Geoducks Block Beacons in Straight Sets
Evergreen threw up 12 team blocks and Natalie Taylor and Chloee Hunt led an equally impressive offensive showing Friday night as the Geoducks swept aside the visiting Northwest Christian Beacons in Cascade Collegiate Conference volleyball action inside Costantino Recreation Center.
Set scores were 27-25, 25-20, 25-12.
The Geoducks (4-7 overall, 2-0 CCC) opened the conference season with two straight victories for the first time since the 2015 season, and to improve to 3-0 they will have to pull off an upset of nationally ranked and defending conference champion Corban. The two teams play at 5 p.m. Saturday at the CRC.
Evergreen came into the match ranked second among conference teams in blocking with slightly more than 2.0 per set, and it went well beyond that number tonight. The Geoducks had had five blocks in the third set, including four of their first five points, to build early momentum in putting the Beacons (6-4, 1-2) away.
The Geoducks spread the blocks around with six different players getting block assists, led by Tasha Hungate with a school record-tying seven. The back row was there to pick up where the front line left off, recording 43 digs, including 12 by Kathleena Ly and 10 by Taylor.
It was Taylor who had the biggest night on the offensive side, cranking out 17 kills while hitting an impressive .441. Hunt added her 13 kills, most out of the middle, and had an impressive .579 attack percentage. Renita Gray added seven kills for the Geoducks, who hit .318 overall, including .409 in the deciding third set. Sierra Wolff spread the ball around and collected 35 assists.
In a first set that saw 17 ties and seven lead changes, Northwest Christian built a 21-17 lead before the Geoducks ran off five straight points on two kills by Taylor and one each from Hunt, Lehualani Keka and Wolff. Evergreen was a point away from victory at 24-23 before Kirsten Mueller tied it with a kill, and then the Beacons were one point away at 25-24 when Gray put down a kill to turn the momentum to the hosts, who finished off the set with consecutive blocks at the net. Taylor had eight of her kills in that set.
Evergreen broke away late in the second set on consecutive kills by Gray and consecutive double blocks by Hunt and Taylor before Taylor finished off the set with her sixth kill of the set.
The third set was never close as the Geoducks led 3-0 and 8-1 before gradually pulling away.
Claire Salness had an outstanding match for the Beacons with 13 kills and a .343 attack percentage. NCU hit .147 as a team, including a -.038 in the third set.