WHITTIER, Calif. -- The Loggers finish their road trip to California 3-1, including a pair of sweeps on Saturday to improve their win streak to three games in a row.
How it Happened
Game 1
Puget Sound took on the UC Santa Cruz Banana Slugs, playing well following their sweep of No. 11 La Verne Friday night.
The first set started out with a quick 4-1 Slug run, but the Loggers were able to bounce back easily. They rifled off seven points in a row to make it 10-5, as
Charlotte Fleetwood picked up a trip of kills.
Aubrey Tanner also recorded an ace during the run, assisting two of the three kills. Fleetwood added yet another to make it 12-8, but a Santa Cruz run put them back on top.
Maddie Badger then stepped in an secured a pair of kills, but the Loggers found themselves back against a 23-19 wall. A 6-0 run led the Loggers to win the set, as two aces by
Samantha Keightley and two kils by Badger helped the Loggers take the first set.
The Banana Slugs got off to another strong start in set two, but the Loggers didn't waver. Tanner secured another ace,
Viviann Garcia put down a kill, and
Ursula Harrington and
Gena Fink combined for a block to tie the game at seven apiece. The Slugs pushed the lead out to seven, though, as the Loggers found themselves down 22-15. Another insane run at the end of the set propelled the Loggers to victory once more, as Fink and Badger went to work. Puget Sound forced a ton of errors, as two final mistakes helped the Loggers close out a 27-25 set victory.
After jumping out to a quick 4-0 lead in the third set, the Slugs responded with a 6-0 run of their own. An Ace by
Amber Smart, following a short run by the Loggers, tied the game up at 12 apiece. Badger continued her good play with a solo block, but another Slugs run made it 19-15. The Loggers did what they did the past two sets, this time with a 10-3 run to close out the set. Tanner and Badger both notched a pair of kills, while
Lauren Ly rattled off two aces in a row. A Kill by Fleetwood capped it off, as the Loggers take this one, 25-22.
Game 2
Facing the Whittier Poets, and playing in back-to-back games, the Loggers played well against one of the top DIII teams in Southern California. The Poets, coming off of a win over cross-town rival Pacific Lutheran a day ago, were in good shape heading into the game against the Loggers.
This didn't matter, though, as the Loggers stayed hot the entire match. They put together a 7-0 run in the beginning of the first set to go ahead 10-4.
Nicolette Raduziner hit well, piecing together a pair of kills, alongside Garcia, who bookended the run with kills of her own. Another 5-1 run kept the Loggers up six, as
Calista Davis and Raduziner both had service aces during that span. Puget Sound made it 24-18, and despite a quick Poet run, the Loggers closed out the first set 25-21.
The second set was close early, as the two teams were deadlocked at six apiece. A Whittier run made it 11-7, but the Loggers started to turn on the jets. Badger had five kills en route to a 13-2 run, as Davis went on a serving tear. Raduziner picked up a trio of kills as well, with a kill by Fleetwood to cap it off. Another Logger run of four closed out the set 25-15, as Harrington had a block and a kill to finish off the Poets.
Fleetwood and Harrington secured back-to-back blocks to start the third set, as the Loggers jumped out to an 11-6 lead. Kils by Badger, Raduziner, and Garcia all played a part of a 5-0 Puget Sound run, and after the Poets pulled within one, the Loggers re-extended their lead. Badger continued to hit well, picking up another two kills to make it 15-10. A Ly ace and a Tanner kill made it 18-12, but the Poets put on a run of their own to pull back within one. The Loggers responded with a 5-0 run to end the set, as Garcia secured two kills and a block to help the Loggers take a 25-19 set victory.
Puget Sound has now won nine sets in a row, winning three straight to end their California road trip.
Maddie Badger finished with 17 kills in the Whittier game, hitting a wild .680 to lead the Logs to victory.
What Happens Next
The Loggers host Pacific to start Northwest Confernce play next weekend on Friday, September 18th. The match is scheduled to begin at 7:00 pm.
