Volleyball’s 1-1 weekend sets tone for win Wednesday

The Pioneer women’s volleyball squad squared off for two bouts at home this past weekend. In their first conference win of the season, Lewis & Clark took the match over the second place Linfield College Wildcats Friday night in four sets. However, after taking the Loggers to five sets on Saturday, the Pios came up short against Puget Sound, who sits third in the NWC standings.

After suffering tough losses to Willamette on Sept. 19, and Pacific the following day, the games this weekend capped the third and fourth conference matches this season. The split tally this weekend brings the Pios to 1-3 in conference matches, currently sitting in a tie for seventh place in the Northwest Conference standings.

Apart from the recent slip in conference play, the Pioneers still boast a winning record for the season, showing 7-6 with eleven games left to play. All of those games counting towards their conference record, there is still plenty of time for improvement among the ranks of the Northwest Conference.

Against the Wildcats, the Pios managed to skate by through the first set with a 25-23 win, culminating in a vicious kill by Tessa Belanger (’17).

Coming back just as strong as the start, the Pios rattled off six straight points to begin the second set. Linfield tried to rally toward the end of the set, with a big four point swing of their own; however the Pioneers would eventually hold them off, taking the second set 25-17.

Intermission would allow the Wildcats of Linfield to regain their strength, as they came back hungry in the third set. Winning 25-19, Linfield would push the match to another set.

The Pioneers dealt with their previously lost set as well as Coach Matz could have asked for, coming out determined to get their first conference win. With six big kills for Brigitte Russo (’15), LC won the fourth and final set by a score of 25-10. The six kills in the final set for Russo gave her a final of 12 kills for the match, one less than Kat Milan (‘15).

The Pios were unable to ride the momentum of their first conference win into Saturday’s battle against UPS, and they dropped the first set 25-15.

LC then rallied to come away with the next two wins, but the third set got away from the Pioneers despite the late 4-7 they used to tie the score at 22-22.  The Loggers held the Pios for remainder of the game for a final score of 25-22.  LC lost the final set 15-9 to give the match to Puget Sound.

LC women’s volleyball claimed a victory over the George fox Bruins in four games Wednesday night.  They continue their campaign in conference play on Friday against Pacific Lutheran  in the Pamplin Sports Center at 7:00 p.m.