College Place, Wash. – The Wolves started out conference play with a tough matchup, hosting the No. 13-ranked Raiders of Southern Oregon University on Thursday evening. A combination of Raiders height and Wolves errors led to the Wolves (0-2, 0-1) falling to the Raiders (8-0, 1-0) in straight sets (25-14, 25-15 & 25-7).
The Raiders and Wolves went back and forth in the first set until the Raiders height took over set one. The Raiders would capitalize off Walla Walla errors in the middle of set one and go on a 4-0 run to increase their lead over the Wolves, 16-9. The Wolves could not avenge the early lead they allowed, as the Raiders ended the game on a 9-4 run to win set one, 25-15.
In set two, the Wolves and Raiders battled back and forth for the first 20 points of the set, with the Raiders holding a slim lead over the Wolves, 11-9. Similar to the first set, the Raiders height would eventually outmatch the Wolves in the second set. The Raiders were able to use middle blockers Elliott Cook and Makayla Hoyt to create scoring opportunities, which fueled a 14-6 run to earn a victory in set two, 25-15.
Coming out for set three, the Wolves looked to respond early, but errors would get in their way, as they dug themselves into an early 10-3 deficit. The Raiders would use an 8-0 run to put set three out of reach for the Wolves, eventually winning the decisive set, 25-7 and taking the match in straight sets.
Coach Schafer looked at serve receive as a bright spot in the match. "Despite the score I was happy tonight with how our team handled service receive the first set and a half," noted Schafer. "We were averaging 2.3 which is a good number. We just need to continue getting stronger in that area as the season progresses."
Walla Walla looks to flip the script during Labor Day Weekend. The Wolves will host the Owls of Oregon Tech on Sunday, September 2 at 1PM on Windemuth Court.
Wolves Athletics: Twitter ¦ Facebook ¦ Instagram
