Joanna Peterson – Review staff writer. The Linfield volleyball team unexpectedly fell to Lewis & Clark College on Oct. 10 after securing the first two sets of its home match.
With scores of 25-18, 25-21, 18-25, 19-25 and 7-15, the ’Cats dropped to 2-4 in Northwest Conference play.
The ’Cats played a solid first two sets with strong serves from junior Emily Carpenter, who slammed four aces in set one.
The ’Cats trailed by as many as five points during the second set. They spurred on a comeback, however, eventually gaining a one-point lead. Senior Liz Waddell and sophomore Tara Hill each scored one kill.
The Pioneers retaliated in the third and fourth sets with strong front-row offense from sophomore Margaret Dowling and freshman Jennifer Dowdy. They also relied on Wildcat defensive errors to help them pull away.
“I think we figured that they would give us the third game,” Hill said. “Instead, they stepped it up.”
The score remained close during the final sets, but the Pioneers led throughout most of the fifth set. A Pioneer service ace shook the Wildcats’ defense in the middle of the set. The Pioneers held onto this lead, winning by eight.
“Our problem is the amount of errors we’ve been making,” Hill said. “It’s not that we’ve been letting the other teams beat us, we’ve just been beating ourselves.”
Despite Linfield’s loss, sophomore Samantha Lau tallied a game-high record of 25 digs. Hill also achieved a personal record of 16 kills.
The Wildcats will play next at home against Whitman College on Oct. 16.
“If we don’t go into the game thinking they’ll give it to us, I think it will go well,” Hill said.