Boxers Continue Strong Start With Three-Set Sweep Of Whitman
Box Score
WALLA WALLA, Wash. – Pacific continued the strong start to their season by pulling away from some close opening sets Friday, opening their Northwest Conference volleyball season with a three-set sweep of Whitman, 25-21, 25-22, 25-17, at the Sherwood Center.
With their full line-up intact after battling through some injuries last weekend, the Boxers (7-3, 1-0 NWC) came together to hit .362 as a team.
Kelsy Takashima (Sr., Kaunakakai, Hawaii) and
Alexa Block (Jr., Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) led a balanced attack with 10 kills apiece.
Keahi Braginsky-Ahloo (So., Wahiawa, Hawaii) added nine kills to go along with 15 digs. Pacific committed just 11 attack errors on the evening and went without a blocking or ball handling error.
Jade Thompson (Jr., Marysville, Wash.) added a team-high 18 digs while
Malea Webb (Fr., Spokane, Wash.) had 22 assists.
The win marked the first time that the Boxers have started the Northwest Conference season with a victory since the 1997 campaign.
Courtney Brewer and Samantha Cahill led Whitman (1-6, 0-1 NWC) with nine kills each as the Missionaries hit .174 as a team. Annie Sing came up with nine digs while Taylor Aschenbrenner had 29 assists.
The Boxers opened the first set strong, pulling ahead 8-4 on Block's first kill of the night. The Missionaries came right back, scoring six straight points and took an 11-9 lead on a pair of Pacific attack errors. The two-point edge held until a kill by Vega fueled a four-point Pacific rally with a service ace and attack error giving the Boxers a 20-18 lead. Whitman came back to tie it at 20-20 before Block put together two kills to make it a 23-20 lead en route to the first set victory.
The second set played out much like the first, with the Boxers opening up an early 5-2 lead on a Takashima kill. The Missionaries rebounded with a string of five straight points, taking a 9-6 advantage on a Boxers' attack error. Pacific chipped away at the lead, tying it up at 11-11 on a Block kill and went up two on a Whitman error and Vega's kill. The two-point cushion held until Takashima served the Boxers to three straight winners for a 22-18 lead. Block and
Mariah McHolland (So., Renton, Wash.) had kills in the final points to close out the 25-22 victory.
The Boxers did not Whitman many chances in the third set, allowing the home team just four points off their own serve. Pacific scored seven of the first 10 points of the frame, going ahead 7-3 on Braginsky-Ahloo's spike. The Missionaries would eventually pull to three on Rachel Shober's service ace, but attack errors and a string of kills late in the set by
Jowell Guerreiro (Fr., Kailua, Hawaii) secured the match.
Pacific will wrap up their conference season-opening eastern Washington road trip with one of their toughest challenges of the young season on Saturday. The Boxers travel to Spokane to face defending NWC champion Whitworth at 5 p.m., at the Whitworth Fieldhouse.
