Nationally Ranked Loggers Hand Boxers First NWC Loss
Box Score
FOREST GROVE – No. 10 ranked Puget Sound put an end to Pacific's undefeated Northwest Conference start Saturday night at the Loggers dispatched the Boxers in three sets, 25-13, 25-14, 29-27, in volleyball action at the Stoller Center.
The Loggers (9-2, 4-0 NWC) started off hot and stayed that way, hitting .517 while not committing an attack error in the opening set en route to a team .310 hitting percentage for the match. Pacific (3-8, 3-1 NWC) finished hitting .133 for the match and never really challenged the Loggers until the third set.
Marie Rewick (Fr., Honolulu, Hawaii) once again led the Boxers with 13 kills, while
Alexa Block (Sr., Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) added 11 kills and a .250 hitting percentage.
Emily Farnham (Fr., University Place, Wash.) finished with 31 assists while
Becky Sheller (Fr., Gresham, Ore.) added 17 digs.
Jackie Harvey paced the Loggers with a double-double of 16 kills and 14 digs. Marissa Florant added 11 kills and 16 digs while Jordan Bird and Kristin Best each had eight kills. Setter Jenni Brehove finished with 40 assists.
Puget Sound's first set hitting performance was nothing less than impressive as the Loggers finished with 15 kills and no errors in 29 total attack attempts. In the process, the Loggers allowed the Boxers just four points off of their own serve. Puget Sound opened up the 11-3 lead on Florant's kill, and then extended it to 15-5 on a Pacific attack error. Harvey's kill and a block by Nicolette Reynaud and Bird closed out the 25-13 win.
Pacific took a short-lived 2-0 lead to open the second set before Harvey's first kill of the set tied it at 2-2. Harvey then went on to serve the Loggers' to four straight points, buoyed by three Pacific attack errors, to build an 8-4 lead. Pacific narrowed the gap to 13-10 on Rewick's kill before the Loggers scored seven unanswered points, with Harvey and Best contributing three kills each. For the 20-10 lead en route to the 25-14 win.
Pacific jumped out to the 5-2 lead to open the third set, thanks in part to kills by Block and McHolland. The Loggers came right back to take a 6-6 tie on Florant's kill and then a 12-8 advantage on a Harvey kill. Pacific kept pace and eventually tied the frame at 21-21 on
Hannah Smargiassi's (Fr., Tualatin, Ore.) kill, forcing Puget Sound head coach Mark Massey to take his first timeout of the night.
Rewick's kill at 24-24 held off the Loggers' first match point, while a block by Smargiassi and Greenhalgh gave Pacific their first set point opportunity at 25-24. The set was tied 27-27 before a kill by Bird and a block by Emily Convery and Danielle Westerman closed the match in favor of the Loggers.
Pacific continues a five-match home stand with three matches next week, beginning with a Wednesday matchup with Linfield. The match begins at 7 p.m. and can be seen via a live webcast at goboxers.com. Puget Sound returns to Oregon next Friday to take on Willamette.
