Hitters Come Through As Boxers Win Second Straight Five-Setter
Box Score
SALEM, Ore. – Three Pacific hitters finished with double-digit kills Saturday night as Pacific put together their best team performance of the season to beat Willamette in five sets, 23-25, 25-19, 22-25, 25-22, 15-11, in Northwest Conference volleyball action at Cone Field House.
Marie Rewick (Fr., Honolulu, Hawaii) led the way with 21 kills and 12 assists, registering her third double-double of the season, and hit .294 for the match as the Boxers hit a season-best .222 as a team.
Alexa Block (Sr., Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) finished with 19 kills and four blocks while
Mariah McHolland (Jr., Renton, Wash.) added 14 kills and six blocks.
Becky Sheller (Fr., Gresham, Ore.) led four Pacific players in double-digit digs with 32 and
Emily Farnham (Fr., University Place, Wash.) had 56 assists as Pacific improved to 2-7, 0-2 NWC. The Boxers have won their first two NWC matches after dropping their first seven matches of the season.
Mandara Hogarth came off the bench to lead Willamette with 11 kills while Danica Reed and Shannon Waltz each added nine kills. Elizabeth Balding finished with 11 digs and Emily Compton had 35 assists as the Bearcats dropped to 2-7, 0-2 NWC. Willamette finished with a respectable .188 team hitting percentage.
Pacific rebounded from an early four-point deficit to make it close in the opening set. Pacific took their first lead of 15-14 on a pair of Block kills, but Willamette came back to and appeared to have the set won when a Pacific attack error gave the Bearcats a 23-19 lead. The Boxers rallied, though, using a pair of Block kills and one by McHolland to tie things at 23-23. Reed and Carly Hargrave had kills on the final two rallies to allow the Bearcats to sneak out with the 25-23 win.
The Boxers never trailed in the second set. Pacific held the narrow 4-3 early when they went on a run of 10 unanswered points to go up 14-3. Rewick had three kills in the rally, which was further buoyed by three
Tiana Greenhalgh (Fr., Yucaipa, Calif.) service aces. Willamette closed the gap to within five points late when a Hogarth kill made it a 24-19 game before Rewick's kill closed out the 25-19 win and evened the match at one set apiece.
Pacific opened the third set with a pair of six-point runs, paced by three kills from McHolland, to open up the 14-6 advantage. Willamette did not allow Pacific another point off its own serve the rest of the set, and went on tie things at 22-22 on a Hogarth kill. The Bearcats went on to win the last four points and Mertens' kill gave Willamette the 25-22 win.
The Boxers led from start to finish in the fourth, but once again had to hold off a pesky Willamette squad towards the end. Pacific opened up the 14-7 lead on a Block kill, but the Bearcats tied it up at 17-17 on a Compton kill. The score remained tied at 22-22 before a pair of Willamette attack errors and another Greenhalgh ace kept the Boxers alive with the 25-22 victory.
Pacific kept tight control of the deciding frame, taking a 10-5 lead on a pair of Rewick kills. Willamette managed to come within 13-10 before a kill by McHolland and a kill by Block closed out the match in the Boxers' favor.
Pacific begins a five-match home stand next weekend by hosting a pair of high-powered teams. The Boxers play host to Lewis & Clark on Friday, followed by Puget Sound on Saturday. Start time is 7 p.m. both nights. Both matches will be streamed via a free live video webcast at goboxers.com/webcasts.
