EUGENE, Ore. – The Northwest Christian University volleyball team put an end to a four-match losing streak on Monday, defeating Linfield College in four sets, 25-14, 25-23, 16-25, 26-24 behind strong hitting across the board.
The Beacons (4-5) hit .280 in the match and had collected 20 kills with just three errors in a dominant first set. Head Coach Mike Gaffaney said, “After two losses this weekend we needed a match like this to show ourselves that we can play at a high level. We did exactly what we talked about doing and we hit like we are capable of hitting.”
Leading the way was junior Taylor Richardson (pictured), collecting 13 kills as she hit .370. Tami Brown followed with a double-double, collecting a team-high 14 digs to pair with twelve kills and four blocks (two solo). Maren Mansfield also registered the double-double, collecting 12 digs and 11 kills, adding a pair of service aces.
Janel Fetters at a strong night hitting, going 9-for-20 with just two errors for a .350 clip. The junior added three blocks and a match-high three aces. Cori Wallace led the Beacons with 25 assists, followed by Alyssa Dorr with 19.
Linfield (2-1) was led by Leimoni Hookano’s match-high 14 kills as she hit .407. Kelsey Ludin added 13 kills with a match-leading .423 attack percentage while Kailani Ritte-Camera finished with ten kills. Audrey Frazier posted a match-high 41 assists and Courtney Wanamaker led all players with 19 digs.
NCU will be right back in action on Tuesday, playing host to Willamette University at 7:00 pm. The Bearcats are 3-0 all-time against the Beacons. “Willamette is a lot like Linfield,” said Gaffaney. “They always have a strong team. They have talented players and they are well coached so it will take another outing like this afternoon for us to compete with them.”