WALLA WALLA, Wash. — The Loggers complete a reverse sweep for the second night in a row, taking down Whitman 3-2 to become 2026 Northwest Conference Champions.
How it Happened
With a Whitworth loss to Pacific Lutheran, the Puget Sound women's volleyball team has officially been named the NWC Regular Season Champions. They faced a tough Whitman team, who recently swept PLU the night prior.
The first set started with the teams grappling for the lead, as neither team started the set with a run.
Aubrey Tanner and
Maddie Badger got their first kills of the night in succession, and
Mia Fedota gave the Loggers a 5-4 lead early with a kill of her own.
Charlotte Fleetwood and
Nicolette Raduziner also got in on the action, with the Loggers hitting efficiently as a team early on. Badger then added a pair of blocks, teaming up with Raduziner on the second to make it 9-8.
A 6-2 Logger run was the first of the game for either team, as the Loggers kept piling on the kills. Fleetwood found her groove, accounting for three of the Logger points during their run.
Camryn Shigemasa's first service ace of the day was perfectly timed, giving the Logs a 15-12 lead. Raduziner added a pair of kills to make it 20-18, as Puget Sound kept their razor-thin lead intact. A Blues run put an end to the set, though, scoring the final five points to win set one, 25-21.
The second set was eclectic, needing 62 total points in order to decide the victor. The Loggers got out to a quick 5-2 run, with Badger leading the way with two kills and a solo block. The Blues were the next to strike, crawling their way back into the match and regaining the lead. A pair of Raduziner kills led the Loggers to another solid run, this time 7-2 in favor of Puget Sound. Another Shigemasa ace put the cherry on top, taking a 17-14 lead in stride.
The Loggers continued to find their groove, going up 23-18 thanks to a pair of Raduziner kills, and a pair of
Lauren Ly aces. The Blues battled back from behind, though, catching fire at the right time. They tied the match at 24 apiece, setting up a win-by-two situation. The Loggers had six chances at set point, but couldn't get it done. In a wild turn of events, the Blues put together a trio of points, coming back to win the set 32-30.
With their backs now against the wall, the Loggers had to complete a reverse sweep for the second night in a row in order to win the match. The good news is that they did just that.
The third set started with a bang, with the Loggers getting out to a 6-1 lead. Badger, Tanner, and Fedota all had kills during the run, with yet another Shigemasa ace putting the cherry on top. The Blues came back to make it 7-6, but the Loggers stopped playing around. They followed it up with an 8-2 run, as Ly added an ace, Tanner and Fedota added kills, and Badger added a block and a kill to make it 16-9.
The Blues continued to make the match interesting, pulling within three shortly after. Tanner and Fedota did what they do best, and responded with kills to make it 20-14. Raduziner, Fleetwood, and Badger split up a Blues run shortly after, as the Loggers faced a sweep. Down 23-24, and at risk of losing NWC Tournament hosting privileges, the Loggers rallied and strung together their three most consequential points of the season. After two Blues errors, Badger recorded yet another solo block to give the Loggers a 26-24 set three victory.
In set four, the Blues were the one to get off to a hot start. Down 0-4. Raduziner got the Log rolling with a kill to open the Logger scoring. Badger followed that up with back-to-back solo blocks, spurring a 7-1 Logger run. Fleetwood and Raduziner both smashed a pair of kills, as the Loggers went up 14-9. Continuing her solid run, Badger rotated back onto the court to score three points in a row. Two kills and a solo block later, the Loggers found themselves up 17-11.
A 5-0 Blues run brought them within one, but Puget Sound responded with a 5-1 run. Tanner brought the heat with a solo block and a kill, putting the team up 22-17.
Lauren Ly put the set away 25-21, forcing a fifth set for all the glory.
The fifth set went the right way, as a Tanner kill and Raduziner ace got the Logs out to a 3-0 run. The Blues tied the set up at four apiece, and even got out to an 8-7 lead. Badger showed why she was an All-American in 2025, smashing three kills to put the Loggers up 12-10. The Blues tied the game at 14 apiece, but final kills by Fleetwood and Raduziner put the match away. The Loggers take this one, 16-14.
What Happens Next
The Loggers play host to the Northwest Conference Tournament on November 13th and 14th. They will take on Whitman again on November 13th at 7:30 PM
