KIRKLAND, Wash. – Putting together three competitive sets, the Evergreen Geoducks played well but it wasn’t enough as the Northwest Eagles earned the straight-set win, 25-18, 25-18, 26-24, in a Cascade Conference volleyball match on Friday night at NU Pavilion in Kirkland, Wash.

The first set was competitive all throughout as the Geoducks never let Northwest take a very large lead.  It wasn’t until a 5-1 run in the closing points that the Eagles really pulled ahead, taking the 25-18 win.

In the second set, the Geoducks used a 5-0 run to take an early 6-2 lead over the Eagles.  Northwest eventually used a 5-0 run, all on Geoduck errors, to pull ahead 10-9 and the two squads continued to battle for much of the frame.  The Eagles used a late five-point swing to put the set out of reach and a Geoduck service error gave Northwest another 25-18 win.

The third set nearly went Evergreen’s way as the Geoducks found themselves leading 23-21 late but Northwest used three straight kills by Rae Ann Haistings to slip past the Geoducks and clinch the match with a 26-24 set three victory.

Evergreen was led by 10 kills from Cassidy Watkins (Tucson, Ariz./Trevecca Nazarene Univ.).  Sasha Nash (Sandy, Utah/Skyline HS) led the Geoducks with 24 assists while Sonja Arrasi-Nash (Sandy, Utah/Westminster College) picked up 12 digs on the night.

Northwest was led by 10 kills from Olivia Vandlac.  Ashton Arbuthnot put up 33 assists on the night while Heather Shulke led all players with 21 digs for the Eagles.  As a team, NU had 42 kills with 15 errors on 118 total attack.

The Geoducks are back in action next Friday when they travel to Caldwell, Idaho to take on College of Idaho.  Match time with the Yotes is set for 7:00 p.m. MDT.

Box Score

PORTLAND, Ore. – After a rough first set, the Evergreen Geoducks fought back in sets two and three but it was the Concordia Cavaliers who earned the straight-set victory, 25-12, 25-22, 25-22, in a Cascade Conference volleyball match on Saturday evening at Cavalier Court in Portland, Ore.

Concordia jumped out to the big lead in set one as the Cavs picked up the first eight points of the match before the Geoducks could get on the board.  The Cavs used a few smaller runs to continue to pull away as they earned the 25-12 win.

The second frame proved to be a lot more competitive as neither team managed to gain much of an advantage with the score tied six times and the teams exchanging leads three times.  The Geoducks found themselves up 22-21 late following an attack error by Melanie Miller but four-straight CU points gave the Cavs the 25-22 win.

Evergreen got off to the quick start in set three, picking up the first four points, but Concordia answered back with a five-point run that put them back on top.  The teams continued to battle as the score would be tied 11 times during the frame but kills by Jackie Stein and Miller were the nail in the coffin as the Cavs won set three, 25-22, to take the match, three sets to none.

The Geoducks were led by 10 kills from junior Cassidy Watkins (Tucson, Ariz./Trevecca Nazarene Univ.).  Senior Sasha Nash (Sandy, Utah/Skyline HS) picked up 19 assists while Sonja Arrasi-Nash (Sandy, Utah/Westminster College) defended the back row with 18 digs on the night.

Concordia was led by eight kills each from Miller and Stein.  Lindsay Mangan put up 28 assists while Kelsey Kai led the Cavaliers with 13 digs on the night.  As a team, CU hit .138 with 34 kills and 18 errors on 116 total attacks.

The Geoducks continue their road trip next week as they make the trip North to Kirkland, Wash. to take on Northwest University on Friday, beginning at 7 p.m. in NU Pavilion.

Box Score

PORTLAND, Ore. – Taking advantage of playing at home, the Warner Pacific Knights swept past the Evergreen Geoducks, 25-16, 25-19, 25-20, in a Cascade Conference volleyball match on Friday at C.C. Perry Gymnasium in Portland, Ore.

The Knights took the early lead by using four service errors to take the first six points of the match.  Warner Pacific continued to maintain the lead for the rest of the frame as they earned the 25-16 win to take the early advantage.

Evergreen started set two much stronger as the Geoducks held an early 4-2 lead.  The Knight eventually took back the advantage as WPC snuck past the Geoducks for the 25-19 set two win as they extended their lead to 2-0.

It was Warner Pacific again taking the early lead in the final frame as the Geoducks found themselves down 24-13 but Evergreen dug deep and reeled off eight straight points before the Knights put down the match winner to take the third set, 25-20.

Evergreen was led by 11 kills from Cassidy Watkins (Tucson, Ariz./Trevecca Nazarene Univ.).  Sasha Nash (Sandy, Utah/Skyline HS) returned from injury to put up 24 assists while Sonja Arrasi-Nash (Sandy, Utah/Westminster College) added 13 digs in the losing effort.

