Boxers Send Seniors Out With Five-Set Upset Of No. 18 Loggers

Boxers Send Seniors Out With Five-Set Upset Of No. 18 Loggers

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Box Score

FOREST GROVE – After the flowers and gifts were given to Pacific's two seniors prior to the match Saturday night, their teammates helped provide the best gift of all: a five-set upset of No. 18 Puget Sound, 25-22, 14-25, 19-25, 27-25, 15-8, in Northwest Conference volleyball action at the Stoller Center.
 
After winning the first set, the Boxers found themselves on the ropes after being left behind in the second and third sets.  Pacific then held off a late Puget Sound rally to score the 27-25 fourth set victory before dominating the deciding frame to close the 2013 season on a high note.
 
With the victory, Pacific finished at 8-15, 7-9 NWC.  The Loggers, ranked No. 18 in the latest AVCA Division III Poll, quite possibly saw their playoff hopes dashed as they fell to 17-8, 12-4 NWC.  Pacific snapped a three-match losing streak, while Puget Sound lost their third straight after winning 10 in a row.
 
Hannah Herbert (So., Hillsboro, Ore.) had a career night, leading the Boxers with 21 kills and a .210 hitting percentage.  Una Areta (Fr., Kent, Wash.) notched another double-double with 15 kills and 10 digs while Mariah McHolland (Sr., Renton, Wash.) closed out her Pacific career with an effort of 11 kills and four blocks.
 
Emily Farnham (So., University Place, Wash.) added 42 assists while Becky Sheller (So., Gresham, Ore.) finished with 27 digs.  In the process, Sheller set a new Pacific single season record with an average of 5.33 digs per set, breaking the previous record of 5.17 kills per set notched by Jade Thompson in 2011.
 
Nicolette Reynaud led Puget Sound with nine kills while Kristen Lane, Danielle Westerman and Emily Convery each had seven kills.  Jenni Brehove added 32 assists while Christina Chun notched 26 digs.
 
Pacific started strong in the first set, taking a 9-5 lead on a Jamie Steach (Fr., Pasco, Wash.) ace and a Loggers' attack error.  The Boxers extended the lead to 17-11 on another Puget Sound error, but the Loggers would rally to come within 23-21 on Reynaud's service ace.  The two teams traded service errors before Areta closed out the 25-22 victory for the Boxers.
 
It was as if two different teams came out for the second set, with the Loggers vaulting out to the 13-6 lead on a kill by Reynaud.  Puget Sound allowed Pacific just two points off of their own serve as they extended the advantage to 22-11 on a Pacific attack error before rolling on to the 25-14 win.
 
Puget Sound charged hard again to open the third set, going up 6-3 on a pair of Heather Sangster kills.  Pacific kept things closer this time, rallying back to a 7-7 tie on Hannah Smargiassi's (So., Tualatin, Ore.) kill.  Puget Sound did what they needed to keep the Boxers from taking a lead, though, making it a 22-16 advantage on an attack error.  A total of 11 attack errors plagued the Boxers, including one on the final rally that gave the Loggers a 25-19 win.
 
Pacific opened the fourth set by scoring the first four points, but the Loggers rallied to take the short-lived 7-6 lead on a Jordan Bird kill.  Pacific built their lead back to as much as three points before the Loggers managed to take another one-point edge, 23-22, on another Bird kill.  Steach and Areta followed with kills that forced extra points, and Herbert led the way to pull Pacific from a 25-25 tie to the 27-25 victory.
 
It was all Boxers in the deciding frame, with Pacific jumping out to the 8-3 lead on a McHolland service ace.  Puget Sound came no closer than four points the rest of the way as a Herbert kill and a Loggers' attack error closed out the match.
 
In addition to McHolland, Kami Kugler (Sr., Boulder, Colo.) played her final match for the Boxers, finishing with nine digs and two assists.
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