Pacific University Athletics

Volleyball Weekly Notebook

10/10/2013 4:04:00 PM

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THIS WEEK IN PACIFIC VOLLEYBALL
LEWIS & CLARK AT PACIFIC
Match No. 14/Home Match No. 5
Fri., Oct. 11, 7 p.m., Stoller Center, Forest Grove
Live Stats | Live Video

PACIFIC AT #19 PUGET SOUND
Match No. 15/Road Match No. 6
Sat., Oct. 12, 7 p.m., Memorial Fieldhouse, Tacoma, Wash.
Live Stats | Live Video

BOXERS SURGE TO RETURN TO WIN COLUMN ON THE ROAD
The Pacific volleyball team returned to the win column over the weekend, picking up road victories over Willamette and Linfield to even their Northwest Conference record at 3-3.  Pacific will wrap up the first half of their NWC schedule this weekend, hosting Lewis & Clark before heading north to face No. 16 ranked Pacific Lutheran.

BOXER BYTES
• Pacific was on the ropes in the fifth set in a close match with Willamette on Friday, but the Boxers won the final nine points to come back from a four-point deficit to defeat the Bearcats.  Una Areta had her first double-double of 24 kills, 19 digs, while Mariah McHolland had her best night of the season with 21 kills, three digs and three blocks.

• On Saturday, Pacific posted their best hitting performance of the season in a three-set sweep at Linfield.  The Boxers amassed a .310 hitting percentage with 40 kills against just nine attack errors.  Una Areta led the way with 13 kills while Hannah Herbert added 10 kills and a .500 hitting percentage.

• Una Areta was selected as the NWC Volleyball Student-Athlete of the Week after finishing with 37 kills and 27 digs in the two matches.

• Middle blocker Mariah McHolland put together her best weekend of the season, amassing 29 kills, a .400 hitting percentage and six blocks in the two matches.  In 35 total attack attempts, she had just seven errors.

• Setter Emily Farnham enters the week ranked seventh in the NWC with 7.17 assists per set.  She finished with a Pacific season-high 48 assists at Willamette and 31 assists in the three-set sweep at Linfield.

• Pacific is once again showing a preference for marathon matches.  Five of the Boxers' 13 matches this season have gone longer than three matches and four have gone the full five sets.  During 2012, Pacific saw 13 of their 24 matches go longer than three with nine going the full five.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
LEWIS & CLARK
The Pioneers are one of three teams (with George Fox & Pacific) tied for fourth in the NWC at 3-3 and are 4-8 overall.  L&C split their matches last week, scoring a four-set win at Willamette on Wednesday before taking a four-set loss to George Fox at home on Saturday.  Against the Bearcats, the Pioneers finished with a strong .226 hitting percentage, topped by a 14-kill performance in the fourth set that saw the Pioneers hit .387 in a 25-12 rout.  Brigiette Russo led the Pioneers with 20 kills while Kataleya Milan finished with 18 kills and 11 digs.  On Saturday, the Pioneers came back from two sets down to win the third set by a close 27-25 margin, but hit just .026 in the fourth set as George Fox went on the victory.  Milan led the Pioneers with 20 kills and 20 digs while Russo added 19 kills.  Milan leads the Pioneers offensively with 192 kills and an average of 4.00 kills per set, ranking her second in the NWC.  As a team, Lewis & Clark is average 11.56 kills, 10.38 assists and 15.83 digs. They lead the conference in both hitting percentage (.182) and blocks per set (2.19).  Stacie Matz is in her first season as Lewis & Clark head coach.

ALL TIME SERIES: Lewis & Clark leads 32-26
LAST MEETING: Pacific won in five sets (25-16, 22-25, 20-25, 25-18, 15-12) in Portland, Ore., on Oct. 19, 2012

PUGET SOUND
The Loggers enter the week is second place in the NWC at 5-1 and are 10-5 overall.  They are ranked No. 19 in the latest AVCA Division III Top 25 Poll.  Puget Sound ran their current win streak to three matches with a pair of road victories in eastern Washington last weekend.  On Friday, the Loggers picked up a five-set victory over Whitworth in Spokane despite hitting just .090 for the match.  Puget Sound won the first two sets, only to watch the Pirates score 25-20 wins in both the third and fourth to set up the deciding frame.  Jackie Harvey led the Loggers with a double-double of 17 kills and 21 digs.  Puget Sound performed better at Whitman on Saturday, winning in four sets.  The Loggers hit .179 for the match, including a .286 percentage in the second set.  Marissa Florant led the Loggers with a double-double of 13 kills and 23 digs.  Harvey finished with 11 kills and Nicolette Reynaud had 10 kills.  Harvey leads the Loggers offensively with 185 kills and an average of 3.19 kills per set.  As a team, the Loggers are averaging 11.79 kills, 11.22 assists and 18.83 digs per set.  Mark Massey is in his 17th season as Puget Sound as head coach.

