Willamette Rallies from 2-0 Deficit to Defeat Concordia (Texas), 3-2

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

SEGUIN, TEXAS -- Willamette University rallied from a 2-0 deficit to defeat Concordia University (Texas), 3-2, on Saturday, Sept. 30 at the Texas Lutheran University Bulldog Classic. The Bearcats won 15-25, 17-25, 25-16, 25-16, 15-10. Sarah Fincher (Jr., OH, Reno, NV/Bishop Manogue HS/Southwest Baptist Univ.) smashed 21 kills lead WU to the victory.

The Bearcats moved to 2-1 on the season. The Tornados fell to 1-2.

Concordia surged out to an 11-4 lead in the first set. A kill by Alexa Becker (Fr., OH, El Dorado Hills, CA/Rider University) of Willamette a bit later cut the margin to 13-11. WU trailed by four points, 19-15, before the Tornados tallied six consecutive points.

In the second set, the Tornados claimed a 9-4 lead after 13 rallies. Willamette reduced the advantage to just two points three times, including 18-16 following an attacking error by Concordia. The Tornados concluded the set with a 7-1 run for a 25-17 victory.

Momentum changed in the third set when Willamette opened up an 8-1 lead. Fincher recorded two kills during the run. She added another kill for a 9-2 lead before a block by Taylor Gee (Sr., MH/OH, San Diego, CA/Rancho Bernardo HS) gave the Bearcats an eight-point edge. Willamette continued to roll, building leads of 15-6 and 19-9 on its way to ta 26-15 win.

WU scored the first three points of the fourth set, but didn't pull away at the start. Concordia cut the margin to 6-5 on a kill by Katie Baker, and WU led just 8-6 three rallies later. The Bearcats put together a 7-3 run --- including a kill by Fincher and a service ace by Emma Liband (Fr., MH, Sandpoint, ID/Sandpoint HS) -- to create a 16-9 advantage. Fincher registered four more kill to help win the set.

In the final set, two service aces by Sara Hill helped give Concordia take a 3-1 edge. The Tornados also led 4-2, but Willamette answered with a 7-2 run for a 9-6 lead. After Concordia scored the next point, the Bearcats took the next two rallies and remained in front by at least three points the rest of the way.

Fincher's 21 kills were four short of her career high of 25, set against Pacific University on Oct. 4, 2013. Against Concordia on Saturday, she hit .278 and also provided 13 digs. Becker earned seven kills, while Tynan Gable (Fr., S, Woodinville, WA/Woodinville HS) supplied 22 assists. Peyton Wahl (Fr., DS/LIB, Richland, WA/Richland HS) matched Fincher with 13 digs.

Willamette registered 48 kills and produced 14.0 team total blocks. Liband led the way with seven blocks, while Gee finished with five. The Bearcats limited Concordia to a .113 hitting percentage, as the Tornados committed 28 attacking errors. Baker topped Concordia with 18 kills and achieved a .310 hitting percentage.

The Bearcats will play Schreiner University (Texas) at 2 p.m. CDT/12 p.m. PDT to complete the tournament. Live Stats will be available courtesy of Texas Lutheran.