The Wildcats brought their best to the court Friday night, upsetting the Willamette University Bearcats in just three sets.

The Bearcats came into the volleyball match as the leaders of the Northwest Conference, and are now in a tie for first with the Whitworth Pirates.

Eryka Keoho, ’19, said, “We worked really hard as a team at practice, and it paid off in tonight’s game.”

The gym was packed with spectators for each team, and cheers resounded after each point.

The Wildcats established a strong 4-0 lead right away in the first set, and despite 11 kills from the Bearcats, pressed through to win the set 25-22.

The second set was a closer battle, with the two teams fighting back and forth. The Wildcats triumphed with a match high of 17 kills, winning 25-19.

The Wildcats dominated in the third set, gaining an 11-point lead at 21-10, and pushing on to win 25-16.

The Wildcats’ victory was clear in every statistic, beating the Bearcats 46 kills to 30, seven aces to one, and 50 digs to 43.

Jamie Talbo, ’18, led the Wildcats’ offense with 14 kills, followed by nine each from Darian Stedman, ’19, and Molly McTaggart, ’17.

Tiara Huffaker, ’19, racked up four service aces.

Next up, the Wildcats will go on the road to take on the Loggers at 7 p.m. Oct. 23 at Puget Sound University.