Volleyball Weekly Notebook
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THIS WEEK IN PACIFIC VOLLEYBALL
PACIFIC AT GEORGE FOX
Match No. 17/Away Match No. 5
Fri., Oct. 12, 7 p.m., Wheeler Sports Center, Newberg, Ore.
Live Stats:
bit.ly/otIgd2
Live Video:
client.stretchinternet.com/client/georgefox.portal#
WILLAMETTE AT PACIFIC
Match No. 18/Home Match No. 9
Sat., Oct. 13, 7 p.m., Stoller Center, Forest Grove
Live Stats:
www.goboxers.com/livestats
Live Video:
www.goboxers.com/webcasts
BOXERS BEGIN SECOND HALF OF INCREDIBLE NWC SEASON
The incredible Northwest Conference run for the Pacific volleyball team finished up in grand style as the Boxers swept both matches over Whitworth and Whitman on the eastern Washington road trip. The Boxers open the second half back in the Willamette Valley as they try to complete NWC season sweeps against George Fox and Willamette.
BOXER BYTES
• Pacific rallied from two sets down on Friday and held off a late rally by Whitworth in the fifth set to knock off the Pirates in Spokane 25-15, 13-25, 20-25, 25-23, 15-13. The Boxers hit .191 for the match, led by a 19-kill effort by
Marie Rewick.
• Pacific had to rebound from a 25-10 first set loss to Whitman on Saturday to win their sixth NWC match of the season, knocking off the Missionaries 10-25, 25-20, 25-21, 21-25, 15-13. The Boxers received double-doubles from
Mariah McHolland,
Megan Zablan and
Marie Rewick.
•
Mariah McHolland put together one her best weeks of the season on the eastern Washington road swing, finishing with 27 kills and 15 blocks in the two matches. Her total included her first college double-double of 16 kills and 11 blocks in the Boxers' win on Saturday over Whitman.
•
Marie Rewick continued to be a dominant force for the Boxers at outside hitter, finishing with 31 kills and 24 digs in the two matches. Rewick led the Boxerd with her 19 kills in Friday's win over Whitworth and finished with double-doubles in both matches, her fifth and sixth of the season.
•
Alexa Block also continued her steady presence for the Boxers, registering 24 kills in the two matches. She finished with 14 kills against Whitworth and 10 kills against Whitman.
• Of Pacific's seven wins this season, six have come in five set matches. The Boxers have played seven five-set matches to date, matching their total from the 2011 season.
• Pacific's 6-2 start to their best Northwest Conference start in the program's modern history (since 1986). The Boxers need just two more victories in their final eight matches to guarantee their first winning conference record since 2007.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
GEORGE FOX
The Bruins enter the week in fourth place in the NWC at 5-3 and is 7-8 overall. George Fox split their weekend matches, taking a three-set road loss to No. 17 Pacific Lutheran before coming home for a four-set win over Willamette on Saturday. The Lutes limited the Bruins to a .095 hitting percentage in the match while storming to a .212 percentage of their own. Lucy Capron led the Bruins with eight kills. On Saturday, the Bruins were outhit by the Bearcats .182 to .168, but were able to rebound from a first set loss to take the final three frames and secure the win. Tiffany Burk came alive for 20 kills. Capron had a double-double of 12 kills and 13 digs and Erin Campbell had 18 kills and 14 digs. Burk and Campbell each enter the week with 133 kills to lead the Bruins, with Capron averaging 2.51 kills per set. Payton Shrum is averaging 6.11 assists per set and Chelsea Wilson is averaging 5.33 digs per set. As a team, George Fox is averaging 10.93 kills, 10.05 assists and 17.71 digs per set. Steve Grant is in his 32nd year as George Fox head coach.
ALL TIME SERIES: Goerge Fox leads 53-16
LAST MEETING: Pacific won in five sets (25-22, 25-21, 14-25, 10-25, 15-11) in Forest Grove on Sept. 14, 2012.
WILLAMETTE
The Bearcats enter the week tied with three other teams for sixth in the NWC at 2-6 and are 4-11 overall. Willamette is 2-2 over the last two weeks and split a pair of weekend matches. On Friday, the Bearcats won in four sets over Lewis & Clark in Portland. The Pioneers took a close first set before the Bearcats surged to win the final three frames with a .158 hitting percentage. Madisyn Leenstra finished with a monster double-double of 28 kills and 20 digs. On Saturday it was George Fox rebounding from a first set loss to take the four-set victory. Willamette outhit George Fox .182 to .168, but sputtered to hit just .068 in the final frame. Carly Hargrove led Willamette with 15 kills while Leenstra had another double-double of 11 kills and 15 digs. Leenstra leads the Willamette offense with 195 kills, 3.48 kills per set and 16 service aces. Emily Compton is averaging 9.17 assists per set and Kathy Lee Glenn is averaging 5.02 digs per set. As a team, Willamette is averaging 11.47 kills, 10.45 assists and 17.76 digs per set. Tom Shoji is in his fifth season as Willamette head coach.
