Volleyball Weekly Notebook
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THIS WEEK IN PACIFIC VOLLEYBALL
PACIFIC AT LEWIS & CLARK
Match No. 22/Road Match No. 10
Fri., Nov. 8, 7 p.m., Pamplin Sports Center, Portland, Ore.
Live Stats & Video
#16 PUGET SOUND AT PACIFIC
Match No. 23/Home Match No. 9
Sat., Nov. 9, 7 p.m., Stoller Center, Forest Grove
Live Stats |
Live Video
BOXERS LOOK TO FINISH 2013 SEASON ON WINNING TRACK
The final full home weekend did not go as planned for Pacific volleyball as they dropped both matches to Willamette and Linfield. The Boxers will look to end the 2013 season in the win column as they travel to Lewis & Clark on Friday night before returning home to face No. 16 Puget Sound on Saturday.
BOXER BYTES
• Pacific found themselves shocked by a great hitting night from Willamette on Friday as the Bearcats hit .242 to knock off the Boxers in three sets.Â
Una Areta led all players with 13 kills and was one of just two players in the match to finish with double-digit kills.
• After beating Linfield in three sets earlier in the season, the Wildcats pushed the Boxers to their seventh five set match of the season on Saturday. Linfield built a 7-1 lead in the fifth set and never looked back in the victory.Â
Una Areta once again led the way with 23 kills and 16 digs while
Mariah McHolland finished with 15 kills.
•
Una Areta continues to lead Pacific offensively, leading the Boxers and ranking fourth in the NWC with 267 kills and 3.34 kills per set. She finished the weekend with 36 kills and 28 digs in the two weekend matches, notching her sixth and seventh double-doubles of the season.
• Middle blocker
Mariah McHolland continues to hit stride as the season wraps up. She finished with 20 kills, six digs and four blocks in the two weekend matches, paced by her 15-kill, three-block performance against Linfield.
• Setter
Emily Farnham continues to set the pace in passing for the Boxers, finishing with 75 assists and 15 digs in the two sets. She also contributed offensively, registering three kills and a block. Farnham enters the week ranked seventh in the NWC with an average of 7.88 assists per set.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
LEWIS & CLARK
The Pioneers enter the week in eighth place in the NWC at 4-10 and are 5-15 overall. Lewis & Clark has lost four straight matches and eight of their last nine matches. The Pioneers dropped a three-set match at home to Willamette on Wednesday. L&C hit a respectable .209, but the Bearcats roared to hit .319 for the match, committing just 11 errors in 113 attack attempts. Kataleya Milan led L&C with 12 kills while Brigitte Russo added 10 kills. The Pioneers traded sets with George Fox on Saturday, with the Bruins scoring the five-set victory in Newberg. L&C hit .186 for the match, led by 29 kills and 11 digs by Milan. She leads the Pioneers with 311 kills and an average of 3.99 kills per set. Russo is averaging 2.82 kills per set. Kelsie Dorpat averages 9.42 assists per set while Alexe Navarro is averaging 5.63 digs per set. As a team, Lewis & Clark is averaging 11.55 kills, 10.51 assists and 16.31 digs per set while their 1.91 blocks per set. Stacie Matz is in her first year as Lewis & Clark head coach.
ALL TIME SERIES: Lewis & Clark leads 32-27
LAST MEETING: Pacific won in four sets (25-19, 25-19, 26-28, 25-20) in Forest Grove on Oct. 11, 2013
PUGET SOUND
The Loggers enter the week in contention for the NWC title, currently second at 12-2 and 17-6 overall. Puget Sound was ranked No. 16 in last week's AVCA Division III Top-25 Poll. The Loggers did not lose in October and extended their season-long win streak to 10 matches with a four-set win over Whitworth on Friday. Puget Sound rebounded from a first set loss and close second and third sets to take the win. Marissa Flourant led the Loggers with 14 kills and 18 digs while Jackie Harvey had 12 kills and 17 digs. The streak came to an end on Saturday as Whitman shocked the Loggers in a three-set sweep. The Missionaries outlasted Puget Sound in three close matches, hitting .216 on the night. Florant and Harvey each had nine kills to lead the Loggers. Harvey leads the Loggers offensively with 277 kills and an average of 3.18 kills per set. Christina Chun is averaging 4.46 digs per set and Jenni Brehove is averaging 9.88 assists per set. As a team, Puget Sound is averaging 11.97 kills, 11.36 assists and 19.23 digs per set and owns a .179 hitting percentage. Mark Massey is in his 18th season as Puget Sound head coach.
