Wolves Fall to Geoducks in Four
Paul Starkebaum, Sports Information Director
College Place, Wash. –Sunday afternoon featured the last home match of the season for the Wolves. Despite taking the second set of, Walla Walla lost in four sets to the Geoducks. Evergreen played an efficient game at the net, hitting at a .291 clip for the match.
Natalie Taylor lead the way for the Geoducks in the opening set with 7 kills as Evergreen connected on .429 percent of their attacks. Walla Walla was just a bit off, with a number of attack landing just out of bounds. Lauren Barlow led the way for Walla Walla with 4 kills but the team failed to catch any momentum, and the Geoducks took the first set 25-13.
Evergreen built an early 5-point lead on Walla Walla to open the second. The Wolves stormed back and a kill from Lauren Barlow tied up the match 13-13. The Wolves took the lead 16-15 after an attack error from Evergreen, forcing a timeout from the visitor. Both teams battled back and forth to the end, but it seemed like every time the Wolves needed a point, Caldora Blackburn was there for a kill. Evergreen refused to give up, and Natalie Taylor tied the match up 22-22 late in the match. The Wolves stayed hungry and Sarah Halversen nailed a kill up the middle as the Wolves tied that match 1-1 with a 25-23 victory in the third.
From the start of the third set, the Geoducks seemed to be in control, taking an early 9-5 lead. Evergreen's Natalie Taylor made several kills late in the match to put things well out of reach for Walla Walla. Up 24-17, Bethanie Taylor scored the final kill of the set for the Geoducks, putting them up 2-1 for the match.
In the fourth set, the Wolves failed to string together quality attacks while Evergreen moved quickly to take the lead. Once again, it was Natalie Taylor who came up big, scoring multiple kills in the set. After building a 14-point lead, the Wolves rattled off six straight points as part of a last-ditch effort before a kill from Renita Gray ended the set 25-16 and gave Evergreen the match 3-1.
Walla Walla is on the road next week. Friday morning, October 27, they face Warner Pacific College. The match start time is set for 11:00 a.m.