ALL TIME SERIES: Willamette leads 41-20
LAST MEETING: Pacific won in five sets (23-25, 25-19, 22-25, 25-22, 15-11) in Salem, Ore., on Sept. 15, 2012
PACIFIC NEWS & NOTES
MARIAH'S BLOCK PARTY: Junior middle blocker
Mariah McHolland (Jr., Renton, Wash.) played a big part in ensuring the Boxers' road sweep over Whitman and Whitworth. McHolland finished with 27 kills, a .295 hitting percentage and 15 blocks. She posted her first collegiate double-double on Saturday against Whitman as she led the Boxers with 16 kills and 11 blocks. In Friday's victory over Whitworth, McHolland registered 11 kills to go along with four blocks. A started in all 16 matches, McHolland enters the week ranked sixth in the NWC with a .251 hitting percentage and is also ranked fifth with her average of 0.98 blocks per set. She leads the Boxers with 63 blocks and ranks second on her team with 15 service aces.
REWICK CRUISING: As she finishes the first half of the her first NWC season,
Marie Rewick (Fr., Honolulu, Hawaii) is showing no signs of slowing down. Rewick finished the two-match road swing with totals of 31 kills and 24 digs, finishing with double-doubles in both matches. On Friday, Rewick led the team with 19 kills to go aslong with 11 digs in the five-set win over Whitworth. On Saturday, Rewick put together a performance of 12 kills and 13 digs as the Boxers got past Whitman. Rewick continues to lead the Boxers and ranks fifth in the NWC with her average of 3.14 kills per set. She leads the team with her six double-doubles and is tied for second on the team with her average of 2.22 digs per set.
SETTING IT UP: Megan Zablan (Fr., Ewa Beach, Hawaii) has cotninued to perform well in her 11 matches at setter. The starter for the last five matches, Zablan finished the week with 84 assists in the two weekend matches, averaging 8.40 assists per set. Zablan notched her first double-double of the season in Saturday's win over Whitman, finishing with 35 assists and 10 digs. Zablan, who stepped in after a foot injury sidelined
Emily Farnham (Fr., University Place, Wash.), enters the week ranked seventh in the NWC with her average of 7.67 assists per set. Farnham ranks just ahead in sixth with her averagve of 8.46 assists per set in 12 matches.
THE LAST TIME IT HAPPENED: It is not easy for any Pacific team to win both legs of the eastern Washington road trip, regardless of the sport. The Boxers' sweep of Whitman and Whitworth over the weekend marks the first time that they have accomplished the feat since 2006. It is only the third time that Pacific has accomplished the feat since 1994, when the conference moved to the double round-robin style of scheduling.
UNPRECEDENTED START: After opening the season losing their first seven matches, the Boxers have opened the 2012 Northwest Conference season with one of the best league starts in program history. The Boxers' 6-2 start to the conference season is a first in the modern history of the program. In addition, Pacific needs just two more wins over their final eight matches to secure the team's first winning conference season since 2007.
HIGH FIVE: If Pacific is going to win, it is more than likely going to come in five sets. Of the Boxers' seven victories this season, six have come in five sets. Including the victories in eastern Washington, Pacific has gone five sets in four of their last five matches. The only win this season that did not go five sets was a three-set victory over Lewis & Clark on Sept. 21.
PROGRESS TOWARDS RANKS: Pacific's five-set win over No. 17 Colorado College marked the Boxers' first victory over an opponent ranked in the AVCA Division III Coaches Top-25 Poll this season. Pacific is 1-4 this season against ranked teams, but three of those matches have gone more than the minimum three sets. Pacific opened with a four-set loss to No. 23 Occidental on Sept. 1, a five-set loss to No. 6 Cal Lutheran on Sept. 8 and a three-set loss to No. 10 Puget Sound on Sept. 22. No. 18 Pacific Lutheran took a three-set win from Pacific on Sept. 28.
PACIFIC PICKED SEVENTH IN NWC PRESEASON POLL: Northwest Conference coaches have picked Pacific seventh in the NWC this season in the preseason poll released in August. The Boxers received 24 of a possible 80 points on the poll to finish three points ahead of Willamette and six points behind George Fox. Pacific Lutheran is selected to ovetake 2011 NWC champion Whitworth for the conference crown, receiving five first place votes and a total of 65 points. The Pirates earned two first place votes and 54 points while Puget Sound is picked third with 50 points and one first place vote. Lewis & Clark was picked fourth with 44 points while Linfield is fifth with 35 points.
