TACOMA, Wash. -- The Loggers finished the Puget Sound Premiere with a 1-2 record, dropping their match to Southwestern before sweeping Pacific Lutheran for the first time since 2016.  

How it Happened
Game 1:
Southwestern got off to a strong first set, testing the Logger's back line as Puget Sound found themselves in an early 2-7 hole. They climbed back into the match quickly though, scoring five of the next six points thanks to three straight kills by Nicolette Raduziner, Mackenzie Leith, and Maddie Badger. The Loggers kept it close the rest of the set, coming back immediately whenever they dropped a couple of points, pulling within one late, 19-20. A Pirates run ended the Loggers comeback, as Puget Sound dropped the first set 20-25.

The Loggers completely flipped the script in the second set, putting on a dominant performance and winning it 25-14. They got off to a hot start, securing an early 11-4 lead after a kill from Badger and a block by Leith. Makela Pick got in on the action with three kills of her own, and an Erin Fagan service run gave the the Loggers a commanding 20-10 lead. They polished the set off with four kills and an ace, as they tied the match 1-1.

The third set got away from the Loggers, as they gave up five straight points to start the set. The Pirates never looked back, and carried that lead all the way to the end. Despite bringing it back with a couple of key kills late in the set by Badger, the Loggers eventually lost the set 18-25. They turned it around immediately in the fourth set, as Puget Sound got off to an impressive 10-3 lead thanks to kills by Raduziner and Pick. An 8-2 run by the Pirates gave Southwestern the momentum, though, as the Pirate took a 22-20 lead. Back-to-back kills by Pick tied the set up at 22 apiece, and yet another kill by Pick tied the set at 24. Two kills by the Pirates sealed the deal, though, as the Pirates came back to stun the Loggers 24-26. 

Game 2:
The final game of the Puget Sound Premiere featured a cross-town rivalry match against Pacific Lutheran. The match was tight early, as both teams traded kills and never led by more than two points. It was close all the way up until a kill by Leith and two Lute errors gave the Loggers a 22-17 lead. Puget Sound took home the first set after kills by Badger and Pick concluded the scoring, 25-19. 

The Loggers took the momentum from the first set, and ran away with it in the second. A 7-0 run got things started, as three kills by Raduziner and another from Skya Favor put the Loggers on top. They kept it rolling, extending their lead to nine after a kill by Pick and a Lute error made it 17-8. The points kept on coming as the Loggers finished with an 8-3 run, thanks to kills by Raduziner, Leith, and a couple of errors by the Lutes. 

The third and final set saw yet another quick start by the Loggers. Dominant serving by Akira Anderson led to an ace, giving the Loggers a 4-0 lead early. They never took their foot off the gas pedal, going on a couple of runs thanks to Raduziner smashing kills left and right. The Lutes used both of their timeouts early, and couldn't help but watch as the Loggers got out to a 23-10 lead. Two final kills by Badger wrapped the match up, as the Loggers ended their weekend on a high note. 

Top Performers
Badger had 15 kills and seven blocks in game one, and followed that up with another five agains the Lutes. Raduziner finished game one with six kills and 14 digs, getting hot in game two with 14 kills and nine digs. Pick, Leith, and Favor all had a game with double digit kills, and Anderson played well defensively with 39 digs and a whopping six service aces in two games. 

Coach's Thoughts
"Our sweep vs. PLU, hitting .286 as a team, was a culmination of finally assembling all the puzzle pieces at one time. Our servers did a great job of forcing  them out-of-system.  Our block has been Nationally-ranked the past few years, and it took over at that point, dominating the net. We installed a new offense this year, and over half of the attackers are new — so our earlier two matches were a learning phase for everybody," said Loggers head coach Mark Massey.

"We are very excited at the potential of this team this year. Maddie Badger showed why she was the West Region "Frosh of the Year" last season with her stuff blocks and attack pressure. Nico Raduziner emerged as a human tornado on the left side; she has a very unique, dynamic style of play, and is very difficult to stop when she gets going. Setter Randi Rush made some good adjustments for all of our new hitters, tough to do in the middle of competition. Middle Skya Favor matched Maddie's impact at the net in her own unique way, carrying hitting and blocking load. Our back row was superb defensively all weekend, and they produced much better passes today, even against a tough-serving PLU team.

I believe we are going to be a fun team to watch as we progress during preseason."

The Loggers head to Texas next weekend for the Southwestern Invitational. Their first game against Texas Lutheran starts at 10:00 am on Friday, September 5th.