all but certain first-set victory, the Pirates made it respectable with a 4-0 run on match point. Fedota sealed the deal, as the Loggers won the first set 25-17. 

The second set was slightly closer, as the Loggers picked up the first two points of the set thanks to an Amelia Reed kill and a Badger ace. The Pirates then took control with a 5-0 run, but the Loggers hung in there. A kill by Fagan and a trio of attack errors helped the Loggers to a 4-0 run, giving them their second lead of the second set –11-10.

Puget Sound extended their lead to two thanks to a back-and-forth run that favored the Loggers. Amelia Reed picked up her second kill, while Fedota and Leith continued to impress with kills of their own, forcing a Whitworth timeout. The Loggers, with a 20-15 lead, were able to control their own destiny. The Pirates made it 20-18, but a 5-0 run closed out the set. Four different Loggers recorded a kill, as Fagan, Leith, Badger, and Makela Pick helped finish off the set, 25-18.  

The third set was one to put in the back burner for the Loggers. The Pirates started with an 11-3 run, and maintained their momentum all the way through the set. Whitworth kept putting the nail in the coffin, going on a wild run to keep the Loggers at bay. Mackenzie Leith secured two kills in the last four points, but it wasn't enough as the Pirates took set three 25-11.

Puget Sound was able to reset between sets 3 and 4, using the allotted three-minute break to reassess. They came out swinging, starting with an 8-2 run to get the log rolling. Badger and Leith both had multiple kills during that span, as the Loggers never looked back. A 7-2 run put the Loggers up 22-9, as a slew of attack errors plagued the Pirates. Whitworth went on a little 4-0 run to force a Puget Sound timeout, but the momentum-stopper worked.

Leith and Pick nocched kills to get it to set point, as the Loggers' defense started stepping it up. Akira Anderson made three diving plays in one point, but the Loggers couldn't convert. Pick finished the game off with a kill, giving the Loggers an impressive 25-16 third-set victory. 

Top Performers
Badger led the team in kills yet again, hitting .414 with 16 kills, three blocks, and an ace. Fagan also had another double-digit kill night, picking up 11 with three aces. Leith had nine kills, Pick had five, and Randi Rush had 34 assists with a team-high 11 digs.

Coach's Thoughts
"It felt great to step up to the challenge of grabbing the No. 1 NWC spot on the road from a strong opponent," said Logger head coach Mark Massey. "Whitworth has some great players, but our tough serving and superb tactical hitting by our pins controlled the match.  Our entire back row turned in an exceptional performance, led by Anderson with 20 digs. Maddie Badger won her battle with the other dominant middle in the conference, stifling her offense with aggressive blocking and putting up 20 points on the board."

What Happens Next
The Loggers take their nine-game winning streak to Portland, Ore. next weekend, taking on Lewis and Clark on Friday, October 17th, at 7:00 pm.