Boxers Show Well Against Tigers Thanks To Rewick, Veterans
Box Score
NEWBERG, Ore. –
Marie Rewick (Fr., Honolulu, Hawaii) registered her first collegiate double-double and a pair of veterans came up strong in the hitting department Saturday as Pacific held its own against No. 26 ranked Occidental in a four-set loss, 25-23, 25-15, 24-26, 25-20, in volleyball action at George Fox University's Wheeler Sports Center.
Rewick led the Boxers (0-2) for the second straight night, finishing with 11 kills to go along with 18 digs.
Mariah McHolland (Jr., Renton, Wash.),
Keahi Braginsky-Ahloo (Jr., Wahiawa, Hawaii) and
Hannah Smargiassi (Fr., Tualatin, Ore.) had six kills apiece.
Emily Farnham (Fr., University Place, Wash.) added 25 assists.
Stephanie Gann led Occidental (2-0) with 13 kills. Kasey Rose added a double-double of 11 kills and 15 digs while Sarah Beene finished with 33 assists. The match was the second of the day for the Tigers, who played George Fox earlier in the afternoon.
After falling well behind in the opening set the day before, the Boxers rushed ahead to an early lead against Occidental. Pacific took advantage of a pair of attack errors and kills by McHolland and Smargiassi to take a 6-2 lead. The Tigers came back to take a 10-9 lead on a Pacific error. The teams stayed within a point of each other from there until the final point when the Tigers pulled away from a 23-23 tie on a Gann block and a Rose kill for the 25-23 win.
Occidental took early control in the second set, allowing the Boxers only five points off of their own serve. After locking into a 5-5 tie, the Tigers rolled to a 9-5 lead thanks in part to three Pacific attack errors. Alyssa Mort made it a 13-7 lead with her first kill of the set before the Boxers drew to within 14-11 on a service error. Dana Michels' kill made it a 20-12 lead before the Tigers closed it out at 25-15 on Gann's service ace.
Pacific came out of the long break inspired, taking a 10-5 lead early in the third set on Smargiassi's kill. Occidental did not back down, tying the set and then taking a 16-15 lead on a Pacific attack error. The Boxers did not take the lead again until Rewick's kill broke a 24-24 tie and
Tiana Greenhalgh (Fr., Yucaipa, Calif.) closed out the 26-24 win with her kill off Farnham's assist.
The final set proved to be all Tigers as they jumped ahead 12-5 on a Pacific attack error and a block by Gann and Beene made it a 17-9 lead. Occidental led 22-14 before the Boxers ran off five straight points, three off of Rewick kills, to bome within 22-19 before the Tigers closed it out.
After playing a California school this weekend, the Boxers travel to the Golden State next weekend for the Cal Lutheran Posada Royale Tournament. Pacific faces Chapman and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps on Friday and Cal Lutheran and La Verne on Saturday. Occidental concludes their season-opening road trip tomorrow, facing Linfield and Willamette in McMinnville.
