Geoducks Sweep Lions, Secure Playoff Berth
For the first time since the 2003 season, Evergreen will be playing in the Cascade Collegiate Conference volleyball postseason tournament.
The Geoducks (12-16 overall, 10-9 CCC) secured their spot in the tournament by virtue of a 25-17, 25-19, 25-14 sweep of the visiting Multnomah Lions (6-22, 3-16) on Friday night inside Costantino Recreation Center. The Geoducks will advance as the No. 6 seed in the six-team tournament and will play an opening round match next Tuesday night at an opponent to be determined. Either way, the Geoducks are in the tournament.
It was a total team effort on Friday night as the Geoducks hit .277 - led by the tremendous 12-kill and .632 attack percentage effort by Renita Gray - and recorded 12 team blocks, including a solo block and five block assists by Chloee Hunt.
In fact, the blocking effort by Hunt and Tasha Hungate, who had five block assists, entered the pair into rarified air as they became the first-ever Evergreen volleyball players to surpass 100 blocks in a season. Hunt, a junior, has 103 blocks this season and has a slight lead over her sophomore teammate, who has 100.
The visiting Lions came into the match in 10th place in the 11-team conference standings, but they made the Geoducks work for every point, particularly through the majority of the first and second sets. There were eight ties and four lead changes in the first set, and it wasn't until a four-point run that turned an 11-10 deficit into a 14-11 lead that Evergreen was able to go ahead for good. Gray sandwiched two of her kills around a Hungate and Natalie Taylor block to highlight the mini-run. Gray finished the set with six of her kills on nine swings and Alexis Garrison recorded 10 of her match-high 20 digs in the set.
Miranda Halverson and Rachel Leshikar were tough on the back row for Multnomah, Halverson getting eight digs and Leshikar adding seven in that opening set.
There were seven ties and four lead changes in the second set, and again it took awhile before the host team could separate from the visitors. Holding a tenuous 18-17 advantage, the Geoducks ran off five unanswered points, including four kills by Lehualani Keka and a combo block by Hungate and Sierra Wolff, to lead by six points on the way to a 2-0 lead. Keka led Evergreen with six kills in the set.
Multnomah scored the initial three points of the third set, but a 5-0 run highlighted by two Gray kills and a combo block by Gray and Hunt put the Geoducks ahead to stay on the way to the sweep.
Gray was virtually unstoppable for the Geoducks with her best hitting match of the season, and Taylor added 11 kills and just three errors on 31 attempts for a .258 percentage. Keka ended the match with nine kills and no errors on 25 swings for a .360 rate, and Wolff was her usual steady self with 33 assists.
The defense was stellar behind the blocking of Hunt, Hungate and Wolff, who added one solo block and four block assists to the team totals. Joining Garrison in double-figure digs was Kathleena Ly with 11.
Emma Wall finished with nine kills, Marissa Rhodes had 28 assists and Halverson and Leshikar shared team-high honors with 16 digs to pace the Lions.
Both teams finish out the regular season on Saturday night, the Geoducks hosting Warner Pacific and Multnomah playing at Northwest in Kirkland. Evergreen will honor four seniors - Garrison, Keka, Ly and Taylor - prior to the match.