McHolland Sets Blocks Mark In Loss To Pirates
Box Score
FOREST GROVE – Mariah McHolland (Fr., Renton, Wash.) set a Pacific record for blocks in a four-set match Friday night, but the record effort was not enough to lift the Boxers as they lost to Whitworth, 25-13, 19-25, 25-12, 25-20, in Northwest Conference volleyball action at the Pacific Athletic Center.
McHolland notched the record with eight blocks, one solo and seven assists, to surpass the previous mark of seven set by Joanna Delanty against George Fox in 2006. The effort capped a night that saw the Boxers (1-12, 0-5 NWC) finish with 13 blocks and a .169 hitting percentage.
The effort was not enough, however, to get past a big night by Whitworth's Kaimi Rocha. She finished with a career high 27 kills and hit .595 on the evening as the Pirates (7-5, 4-1 NWC) hit .257 for the match.
Alexa Block (So., Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) and Keahi Braginsky-Ahloo (Fr., Wahiawa, Hawaii) each had 10 kills to lead the Boxers. Danica Thompson (Fr., Sisters, Ore.) added 31 assists and Jade Thompson (So., Marysville, Wash.) had 18 digs.
Amanda Grumbach helped the Whitworth effort with 11 kills. Bree Riddle added 45 assists, Jordon Hoffnagle had 16 digs and Randi Stephens finished with four blocks. The Pirates did not use a single sub in the match, playing the same seven players the whole way.
Whitworth set a torrid pace in the opening set, going up 6-0 on three Rocha kills and three service aces. The Pirates eventually made it an 18-7 lead on a Pacific attack error. The Boxers closed to within 18-11 on Danica Thompson's service, but would score just two more points the rest of the way as the Pirates won 25-13.
Pacific came out a new team in the second set, playing an aggressive brand of volleyball while hitting .226. The Boxers built a 14-11 lead on one of eight Whitworth attack errors in the frame and made it a 17-12 advantage on a Danica Thompson kill. Whitworth came back within two points, 21-19, before the Boxers scored the final four points to secure a 25-19 win.
The Pirates opened the third set much like they did the first, going up 5-0 out of the gate thanks to two Rocha kills and a service ace. Rocha made it a 10-2 lead on her fourth kill of the set and eventually went up 11 points, 21-9, on a Pacific attack error. Pacific scored just four points off their own serve the entire frame as the Pirates went on to a 25-12 win.
Pacific had their best hitting set of the night in the fourth frame, connecting for 10 kills and a .259 hitting percentage. It could not out do a strong Whitworth attack that had 19 kills to close it out. The Pirates rushed out the a 10-4 lead on a block by Brynn DeLong and Ka'ipo Rocha, but the Boxers rallied back to come within two, 18-16, on a kill from McHolland. Pacific closed it to 20-19 on an attack error, but Whitworth won five of the next six points, with Kaimi Rocha appropriately earning the final kill, for the win.
Pacific continues their four-game home stand on Saturday, hosting Whitman at 5 p.m. Whitworth plays Saturday at Linfield.
