The Logger volleyball team has been playing strong this season, having held a record of 5-0 in conference play. However, as the Loggers took to the road this past weekend, it marked a time of highs and lows for Logger volleyball this fall.
The Logger volleyball team suffered their first Northwest Conference loss of the season on Friday Sept. 28 in a five set match against Willamette.
The Willamette Bearcats (3-9, 1-4 NWC) overcame a two sets to none deficit to upset the Logger winning streak to win their first match in the NWC.
In the first two sets, the Loggers looked to be sailing to their fifth consecutive win of the season. However, the Bearcats upped the ante and turned up the heat in the third set. Willamette finished the match 22-25, 9-25, 25-7, 25-23 15-12.
The Loggers (9-3; 4-1 NWC) turned out a two-set lead with some powerful hitting from sophomore Nicolette Reynaurd (Los Gatos, Calif.) and junior Marissa Florant (Palo Alto, Calif.). Reynaurd made seven kills in 10 attacks in the first two sets of the match.
The team kept the Bearcats in the single digits during the second setting, hitting a .453, allowing them to take a 2-0 lead. However, there was a turn of events in the third set as the Bearcats applied the pressure to take the set at 25-7.
The momentum from the third set carried over to the fourth allowing for the Bearcats to eke out win forcing a fifth and match deciding set.
Junior Jackie Harvey (Santa Barbara, Calif.) put the Loggers on the board after an early Bearcat lead. A pair of kills from Harvey also gave the Loggers their only lead during the set at 11-10. However, the Bearcats retaliated and secured their first conference win.
After their first loss of the season, the Loggers redeemed themselves with a win against Linfield. Florant led the Loggers with 18 kills and 29 digs to a 25-10, 21-25, 25-22, 26-24 victory. She was one of four Loggers that recorded over 22 digs during the match.
The Loggers started strong as they hit .333 in the first set, limiting the Wildcats (7-7, 2-4 NWC) to a -.077 hitting percentage.
The Loggers cooled off to a .105 in the second set allowing the Wildcats to take advantage to tie up the match with a 25-21 win.
After losing the second match, the Loggers stepped it up a notch and held on to two close victories in the third and fourth sets, allowing them to win the match.
Freshman Danielle Westerman (San Francisco, Calif.) added 12 kills to the Logger cause and hit a .333 in the match.
The team continued to remain on fire as they traveled to Portland, Ore. for a neutral court match against no. 17 Colorado College.
The No. 10 Loggers held on to the win with a 3-1 victory over Colorado College.
The Loggers returned to Memorial Fieldhouse for their match against Pacific Lutheran on Oct. 3. At the time of press, scores were not yet posted.
