College Place, Wash. – The Multnomah Lions were in College Place this afternoon for a match against the Walla Walla Wolves on Sunday afternoon. Walla Walla (0-14, 0-13 CCC) ranked 11
th and Multnomah (4-18, 2-12 CCC) ranked 10
th coming into the match, so the Wolves were looking to seize the opportunity to pick up their first win of the season.
The Wolves were the first to open up a lead in the initial set after an ace by sophomore Erika Dudar gave them a 5-2 advantage. The Lions then began to gain momentum, keeping the score close throughout the early stages of the first set, before opening up a 13-10 lead after a powerful kill by senior Sydney Amundsen pushed through the Walla Walla block attempt. As the set wound to a close, Wolves sophomore Sarah Halversen slammed a clutch kill to cut the Lions lead to one at 24-23. Multnomah pulled through to secure the victory in set one, however, winning it by a score of 25-23.
The serving of Marissa Rhodes propelled her lions to a 3-0 lead and a good run of momentum to start the second set for Multnomah, but the Wolves never allowed the Lions to build a sizable lead throughout the early portions of the set. After a Walla Walla timeout, the Lions went on their best run of the match so far, giving themselves a 16-8 lead after a kill by Madison Schuh. Multnomah carried a consistent lead to the end of the set, winning it by a score of 26-16.
Some good serves by Wolves’ Krista Schafer, along with a couple of mistakes by the Lions’ defense, helped Walla Walla gain a 4-0 lead to start the second set, forcing an early timeout from the Lions head coach Jenna Bouey. Coming out of the timeout, the Wolves were showing their determination to force a fourth set as they expanded their lead to 6-0 after a strong kill by Caldora Blackburn. Walla Walla continued to lead entering the middle stages of the third set, as they possessed a 14-7 advantage. Blackburn continued to take over the second set, helping the Wolves to a commanding 25-12 victory in the third set.
Multnomah came out attacking in the fourth set, racking up an early 7-1 lead before the Wolves called a timeout in an attempt to stunt the Lions’ momentum. The lead would only continue to grow, however, as the Wolves promptly took their second timeout, trailing 11-2 after a kill by the Lions Miranda Halverson and a serving ace by freshman Emily Reynolds. Despite multiple good team plays from the Wolves, Multnomah continued to hold a comfortable lead as they rolled towards a match victory.
The Wolves will have some time off before they travel to Salem, Oregon on Friday, October 19 for a 3 p.m. match against the fourth-ranked team in the conference, Corban University (14-8, 10-3 CCC).
The Multnomah Lions are now looking to build on this win as they prepare to face top-ranked Southern Oregon University (19-2, 12-2 CCC) on Friday October 19 at 7 p.m.