Last weekend the Puget Sound volleyball team traveled east for their weekend of games against Whitworth on Friday and Whitman on Saturday. The Loggers lost against Whitworth 0-3, but were able to come back from that loss and beat Whitman 3-0.
The Loggers struggled to hold their own against the undefeated Whitworth Pirates, and it was an effort that had unfortunate results for the team. During the first two sets of the game, the Pirates had obvious control.
This led to the Loggers losing the first set 25-19 and also losing the second set 25-17. Finally, in the third set of the game, the Loggers came together as a team and took the lead for awhile. But the Whitworth Pirates came back strong and caught up to the Loggers.
They took the game away from the Loggers and won the set 25-19. Throughout the game, senior Brynn Blickenstaff (Eagle, Idaho) led the team with 12 kills, and sophomore Jackie Harvey (Santa Barbara, Calif.) had 8 kills and 10 digs. This game made back-to-back losses for the Loggers.
On Saturday the Loggers were looking to get back on track and win games, starting with a match against the Whitman Missionaries. The Loggers quickly beat the Missionaries in three sets. In the first set the Loggers easily swept through Whitman and won the set 25-19.
During the second and third sets, the only time the Loggers trailed the Missionaries was during the first point of both games; afterwards the Loggers controlled the sets, winning the second set 25-12 and the third 25-14.
Blickenstaff once again led the team with 11 kills, while Harvey had 10 kills that helped the team win the game. Senior Juliette Witous (Sonoma, Calif.) also had 25 digs during the game.
“The first game we lost to Whitworth I think there was a lack of communication on the court between players. We needed everyone to tell each other what we saw was going on and what we needed from one another,” Witous said. “Communication is as much a skill as any other technical aspect of the game. On the second night against Whitman we concentrated on communicating with one another and all of the technical skills fell into place.
“We have so many talented volleyball players who have all of the skills, so I’m confident that after learning how to communicate efficiently in the last game that we will excel for the rest of the season.”
The win against Whitman has placed the Loggers in a tie for second place against PLU in the NWC, while undefeated Whitworth is in first place. The Loggers have had a week to work out any kinks and focus on their communication today’s home game against George Fox.