Missionaries Down Bearcats, 3-1, as Bafus Registers 16 Kills

By Robert McKinney, Athletics Communications Director, (503) 370-6110

WALLA WALLA, WASH. -- Megan Bafus led all players with 16 kills and helped Whitman College defeat Willamette University, 3-1, on Saturday, Nov. 1 at the Sherwood Center. Whitman achieved 60 kills overall, as the Missionaries advanced their record to 9-14 overall, 5-9 in the NWC. The Bearcats slipped to 11-12 overall, 6-8 in the NWC.

Whitman won the first two sets, 25-21 and 25-13, before Willamette took the third set 29-27. The Missionaries completed the win with a 25-21 margin in the fourth set.

For Willamette, Taylor Lum (So., MH/OH, Honolulu, HI/Maryknoll HS) and Alexa Dowdell (So., MH/OPP, Mililani, HI/Maryknoll HS) each earned 12 kills. Lum also recorded a .500 hitting percentage. Sarah Fincher (Jr., OH, Reno, NV/Bishop Manogue HS/Southwest Baptist Univ.) added 10 kills.

Lindsey Compton (Jr., OH/S, Portola, CA/Portola HS/Univ. of Hartford) provided WU with 35 assists and 19 digs, while Peyton Wahl (Fr., LIB/DS, Richland, WA/Richland HS) supplied 17 digs. Alexa Becker (Fr., OH, El Dorado Hills, CA/Rider University) chipped in 13 digs.

In addition to Bafus, other players for Whitman with double-digit kills were Abby Seethoff with 13 and Shae Kanakaole with 10. The Missionaries registered 60 kills and hit .205 for the match.

Anna Dawson contributed 48 kills and 10 digs for the Missionaries. Hannah Linsenmayer, the Whitman libero, recorded a match-high 26 digs. Seethoff achieved 15 digs.

Both teams excelled a the net on defense. Whitman finished with 12.0 team total blocks, led by Franny Gardner, who produced seven block assists. Willamette accumulated 8.0 team total blocks, as Dowdell, Fincher and Taylor Gee (Sr., MH/OH, San Diego, CA/Rancho Bernardo HS) each recorded three block assists. Fincher also was credited with one block solo.

Whitman opened the match by taking a 12-7 lead in the first set. Willamette bounced back to tie the game at 14-14 on a combination block from Gee and Fincher. The Missionaries tallied the next four points for an 18-14 margin.

The Bearcats answered with a kill by Dowdell, but two points in a row for Whitman on kills by Kanakaole and Seethoff gave the Missionaries a 20-15 lead. The margin was 22-17 before Willamette ran off three points, including two kills by Lum, to get within 22-20.

Whitman added the next two points on a kill by Gardner and a service ace by Dawson. The Missionaries went on to win the set 25-21.

The Missionaries led 6-3 in the second set only to have Willamette cut the lead to 12-11 a bit later on an attacking error by Natalia Zea. Whitman then went on a 6-0 run for a 17-11 advantage. Fincher registered a kill to end the run, but the Missionaries won the set 25-13.

Willamette kept the match going with a 29-27 win in the third set. The Bearcats trailed 10-5 after Linsenmayer earned two consecutive service aces. The next five points went to WU, including three attacking errors by the Missionaries.

The Bearcats added a 6-3 run to claim a 16-13 advantage. Eight points later, WU held a 21-16 lead following two kills in a row from Fincher. Whitman eventually tied the score at 24-24 when a combo block by Gardner and Johanna Bailey kept Willamette from winning.

Three more ties followed before Willamette won the set with two service aces back-to-back by Dowdell.

Whitman built a 15-10 margin in the fourth set following a 5-0 run that included two kills each by Bafus and Seethoff. The Bearcats gradually rallied to within one point at 19-18 on a kill by Dowdell. Whitman tallied three straight points to start a 6-3 run to end the set with a 25-21 win.

After playing four consecutive road matches, the Bearcats will compete in their final home match of the season against Pacific Lutheran University on Friday, Nov. 7. Action is slated to begin at 7 p.m. (PST).