Wolves Come Up Just Short vs. Multnomah
Charles Fletcher- Sports Writer
College Place, Wash.- The Multnomah Lions (6-11, 1-9) came out on top against the Wolves in a hard fought 4 sets on Sunday night. The Lions, who were coming off a win vs New Hope Christian College, carried their momentum into tonight and showed off a well-oiled attack.
Multnomah jumped out to an early 4-1 lead in the first set after a perfectly placed kill by their leading attacker, Miranda Halverson. The Lions were able to hold this through the early phases of the set with the help of good blocking and solid serves by Hannah Antal. A block by Melissa Barton and a kill by Maria Darling kept the Wolves close at 13-16 as they attempted to climb back and take the led. However, a kill from Kayla Keane would give a good cushion back to the Lions at 14-20, causing Wolves coach James thorn to call his second timeout of the set. Following the timeout, the Lions were able to come out victorious in the first set when Miranda Halverson ended it with a strong kill.
Walla Walla took the lead for the first time early in the second set after a kill by Maria Darling put them up 4-2. Neither team was then able to create separation as they traded points and traded the lead. The Wolves then managed to create a push as an ace by Maria Darling made the score 12-9 and forced a Multnomah timeout. Coming out of the timeout, a kill by Caldora Blackburn and an ace by Carly Ursino stretched the Wolves lead to 16-10. A fierce rally between the two teams, followed by an Emily Allen kill brought the crowd to their feet and had the Wolves closer to winning the set at 20-14. The Lions weren't done yet though as they crawled their way back, making the second set a nail-biter by bringing themselves within 3 at 24-21. Lauren Barlow then decided to shut down the Lions' comeback attempt with an explosive kill to win the set for the Wolves.
The third set began with two impressive blocks by Multnomah's Patty Batoon, giving the Lions an early 2-0 lead. Hanna Antel's kill extended the Lion's lead early in the set, making it 8-4. The Lions continued to put pressure on the Wolves with good serves from Marissa Rhodes, making the score 13-8 and causing a Wolves timeout. Walla Walla struggled to pull themselves within striking distance in the latter stages of the set, as the Lions accelerated through the finish, winning it by a score of 25-15.
Three straight solid serves rom Multnoma's Kiana Miller helped the Lions jump out to a quick 6-2 lead in the fourth set. A kill by Emily Allen, and a block by Ashlyn Gazal then helped the Wolves come back and tie the score at 7-7. The Lions would manage to regain the lead, however, after a block and kill both by Patty Batoon, making the score 11-9. Multnomah then went on a furious run, accentuated by a kill from Miranda Halverson, giving the Lions an 18-10 lead. This run would prove to be too much for the Wolves to handle, as the Lions took the 4th set 25-17.
The Lions attack was led tonight by Maile Kam who had 8 kills, and Rachael Woodock, who had 10 assists. The Wolves received a significant contribution from Lauren Barlow who had 8 kills, Krista Shafer who tallied 15 assists, and Carly Ursino who accumulated 14 digs.
The Wolves are now looking ahead to their next game against Corban University on October 14th at 3:00p.m.