Volleyball Weekly Notebook
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THIS WEEK IN PACIFIC VOLLEYBALL
WILLAMETTE AT PACIFIC
Match No. 20/Home Match No. 7
Fri., Nov. 1, 7 p.m., Stoller Center, Forest Grove
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LINFIELD AT PACIFIC
Match No. 21/Home Match No. 8
Sat., Nov. 2, 7 p.m., Stoller Center, Forest Grove
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BOXERS ENTER NOVEMBER & HOME STAND ON A ROLL
Pacific volleyball returns home to the Stoller Center on a roll after gaining a sweep of Whitman and Whitworth on the eastern Washington road swing for the second time in as many seasons. The Boxers return home in position to guarantee a second straight .500 or better season as they host Willamette on Friday and Linfield on Saturday.
BOXER BYTES
• Pacific traded sets with Whitman all the way until the fifth set on Friday before breaking away from a 12-12 tie to score three of the match's final four points to take a five-set victory.Â
Una Areta led the way with a double-double of 16 kills and 15 digs while
Mariah McHolland finished with 12 kills and seven blocks.
• The Boxers were engaged in another five-set battle on Saturday after watching Whitworth come back to tie things up in the fourth set. Pacific fought back two match points by the Pirates before taking the 18-16 fifth set win and the match.Â
Una Areta led three Pacific player in double-digit kills with 12.
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Una Areta had another big week for the Boxers, finishing with 33 kills, 31 digs and three blocks in the two matches. She finished with double-doubles in both matches. Areta enters the week ranked fifth in the NWC with 3.21 kills per set.
• Middle blocker
Mariah McHolland had also turned in a big week to earn honorable mention for NWC Volleyball Student-Athlete of the Week. She finished with 26 kills, a .279 hitting percentage and 12 blocks in the two matches, led by 12-kill, seven-block performance at Whitman.
• With two wins this weekend, Pacific will assure themselves of a .500 or better NWC season for the second straight season. The Boxers finished 10-6 in 2012 in the team's first year under Head Coach
Kip Yoshimura.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
WILLAMETTE
The Bearcats enter the week tied for sixth in the NWC at 4-8 and are 8-13 overall. Willamette split a pair of hard-fought matches over the weekend. On Friday, the Bearcats cruised at home in a three-set sweep of Linfield. Willamette was not challenged until the third set when they came back from two points down late to earn the victory. Sarah Fincher led Willamette with 13 kills as the team hit .269 for the night and committed just 12 attack errors. In Tacoma, Wash., on Saturday, the Bearcats stunned nationally-ranked Pacific Lutheran to win the first two sets, but the Lutes roared back to hit over .400 in each of the final three sets to take the five-set victory. Willamette hit .173 for the match, led by 19 kills and 14 digs by Fincher. Fincher leads the Bearcats offensively with 268 kills and an average of 3.23 kills per set. In all, five Willamette players have over 100 kills. Emily Compton is averaging 9.39 assists per set while Lizzy Balding is averaging 3.76 digs per set. As a team, Willamette is averaging 11.49 kills, 10.55 assists and 16.26 digs per set. Tom Shoji is in his fifth season as Willamette head coach.
ALL TIME SERIES: Willamette leads 43-20
LAST MEETING: Willamette won in five sets (26-24, 19-25, 25-21, 19-25, 15-10) in Salem, Ore., on Oct. 4, 2013
LINFIELD
The Wildcats enter the week in ninth place in the NWC at 2-10 and 6-13 overall. Linfield took a three-set loss to Willamette in their weekend opener on Friday. They never challenged the Bearcats until the third set, but saw set point slip away late as the Bearcats completed the sweep. Shayli Coppock cane off the bench to lead Linfield with 10 kills and a .381 hitting percentage. On Saturday, Linfield broke a three-match losing streak with a four-set victory over Lewis & Clark in Portland. The Wildcats dominated the first and fourth sets and amassed a .175 hitting percentage, led by 14 kills by Victoria Thompson. Kailana Ritte-Camara and Sam Hammons each had 11 kills. Ritte-Camara leads the Linfield offense with 174 kills and a 2.95 kills per set average. Casie Gaza is averaging 4.50 assists per set and Courtney Uyeda is averaging 4.19 digs per set. As a team, Linfield is averaging 10.47 kills, 9.80 assists and 16.72 digs per set. Shane Kimura is in 36th year as Linfield head coach and is one of the longest tenured volleyball coaches in the nation.
ALL TIME SERIES: Linfield leads 57-12
LAST MEETING: Pacific won in three sets (25-20, 25-21, 25-15) in McMinnville, Ore., on Oct. 5, 2013
PACIFIC NEWS & NOTES
CONTINUING TO IMPRESS: Outside hitter
Una Areta (Fr., Kent, Wash.) continues to be an impressive offensive force for the Boxers. The freshman added her fourth and fifth double-doubles of the season as she finished with 33 kills, three aces, 31 digs and three blocks in the two matches. On Friday, Artea finished with 16 kills, 15 digs, two aces and a block as the Boxers beat Whitman in five sets. On Saturday, Areta added a performance of 17 kills with a .265 hitting percentage, 16 digs, an ace and two blocks in the five-set win over Whitworth. Areta enters the week leading Pacific with 231 kills. She ranks fifth among NWC players with an average of 3.21 kills per set. Her 127 digs and 1.76 digs per set ranks third for the Boxers.
MARIAH FOR THE BLOCK: Middle blocker
Mariah McHolland (Sr., Renton, Wash.) seems to get stronger and stronger as the season continues. McHolland finished the weekend with totals of 26 kills, a .279 hitting percentage, three aces and 12 blocks to earn honorable mention for NWC Volleyball Student-Athlete of the Week. In Friday's victory over Whitman, McHolland finished with 12 kills, three aces and seven blocks. She was just as potent in Saturday's marathon win over Whitworth, finishing with 14 kills and five blocks. After a bit of a quiet start to the season, McHolland enters the week second for the Boxers with 160 kills, averaging 2.22 kills per set. She leads the Boxers with 50 blocks (13 solo, 37 assisted), averaging 0.69 blocks per set.
MAKING A WHIT OF DIFFERENCE: The weekend victories over Whitman and Whitworth could not have been possible without the contributions of
Hannah Herbert (So., Hillsboro, Ore.). The outside hitter finished the week with 21 kills, playing a key role in both matches. On Friday, Herbert finished with nine kills and seven digs. On Saturday, Herbert was one of three Pacific players in double-digit kills with 12 to go along with one block. Herbert has started 10 of the Boxers' 19 matches. She enters the week with 90 kills.
BACK TO EVEN: With the road sweep at Whitman and Whitworth, Pacific put themselves in position to finish up the Northwest Conference season at .500 or better. Two wins at home this weekend would assure the Boxers no worse than a .500 record for the second consecutive season. The team needs three wins in their final four matches to notch their second straight winning conference season. Pacific finished third in the NWC in 2012 with a 10-6 mark, tying the school record for conference wins in the team's first season under Head Coach
Kip Yoshimura. The schedule sets up favorably for both as Pacific will play three of their final four matches at the Stoller Center. Pacific is also 3-1 this season against their remaining four opponents.
LET'S GO FOUR...OR FIVE: Once again in 2013, Pacific is showing a preference towards longer matches. In nine of their 19 matches this season, Pacific has gone past the minimum three sets. On six of those occasions, the Boxers have played to a full five sets with the Boxers owning a 3-3 mark in those mathes. Pacific has now gone five sets in 17 of their 39 matches played under Head Coach
Kip Yoshimura with an 11-4 record in those marathons.
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.
