MCMINVILLE, Ore. -- The Loggers take game one of their final Oregon trip against Linfield, beating the Wildcats 3-1 on the road. 

How it Happened
On a rainy Halloween night, the Loggers were up to the task. They may have had a sugar rush early, though, as the Wildcats got off to an early 7-4 lead. A kill by Makela Pick and an attack error on Linfield brought it within one, but an 8-0 Linfield run gave the Loggers some work to do. Despite a couple of kills by Maddie Badger, Erin Fagan, and Mackenzie Leith, the Loggers dropped set one 15-25. 

Set two got off to another rough start, as the Loggers found themselves down 8-6 early. The teams traded points for quite some time, as three Wildcat service errors and a block by Mia Fedota helped keep the deficit at two. Puget Sound flipped the script, benefiting from four straight attack errors by the Wildcats. Pick logged back-to-back kills, and the team suddenly found themselves up by four. Despite a pair of service errors, the Loggers came through, picking up a 25-20 set two win. 

Set three was better for the squad, as Puget Sound got off to a 7-4 lead early. Two kills by Badger spurred a 4-0 run, but the Wildcats jumped back into the match with a 5-1 run of their own. Skya Favor, who recently returned from injury, picked up her first kill of the day to spur a 5-0 run. Linfield bounced back to tie the set at 14 apiece, but the Loggers were able to put the set away. Badger and Pick rattled off five kills in a row, and Fagan added a pair, as the Loggers took set three 25-19.

The win was secured early in set four, as a 7-0 serving run by Amelia Reed put the set out of reach. The Loggers never relinquished their lead, pulling ahead 20-13 thanks to kills by Favor and Leith. Two more kills by Favor, one by Fagan, and a final blow by Badger capped off a seamless final set, giving the Loggers a 3-1 overall win. 

Top Performers
Badger hit .464 with 16 kills and a team-high 3 blocks. Pick and Fagan notched 9 kills apiece as well, as Randi Rush led the way with 39 assists and two aces. 

Coach's Thoughts
"Linfield came out guns blazing and put a lot of pressure on us in the first set, both serving and attacking," said Logger head coach Mark Massey. "We settled down, made some strong defensive adjustments, and gradually took control of the match. Sam, Akira, and Erin had big defensive nights. Maddie and Makela put up big critical points. It was a gritty team road effort vs a feisty Linfield team that gave it all they had." 

What Happens Next
The Loggers take on Pacific at 6:00 pm on Nov. 1st.