The Puget Sound women’s volleyball team is taking the Northwest Conference (NWC) by storm this season, beginning with a successful conference-opening game against Whitman on Sept. 14, followed by a straight-set victory over Whitworth on Sept. 15.
Coming into the weekend, the team (7-2, 2-0 NWC) had lost only two matches, both to nationally ranked teams (Christian Newport and Wittenburg). In addition, the team began the season with a 4-0 win streak that included victories over nationally ranked teams.
The Loggers achieved a ranking of No. 11 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association’s top 25 poll earlier this week, one of only two NWC teams to make it into the top 25 in the poll.
The Friday night game versus Whitman (2-6, 0-1 NWC) began well for the Loggers, as junior Jackie Harvey (Santa Barbara, Calif.) recorded six kills on the way to capturing the opening set 25-22.
The Loggers continued their march toward victory by winning the second set 25-19. The Missionaries, however, proved to be tough competitors and were determined to put up a fight until the end. With a bit of inspired play, including Missionary Jillian Davis’ five third-set kills, Whitman took the third set 25-19 from the Loggers.
Puget Sound solidified their victory over the Whitman Missionaries, capturing the fourth and final set 25-19 to emerge victorious in what was an impressive and crowd-rousing performance on the part of the Loggers.
“It is always exciting to open a new volleyball season chasing a conference title and a berth at Nationals. I thought Whitman was improved over last year, and they served us tougher Friday night than anyone we had faced so far this year. I think it says a lot that we were able to withstand that service pressure and still take a solid four-game victory,” Loggers head coach Mark Massey said.
Harvey led the Loggers with 19 kills and 11 digs, while junior Jenni Brehove (Vista, Calif.) recorded 46 assists and 11 digs, junior Christina Chun (Pearl City, Hawaii) led the team with 22 digs, and sophomore Nicolette Reynaud (Los Gatos, Calif.) contributed three of the eight total team blocks.
“I think we were a little nervous coming out and playing in front of a huge home crowd. Our family and friends showed us some great cheering and Logger spirit both nights. Although we were hoping for three set sweeps, in the end we got the W’s and that’s what we were working hard to accomplish.
“I have high expectations for this team. We are young with no seniors and every player on our team has the potential to be a starter. This means that we have a strong bench to rely on to get the job done when we are struggling. We can only get better every time we play, which helps us strive towards our goal to be conference champions,” Chun said.
The Loggers continued their winning play in the next match with a straight-set victory over the Whitworth Pirates the following evening. With the help of Harvey and junior Marissa Florant (Palo Alto, Calif.), the Loggers won the first set 25-19. The Pirates (4-5, 0-2 NWC) put up a fight in the second set and were leading 23-22 before Puget Sound took control, winning the second set 25-23.
The third and final set went the Loggers’ way as well, with a 25-18 victory to cement the sweep of the defending champion Whitworth team. The Loggers, as usual, put on an impressive performance on all fronts: Brehove had 39 assists and eight digs, Chun achieved a match-high 20 digs, Florant recorded eight kills and 15 digs, and Harvey scored 15 kills in addition to 15 digs.
“Tonight against Whitworth we were playing a much younger team across the net than had won the last two conference titles. Although we are still young too, with no seniors, I was pleased with a three straight set victory. I would much rather win in three, even with some struggles, than in four or five sets. We’ve been working on our concentration, and I was pleased that we put it all together in the third set. There was also some great play off the bench from several of our talented young frosh players,” Massey said.
It looks like Loggers volleyball is off to yet another successful season and will be a strong contender not only at the conference level but on the national stage as well.
“Our goal, most years, is to be one of the ‘Top 25’ teams in the nation. It is very gratifying to get to work with serious students at Puget Sound who are also able to focus themselves so intently during their free time to find national-caliber success in volleyball here as well.
“We’ve built a well-respected volleyball program here, but I am just as proud of what our players accomplish academically. A number of former players visited this weekend, and it is impressive to see how successful they have all been in their careers after graduating from Puget Sound. It really is a special place,” Massey said.
