Walla Walla Falls to Multnomah
Paul Starkebaum, Sports Information Director
College Place, Wash. – The Wolves hosted Multnomah University (2-6) tonight in their first home conference game of the season. After evening up the match 1-1, Walla Walla (1-6, 0-3) was unable to thwart the consistent play from the Lions. The Wolves dropped the final two sets and lost the match 3-1.
By the Numbers
- Lauren Barlow came up big with 15 kills and 25 digs
- Laruen Bosler contributed 22 assists, 16 digs and 4 kills for Walla Walla
- Patty Batoon and Maile Kam tied for the game-high in kills with 17 for Multnomah
- Multnomah’s Marissa Rhodes led all players in assists with 39
How It Happened
The Lions came out hot on a 5-0 run to open up the match. A rotation error cost them a point and after that they took it right up to an 11-1 lead. Lauren Barlow put an abrupt end to the run with a kill, but the damage was done and Walla Walla was not able to recover. Walla Walla made a late push in the set but the lead the Lions had built was too great and they took the set 25-16.
Jenn Bosler got the second set started on the right foot for Walla Walla with a kill on the right side. The Wolves opened up with a 5-2 lead before the dog fight began. Both teams played tight through the middle of the set, with the Wolves barely able to hold. A kill from Krista Schafer, a block by Sarah Halversen and a back row kill from Lauren Barlow pushed the Wolves ahead 18-14. Multnomah refused to give in and back-to-back kills from Patty Batoon tied the set at 22-22. The Wolves gain momentum back and scored three straight points, concluding with a block by Morgan Doyle and Jenn Bosler to give the Wolves the set 25-22.
Walla Walla carried that energy into the third set, starting off with a 3-0 lead, included a pulverizing kill from Caldora Blackburn. A timeout from the Lions seemed to help them gain their composure and they tied the match up 4-4. It stayed tight through the next few points, and Caldora came through for Walla Walla once again to tie the set at 11-11 with a kill. Things turned against the Wolves at that point. The Lions would end the match on a 14 to 5 run, ending with a solo block in the middle from Hannah Snyder.
With the Lions up 2-1 at this point, it was last ditch effort time for Walla Walla. While the Wolves struggle at times to hit consistently, they played with tremendous effort to the end. The fourth set featured the longest rallies of the match, with Multnomah finding a way to consistently put the ball in play and hold off the Wolves. Down 18-11, Walla Walla gained some ground after Morgan Doyle’s kill in the middle. Multnomah setup a crushing attack up the middle but a diving dig from Morgan Doyle kept the point alive and Lauren Barlow made an equally impressive swipe at the ball to get it over the net to score. Things looked like they may turn in favor of the Wolves. Once again it came down to Multnomah’s mistake free play that turned that match back in their favor, and they expanded the lead to 23-15. After stringing a couple of points together, an attack error by the Wolves scored the final point for the Lions as they took the set 25-18 and the match 3-1.
Up Next
The Wolves are back in action on Sunday, September 10 as they host the Warner Pacific Knights. Game time is set for 1:00 p.m.