Taylor Dominant as Geoducks Beat Lions
Natalie Taylor dominated with 23 kills and a .457 attack percentage Saturday night to lead The Evergreen State College to a 26-24, 23-25, 25-17, 25-23 victory over the Multnomah Lions in Cascade Collegiate Conference volleyball action inside Costantino Recreation Center.
Taylor, a junior outside hitter from Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, was virtually unstoppable with 23 kills and just two errors on 46 attack attempts in leading the Geoducks (6-11 overall, 3-7 CCC) to the win over the Lions (2-12, 1-9). She also played a strong game at the net with five block assists.
Bethanie Nelson also had a big hitting night with 13 kills and a .367 attack percentage to help Evergreen hit .276 as a team, its best single-match percentage of the season.
Other standouts for the Geoducks were Matalasi Laban with 40 assists in three sets, Tori Wegdahl with 19 digs and Tasha Hungate with four block assists.
Patty Batoon led the Multnomah attack with 20 kills and just five errors for a .357 attack percentage, and Sydney Amundsen added 10 kills to the Lions' total. Marissa Rhodes and Kayla Keane combined for 45 assists and Keane added a pair of service aces. Madysen Trout was impressive at the net with one solo block and six block assists, helping Multnomah to a total of nine team blocks.
There were 13 ties and six lead changes in the opening set, and in fact Multnomah held a 24-23 lead until the Geoducks scored the final three points on a Chloee Hunt kill and consecutive Lions attack errors.
The hosts got off to a quick start in the second set, building an 8-4 lead before the Lions went on an 8-3 run, capped by a Batoon kill, to take a 12-11 advantage. Multnomah eventually built a 22-17 edge before closing out the set on an Evergreen attack error.
The third set was all Evergreen as the Geoducks hit an incredible .600, led by Taylor with seven kills and no errors in eight attacks and Nelson with four kills on seven swings.
In the fourth set, the Lions held a late lead but were unable to hold it. They held a 23-20 advantage, only to see the Geoducks score the final five points to close out the match.
Taylor started the rally with consecutive kills before joining Chloee Hunt for a stuff block to tie the score at 23-23. A Multnomah attack error and a match-ending kill by Hunt finished the action.
Evergreen opens the second half of the conference season on Saturday, Oct. 7, against Northwest University in Kirkland.