Linfield’s volleyball team struggles to come up on top against University of Puget Sound and Pacific Lutheran University on Oct. 12 and 13 after head coach returns from being absent the previous game. The ‘Cats had their first conference win on Oct. 6 against Whitman with former head coach Shane Kimura leading the team.

According to Assistant Coach Alfred Agcaoili, the attackers Regan Dean, Audrey Hyem, Anikalea Keliiheleua are vital to the Wildcats’ success and they struggled to perform at the Puget Sound game on Friday.

At least four players, which included starters Taylor Peterson and Mattie Kellie, were absent on the court both games.

On Friday, while playing University of Puget Sound, who has an 8-2 record, they won one game and lost three.

Linfield and Puget Sound both had a total of 24 errors, but the Loggers were significantly strong on the offense. Linfield only had 34 kills to Puget Sound’s 50 and Puget Sound’s hitting ratio was over double as much as Linfield’s.

Despite the team’s loss, Hyem and Brianna Sanford played well. Hyem had eight kills and one block, while Sanford had seven kills and one block.

Although the team played better against the Pacific Lutheran Lutes, their efforts were still not enough to get another victory for Linfield. The Wildcats lost all three matches.

The Wildcats had less errors against Pacific Lutheran, but still could not bring in a win. Their hitting percentage significantly declined to -0.020.

Adverse from the Puget Sound game, the matches against the Lutes were lower scoring. There were considerably less kills and points scored on both sides.

Despite the losses against the two Tacoma, Washington, schools, the team kept its spirits high. Each member, whether on the court or on the sidelines, maintained a high energy and determination.

After their two losses, the Wildcats’ conference record sits at 1-8 . Their season has proven to be a rough one, but the team has plans for winning more games.