ALL TIME SERIES: Puget Sound leads 36-5
LAST MEETING: Puget Sound won in three sets (25-17, 25-8, 25-18) in Tacoma, Wash., on Oct. 12, 2013
PACIFIC NEWS & NOTES
FRESHMAN FIREPOWER: As the 2013 season closes, it is quite possible that
Una Areta (Fr., Kent, Wash.) could be the next in a long line of Pacific freshmen to be recognized with All-Northwest Conference honors. Areta led the Boxers once again last week from the outside hitter position, finishing with 36 kills, 28 digs and a block in both of last weekend's matches. Against Willamette on Friday, Areta notched her sixth double-double of the season as she finished with 13 kills and 12 digs. She led all hitters in kills and was one of only two players in the match to finish with double-digit kills. In the five-set loss to Linfield on Saturday, Areta finished with 23 kills and 16 digs for her seventh double-double of the season. Areta enters the week leading the Boxers and ranking fourth in the NWC with 267 kills and an average of 3.34 kills per set. In her 11 starts since stepping in for the injured
Marie Rewick (So., Honolulu, Hawaii), Areta is averaging 4.14 kills and 3.09 digs per set.
FINISHING UP STRONG: As she enters the final week of her college career,
Mariah McHolland (Sr., Renton, Wash.) is standing poise to end on top. McHolland finished last weekend with 20 kills and four blocks, which included a 15-kill, three-block performance against Linfield on Saturday. McHolland was a Honorable Mention All-NWC selection in 2012 and stands a chance of repeating those honors in 2013. She enters the week with 180 kills, 18 service aces and 54 blocks with averages of 2.25 kills, 0.22 aces and 0.68 blocks per set. She is the only Pacific player this season to have started all 21 matches.
SETTING ME UP: Over the second half of the season, the Boxers have relied upon
Emily Farnham (So., University Place, Wash.) to handle the passing duties. Farnham enters the week ranked seventh in the NWC with an average of 7.88 assists per set. She finished with 75 assists in the two weekend matches, which included a a Pacific season-high 51 assists in the five-set loss to Linfield on Saturday. In addition to her passing ability, Farnham has shown herself to be a legitimate offensive threat. She enters the week with 33 kills, a .295 hitting percentage and 17 blocks (1 solo, 16 assisted) from the setters' position.
COMING ON LATE: Hannah Herbert (So., Hillsboro, Ore.) has also come on for the Boxers over the final half of the season, providing a solid presence at both outside hitter and middle blocker. Herbert enters the week with 107 kills and 23 blocks. She added 17 kills and three blocks to her totals in the two weekend matches, led by an 11-kill, three-block performance against Linfield on Saturday. Herbert has also seen her playing time increased by injuries to other players and has started the last 11 matches for the Boxers.
ALSO WRAPPING HER CAREER: In addition to
Mariah McHolland,
Kami Kugler (Sr., Boulder, Colo.) will be closing out her Pacific career this weekend. Kugler has seen spot starts for the Boxers this season while playing in a reserve role as a defensive specialist. She made three straight starts in September against George Fox, Pacific Lutheran and Whitman. Kugler enters the weekend averaging 1.96 digs per set this season.
LET'S GO FOUR...OR FIVE: Once again in 2013, Pacific is showing a preference towards longer matches. In nine of their 21 matches this season, Pacific has gone past the minimum three sets 11 times. On seven of those occasions, the Boxers have played to a full five sets (including three of the last four matches) with the Boxers owning a 3-4 mark in those mathes. Pacific has now gone five sets in 18 of their 41 matches played under Head Coach
Kip Yoshimura with an 11-5 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.
