Linfield fell to sixth in the Northwest Conference after two consecutive defeats at the hands of Pacific Lutheran University and George Fox University.

200 fans turned out for Linfield’s senior night on Friday, honoring Caiti Barrie, Quin Takashima, and Courtney Uyeda as they played in their final home match.

Seniors from both teams were recognized before the match began, and a special ceremony for the three senior Wildcats took place after the match ended.

The Lutes beat the Wildcats in three sets, winning 25-16, 25-15 and 25-20.

Barrie led the offense with seven kills, followed by Molly McTaggart, ’17, and Jamie Talbo, ’18, with five each.

Talbo also contributed 14 assists and seven digs, and Uyeda had 12 digs and the largest contribution to the team total of 39 for the night.

Both teams went into the first set with high energy and battled back and forth through eight lead changes until the Lutes pulled away to win 25-16.

The Wildcats’ offense struggled in the second set with a hitting efficiency of -.074, allowing the Lutes to win 25-15.

Although Linfield picked it up in the third set with a match-high of 12 kills and a hitting efficiency of .093, it was not enough to prevent the Lutes from triumphing 25-20 to win the match.

In the post-match senior recognition ceremony, the three senior Wildcats received signed volleyballs, framed jerseys and piles of leis while words from their teammates and their own reflections on their time at Linfield were shared.

Takashima, who was described as “fun, outgoing and playful,” earned a career total of 576 digs and 50 service aces.

Barrie’s teammates described her as “intense, crazy, but most of all, caring.” She credited her teammates and coaches for making Linfield feel like home after trying out two other colleges.

Uyeda earned 1,288 digs and 291 assists throughout her Linfield career. She holds third place in the Northwest Conference this season for digs per set and total digs at 4.8 and 451, respectively.

On Saturday night, Linfield lost their final match of the season to George Fox in three close sets, losing 25-27, 19-25 and 24-26.

Eryka Keoho, ’19, led the offense with 11 kills, followed by 10 each from Barrie and McTaggart. Despite the loss, the Wildcats’ offense outperformed the Bruins’ with a total of 45 kills to their total of 39.

Uyeda and Takashima contributed 16 and 14 digs respectively to the team total of 70, which was higher than the Bruins’ total of 53 digs for the night.

The first set was a pitched battle, and although the Wildcats earned 17 kills to the Bruins’ 14, the Bruins’ higher efficiency won the set 27-25.

The Wildcats’ offense slumped during the second set, losing 19-25 with a match-low hitting efficiency of -.049.

The intensity picked up again in the third set, and even though the Wildcats’ match-high hitting efficiency of .298 was superior to the Bruins’ .226, the Bruins came out on top to win 26-24.