Takashima, Block Smash Boxers Past Missionaries In Five
Box Score
FOREST GROVE –
Kelsy Takashima (Sr., Kaunakakai, Hawaii) and
Alexa Block (Jr., Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) combined for 45 kills Friday night, helping Pacific get past Whitman in a hard fought five-set Northwest Conference volleyball match, 25-15, 22-25, 22-25, 25-11, 19-17, at the Stoller Center.
After winning the first set, the Boxers (12-6, 6-3 NWC) had to battle back after dropping a pair of closely played sets to the Missionaries (1-14, 0-9 NWC). Pacific hit .324 in a decisive fourth set, but had to ward off three straight match points for Whitman before pulling ahead for the victory in extra points.
Takashima led all players with 24 kills and had just four attack errors to compile a .488 hitting percentage. Block finished with her 10th double-double of the season with 21 kills and 15 digs while
Haley Bedell (Fr., Bothell, Wash.) had her second double-double with 10 kills and 18 digs.
Mariah McHolland (So., Renton, Wash.) also had 10 kills.
Jade Thompson (Jr., Marysville, Wash.) added 37 digs and
Malea Webb (Fr., Spokane, Wash.) notched 40 assists.
Jillian Davis led Whitman with 15 kills and added 13 digs for the double-double. Courtney Brewer finished with 12 kills. Annie Sing added 42 digs and Taylor Aschenbrenner tallied 43 assists.
Pacific pulled away from a close start in the first set to win convincingly. After trailing by two, the Boxers tied the set at 13-13 on one of two kills Webb managed from the setter position. That started a run where the Boxers won 14 of the next 16 points scored.
Gabriela Vega (Fr., Olympia, Wash.) closed the frame by serving five straight winners, three of which ended in attack errors, for the 25-15 win.
The Boxers opened the second set by taking a 7-3 lead on McHolland's kill, but the Missionaries worked their way back into the game. A Pacific attack error tied it at 15-15 and Olivia Nielson put the Missionaries 16-15 with her kill. The frame was again tied 20-20 before Davis paced Missionaries down the stretch with three kills to finish off the 25-22 victory.
The third set started in much the same way as the second with the Boxers opening the with a 14-7 lead, gaining that on a Whitman attack error. The lead held right up until the end when Rachel Shober served Whitman to six straight points. Three straight Pacific attack errors swung the score in Whitman's favor at 23-22 and a Pacific ball handling error closed it out at 25-22.
Pacific left nothing to chance in the fourth set, scoring the five 11 points of the set and 15 of the first 20. McHolland's kill gave Pacific a 15-5 lead before Thompson served the Boxers to five straight points, including a service ace and two attack errors, to build a 20-5 lead. Whitman never got closer than 13 points the rest of the way as Pacific won 25-11 in the rout.
The fifth set was the hardest fought of all, with 14 ties and nine lead changes in the first to 15 sprint. Neither team led by more than two points at any point in the frame. Whitman held match point three consecutive times, the first coming at 14-13, but Pacific held strong to force extra points. The score was tied 17-17 when a Whitman attack error put Pacific up one and McHolland's kill closed out the match.
Pacific will have short time to recover from the marathon as defending NWC champion Whitworth comes to town Saturday for a 5 p.m. match. Whitman will play at George Fox.
