TACOMA, Wash. -- For the second straight game, Puget Sound finds themselves on the winning side of a five-set thriller, this time taking down Willamette 3-2.
How it Happened
Overall, the game was very interesting, and also not like the Loggers' five-set game against Pacific Lutheran earlier this week. All five sets were dominated by one team, with the victor alternating each set.
Maddie Badger got her day started with a solo block and a kill to help get the Loggers out to a 3-1 lead. From there, the Bearcats took over, going on a 7-1 run.
Aubrey Tanner got her first kill of the game shortly after, and
Viviann Garcia got in on the action to pull it back to 10-6. A 4-1 Logger run, which included kills by Badger and
Charlotte Fleetwood, made the set competitive, making it 13-10. The teams traded points, but the Bearcats were the first to the mid-set media timeout. From there, Willamette took off, going on an 8-2 run to make it 23-14. Tanner closed the set with two kills, but it wasn't enough as the Loggers dropped set one, 25-17.
Badger and Tanner opened the second set with kills, but a 4-0 Willamette run immediately followed. This set belonged to the Loggers, though, as the team started pouring in kills.
Gena Fink, and
Ursula Harrington got the Loggers back on track, tying the game at six apiece. From there, a 10-1 run ensued, as
Amber Smart went on a great service run. Tanner had three kills during the run, including back-to-back kills to put the Bearcats away.
Badger then heated up, scoring three points in a row to close out the run. Her second solo block of the evening, followed by back-to-back kills, made it 16-8 Logs. Another 7-2 run truly closed out the set, as Fink and Harrington got back to work.
Lauren Ly got her first ace of the evening as well, and Badger put the cherry on top with a kill to end the set. Puget Sound took set two, 25-14.
Willamette took set three with ease, as Puget Sound couldn't find the groove that they had in the second set. The Bearcats got out to a 6-1 start, with a Badger kill separating the scoring run. Two more kills by Badger pulled the Loggers within one, adding two more kills as a 5-2 Bearcat run saw the Loggers slowly fall further behind. Down 24-16, a 5-0 run got the Loggers right back into the match, but it was too late, as the Bearcats took set three, 25-21.
In a complete 180, the Loggers put together an 8-0 run to start the fourth. Tanner started with a pair of kills, as
Camryn Shigemasa put together a very solid serving run. She added two aces during that span, wowing the crowd and getting them back in it. They continued their run to make it 11-2, leaving the Bearcats in the dust. Tanner put together two aces in a row, while Harrington added a block and a kill to make it 13-6.
Another long run put the set away, as the Loggers put together a 10-1 scoring spree.
Mary Denny got her first kills of the game, Badger added two more blocks, and Tanner had a pair of kills to suffocate the Bearcats with scoring. Another Badger kill ended the set, marking one of the Loggers' best set wins of the season at 25-10.
The fifth set was more of the same, as the Logs continued to roll. Harrington had a powerful kill, Tanner added another ace, and
Meredith Coleman continued her blocking party to get Puget Sound out to a 5-2 lead. The defense was the name of the game, as Puget Sound held the Bearcats to only five points in the fifth set. Tanner and Badger singlehandedly closed out the set, combining for four kills and a block in the Loggers' 9-1 run to win the game.
Tanner finished with 15 kills, 12 assists, and 14 digs, while Badger led the way with 19 kills and 5 solo blocks.
What Happens Next
Puget Sound continues their homestand, facing Linfield on Friday, October 30th at 7:00 pm.