ALL TIME SERIES: Puget Sounds leads 35-5  
LAST MEETING: Puget Sound won in three sets (25-18, 25-18, 25-16) in Tacoma, Wash., on Oct. 20. 2012

PACIFIC NEWS & NOTES
THE BEST IN THE CONFERENCE: In her first full weekend as a starter, Una Areta (Fr., Kent, Wash.) proved to be the best player in the NWC.  The freshman was selected Monday as the conference's Volleyball Student-Athlete of the Week.  The freshman outside hitter finished with 37 kills, 27 digs, four blocks and three assists in the two matches.  She compiled her first collegiate double-double in the first-set victory over Willamette on Friday, finishing with 24 kills and 19 digs to go along with three assists and two blocks.  She was just as potent in the three-set sweep of Linfield on Saturday, finishing with 13 kills, eight digs and two blocks.  "I am excited for Una and our volleyball program for the recognition by the Northwest Conference," said Pacific Head Coach Kip Yoshimura.  "She has developed into an outstanding attacker, defender and serve-receive player.  I look forward to watching her develop and improve the rest of this fall and beyond."  Entering the weekend, Areta ranks 10th in the NWC with 135 kills and an average of 2.81 kills per set.

SOLID SETTING: Setter Emily Farnham (So., University Place, Wash.) stepped forward to make the passes that gave the Boxers plenty of kills over the last two matches.  Farnham finished last weekend with 79 assists in two matchs, an average of 9.88 assists per set, to go along with 12 digs.  Farnham had a Pacific season high 48 assists in the Boxers' five-set win over Willamette on Friday and then added 31 assists in the three-set win over Linfield on Saturday.  Farnham enters the week ranked seventh in the NWC in assists, averaging 7.19 assists per set in 11 matches, including nine starts.

NET ASSET: While she has been steady and consistent for the Boxers all season, middle blocker Mariah McHolland (Sr., Renton, Wash.) put together key numbers over the weekend in the Boxers' two victories.  McHolland finished the weekend with 29 kills and six blocks in the two contests.  She put together 21 kills and a .400 hitting percentage in the win over Willamette on Friday to go along with three blocks.  She then added eight kills and three more blocks in Saturday's sweep of Linfield.  McHolland, an Honorable Mention All-NWC selection in 2012, enters the week ranked third for the Boxers with 103 kills, averaging 2.15 kills per set.  She is also ranked 10th in the NWC in blocks, averaging 0.62 per set.

HANNAH HITS HARD: With the season-ending injury to Marie Rewick (So., Honolulu, Hawaii), Hannah Herbert (So., Hillsboro, Ore.) has stepped up to make a difference for the Boxers over the last two matches.  Herbert had her best night on Saturday against Linfield, finishing with 10 kills and a .500 hitting percentage.  The previous night, Herbert finished with seven kills to go along with two blocks.  Herbert has started four matches this season and has played in all 13 matches.  She enters the week with 47 kills and 14 blocks.

LET'S GO FOUR...OR FIVE: Once again in 2013, Pacific is showing a preference towards longer matches.  In five of their 13 matches this season, Pacific has gone past the minimum three sets.  On four of those occasions, the Boxers have played to a full five sets.  Pacific has now gone five sets in 14 of their 33 matches played under Head Coach Kip Yoshimura with an 8-4 record in those marathons.

I GO TO EXTREMES: Pacific once again finds its 2013 schedule laden with nationally-ranked competition.  The Boxers' schedule feature five matches against teams in the AVCA Division III Top-25 Poll.  Pacific has already played matches against No. 9 Colorado College, No. 16 Pacific Lutheran and No. 17 Augsburg (Pacific will play the Lutes again on Oct. 18).  Puget Sound is ranked No. 19 in this week's poll.

KEEPING THE FAITH: If fans are rattled by the Boxers' 2-9 start, they need only remember how Pacific finished up their first season under Head Coach Kip Yoshimura.  Pacific lost their first seven matches in 2012, including a pair to nationally ranked squads from Occidental and Cal Lutheran.  The Boxers rebounded to tear through the conference schedule, placing third in the NWC with a 10-6 record.  The 10 conference wins tied the school single season record and the thrid place finish was Pacific's best since 1994.

PACIFIC PICKED THIRD IN NWC PRESEASON POLL: Northwest Conference coaches have picked Pacific to repeat their third place in the NWC this season in the preseason poll released in August.  The Boxers received 44 of a possible 81 points in the poll, pulling in five points ahead of George Fox, chosen fourthm and eight points ahead of Willamette.  Puget Sound, who advanced to the NCAA Division III quarterfinals in 2012, was picked with 70 points and seven first place votes ahead of defending champion Pacific Lutheran, who received 60 points and two first place votes.  Whitworth (20 pts.), Linfield (20 pts.) and Lewis & Clark (14 pts.), round out the poll.