Boxers Come Out On Top Of Another 5-Set Marathon With Linfield
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FOREST GROVE – It was another five-set marathon that has become typical of the Pacific/Linfield series Wednesday night, but this time it was the Boxers coming out on top in a 25-22, 16-25, 25-20, 19-25, 15-12 victory in Northwest Conference volleyball action at the Stoller Center.
It was fourth time in the last five seasons that the Boxers and Wildcats went to the deciding set, and it marked Pacific's second win over Linfield in three tries. With the victory, Pacific improved to 4-8 overall, 4-1 NWC. Linfield dropped to 7-5, 2-3 NWC.
Marie Rewick (Fr., Honolulu, Hawaii) led three Pacific hitters in double-figure kills with 17.
Mariah McHolland (Jr., Renton, Wash.) added 16 kills and five blocks. She finished with a .419 hitting percentage with just three errors in 41 total attempts.
Alexa Block (Sr., Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) added 11 kills.
Setter
Megan Zablan (Fr., Ewa Beach, Hawaii), starting in place of the injured
Emily Farnham (Fr., University Place, Wash.), finished with 52 assists while
Becky Sheller (Fr., Gresham, Ore.) had 26 digs.
Kailana Ritte-Camara led Linfield with a double-double of 13 kills and 15 digs. Shayli Coppock added 10 kills while Audrey Frazier finished with a double-double of 43 assists and 12 digs. The Wildcats played the match without head coach Shane Kimura, who was attending to a family emergency.
Pacific charged out of the gate in the opening set, building a 9-3 lead on a Linfield attack error. The Wildcats closed to within 13-10 on a Pacific attack error, but the Boxers went on to win the next four points and took the 17-10 advantage on McHolland's Kill. Linfield responded with a string of six unanswered points to close within 20-19 on a Pacific attack error, but the Boxers held on late and took the 25-22 win on McHolland's first clock of the night.
In like fashion, Linfield cruised early in the second set and took the 7-2 lead on a Shayli Coppock kill. Pacific closed to within 13-12 on a Linfield attack error, but the Boxers would win just one more point off their own serve. A pair of kills by Ludin opened up a 21-13 lead and Ludiin closed the set with an ace for the 25-16 victory.
The third set proved to be a tighter affair. The frame was tied 8-8 when the Boxers won a string of four points to take a 12-8 lead on
Tiana Greenhalgh's (Fr., Yucaipa, Calif.) kill. Linfield rallied to tie things at 15-15 on a block by Victoria Thompson and Coppock, but would never have the chance to take the lead. The Boxers built the 21-17 lead on a Zablan dump, and Rewick closed it out with her 11th kill of the night for the 25-20 win.
Linfield appeared to have the fourth set sewn up early, taking the 7-0 lead thanks in part to four Pacific attach errors and two aces. The Boxers showed their resiliency, coming right back to tie it at 10-10 on a Rewick kill. Pacific would never take the lead, though, with Linfield going on to build a 24-19 lead late before Ludin's kill forced the fifth set a 25-19.
In the deciding frame, Pacific built the early 5-2 lead on
Hannah Herbert's (Fr., Hillsboro, Ore.) kill, but the Wildcats came right back to tie it at 10-10 on a Ritte-Camara kill. McHolland came right back with her 16th kill of the night and the Boxers never trailed again with Rewick closing out the match with the kill.
Pacific will finish up the week hosting a pair of nationally ranked teams. The Boxers will host No. 18 Pacific Lutheran on Friday at 7 p.m., and then will host No. 17 Colorado College on Saturday at 6 p.m. Linfield will host Colorado College on Friday and Puget Sound on Saturday.