Warner Pacific was led by 13 kills from Rylie Engelson and 10 from Devan Belshe.  Marchelle Bostic put up 23 assists in the win while Samantha Bryan defended the back row with 16 digs.

The Geoducks remain in the Rose City as they make the short trip to Concordia for their next match, set for tomorrow night at 7 p.m. at Cavalier Gym in Portland, Ore.

Box Score

OLYMPIA, Wash. – The Southern Oregon Raiders remained perfect on the road, earning a straight-set victory over the Evergreen Geoducks, 25-21, 25-11, 25-19, in a Cascade Conference volleyball match on Saturday afternoon at CRC Gymnasium in Olympia, Wash.

The Geoducks came out firing on all cylinders in the first set as Evergreen claimed the first six points of the match, forcing Southern Oregon to take an early time out. The Raiders finally caught up at 9-9 and used a 9-1 run of their own to pull ahead, 16-10.  SOU continued to throw down kills as they earned the 25-21 set one win.

The second set was close early as the Geoducks managed to stay tight with the Raiders.  Southern Oregon eventually showed why they are receiving votes in the latest national poll, scoring the final 10 points of the frame to earn a 25-11 victory and a two-set lead.

In the third set, the Geoducks and Raiders traded the lead five times but SOU went on another big run, this time 6-0, to pull ahead as they eventually secured the 25-19 win to earn the match sweep.

Evergreen was led by a match-high 14 kills from Cassidy Watkins (Tucson, Ariz./Trevecca Nazarene Univ.).  Freshman Hapa Patcho (Waipahu, Hawaii/Ke Kula Kaiapuni ‘O Anuenue) finished with 18 kills while Merideth Gurr (Tacoma, Wash./Tacoma CC) and Sonja Arrasi-Nash (Sandy, Utah/Westminster CollegE) each added 13 digs in the loss.

Southern Oregon was led by 13 kills from Natalie Scheller, who had just one attack error on 221 attacks for a .571 clip.  Mona Goudarzian added 12 kills while Caryn Westrick and Angela Spieker each put up 19 assists.  Libero Renee Yomtob finished with 13 digs on the match, as well as two service aces.

The Geoducks hit the road next weekend, traveling to Warner Pacific on Friday, beginning at 7 p.m. in Portland, Ore.  The Raiders return home next weekend, playing host to Northwest Christian on Friday, also beginning at 7 p.m.

Box Score

OLYMPIA, Wash. – Going over a set without an attack error, the Oregon Tech Owls held off the Evergreen Geoducks to earn their first conference win of the year, winning 25-12, 17-25, 25-15, 25-18 in a Cascade Conference volleyball match on Friday night at CRC Gymnasium in Olympia, Wash.

In the first set, the Owls were nearly flawless as they went the entire frame without an attack errors, putting down 15 kills on 24 attacks as they flew out to a 1-0 lead.  On the other side, the Geoducks managed 10 kills with seven errors on 29 attacks.

The second set belonged to the green and white as a raucous home crowd motivated the Geoducks to a wire-to-wire 25-17 victory.  Evergreen had their top hitting set of the match, securing 13 kills with four errors on 41 attacks.  Oregon Tech had their worst frame, scoring nine kills with seven errors on 37 attempts.

The action was tight early in the third frame but Oregon Tech took advantage of Evergreen miscues to earn the 25-15 win as the Geoducks hit -.036 on the set, compared with .167 for OIT.

Oregon Tech clinched the win in the fourth set, using an 11-4 run following a 14-14 tie to earn the 25-18 win and the match, three sets to one.  The Owls again had double-digit kills with 13 on 30 attacks with three errors for a .333 clip.  The Geoducks had double-digits kills as well, putting down 11 with six errors on 28 attempts for a .179 hitting percentage.

Evergreen was led by 15 kills from Cassidy Watkins (Tucson, Ariz./Trevecca Nazarene Univ.).  Kameo Dela Cuadro (Salinas, Calif./Hartnell College) picked up 20 assists while senior Sonja Arrasi-Nash (Sandy, Utah/Westminster College) had 19 digs for the green and white.

Oregon Tech was led by 15 kills from Kristen Walters.  Megan Holland had 26 assists while libero Marie Daumann led the Owls with 19 digs.  OIT finished the match with 45 kills and just 14 attack errors on 115 attempts for a .270 clip.

Evergreen returns to action on Saturday afternoon when they play host to Southern Oregon, beginning at 4 p.m. at CRC Gymnasium in Olympia, Wash.  Oregon Tech will play a few hours after that, traveling to Northwest in a match set for 7 p.m. in Kirkland, Wash.

Box Score