Boxers Start Strong, End Strong To Beat Bearcats
Box Score
FOREST GROVE – Pacific blistered Willamette to score 13 of the first 14 points of the match and hit .478 in the opening set Friday, setting the pace to give the Boxers a four-set victory over the Bearcats, 25-14, 21-25, 25-19, 25-23, in Northwest Conference volleyball action at the Stoller Center.
The Boxers (4-15, 3-8 NWC) won their second straight match thanks to the hot start and staying strong at the net. Pacific finished hitting .200 for the match with a team total of 11 blocks. Willamette (7-13, 3-8 NWC) did their part to keep things close in the latter three sets, hitting .130 and coming up with nine team blocks.
Alexa Block (So., Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) led Pacific with her seventh double-double of the season of 16 kills and 10 digs. Mariah McHolland (Fr., Renton, Wash.) added 11 kills and eight blocks, tying her own record for blocks in a four-set match. Danica Thompson (Fr., Sisters, Ore.) had 46 assists and five blocks and Jade Thompson (So., Marysville, Wash.) finished with 15 digs.
Molly Blankenship was the only Willamette player in double-digit kills with 12. Emily Compton added 34 assists and Elizabeth Balding finished with 15 digs.
Pacific opened the match on tear like they hadn't seen all season, scoring 13 of the first 14 points of the first set. The Boxers took advantage of three attack errors to opened up the early 4-0 lead before a Pacific attack error gave Willamette their first point. Pacific took the serve right back and a trio of Kelsy Takashima (Jr., Kaunakakai, Hawaii) kills to open a commanding 13-1 lead. Willamette regained their composure to make the score respectable, but could get no closer than 11 points the rest of the way as the Boxers cruised to the 25-14 win.
The Bearcats came into the second set more spirited, opening up a 6-2 lead thanks to a string of three Pacific attack errors. The Boxers were down 12-7 when they rallied back behind three Block kills and took a 13-12 lead on Danica Thompson's dump. Pacific build a three-point lead late, but the Bearcats pulled away from a 21-20 deficit by winning the final six rallies, two on Blankenship kills, for the 25-21 win.
Pacific opened the third set strong, building an 8-5 lead on a Jade Thompson service ace. The Bearcats kept pace, not allowing the Boxers to pull away until Jade Thompson served Pacific to five straight winners, two off attack errors, for an 18-13 advantage. Two Block kills and a block by McHolland and Takashima extended the lead to 21-13. Willamette went on to win six of the next 10 points, but it wasn't enough to come back as the Boxers won 25-19.
The Boxers rallied back from an 8-2 deficit to take an 11-9 lead on a Danica Thompson kill. The teams traded leads much of the rest of the way, with neither side going up by more than three points. Pacific led 24-21 before Willamette scuffled to make it interesting. A kill by Nicole Mertens and a Pacific attack error brought the lead within 24-23, but a ball handling error closed out the match in favor of the home team.
Tonight's match ended a three-match home stand and a strong that saw the Boxers play seven of their last eight at the Stoller Center. The Boxers begin a four-match road trip tomorrow night with a trip to Pacific Lutheran.
