WOU Volleyball faces Lewis & Clark at home

Wolves look to earn their first win of the season

MATCH #5
Western Oregon (0-4) vs. Lewis & Clark (3-1)
Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2015, at 7 p.m.
Monmouth, Ore. – New PE Building
LIVE STATS/VIDEO

MONMOUTH, Ore. – The Western Oregon volleyball team looks to turn the season around early as they face Lewis & Clark tonight in Monmouth.

The Wolves endured a tough start to the season with four losses in the Courtyard & Residence Inn by Marriott Oredigger Volleyball Classic, which was held in Golden, Colorado this past weekend. Western Oregon claimed a set against No. 19 Cal State San Bernandino but fell 1-3 in the end. They then went on to lose three straight sets in each game against No. 8 Colorado Mines, Findlay, and Minnesota State Moorhead.

KILLING IT
Despite the losses, Western Oregon had numerous kills from various players. Outside hitters Amanda Short and Alisha Bettinson made significant marks in all four games of the Oredigger Volleyball Classic. They respectively recorded at least four kills each game, executing the most during the Cal State San Bernandino game as Short contributed nine, and Bettinson had seven. Paige Kelsey and Mariella Vandenkooy also had kills in three of the games, while Maddie Mehciz and Sydney Blankinship made contributions in the Minnesota State Moorhead game.

YOUNG AND NEW
After graduating four seniors last season, this year's Wolves are made up of a young team. The roster includes nine freshmen, four sophomores, three juniors, and no seniors. Five of the players have experience as Wolves, whereas the remaining players are just starting their first year at Western Oregon.

ABOUT LEWIS & CLARK
The Pioneers (3-1) currently stand at the top of the Northwest Conference standings during preseason play. All four of their games this season took place at the UC-Santa Cruz Slugfest Tournament, where they finished with a winning record.

Lewis & Clark swept the first day of the tournament on Sept. 4 with a 3-2 win against William Jessup and a 3-0 win against UC-Santa Cruz. They fell to Redlands on Sept. 5 in a 3-2 decision, but came back later that day against Mills in a 3-0 victory.

After a positive showing at the tournament, four Pioneers were named All-Tournament. Alexe Navarro and Julia Somers earned 1st Team All-Tournament honors, while Kortney Meyer and Mikayla Lopez earned 2nd Team honors.

All-time Series: 28-10
Last Meeting: 1995

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Players Mentioned

#6 Alisha Bettinson: OH; 5' 11"; Sophomore; 1V

#16 Sydney Blankinship: MB; 6' 0"; Redshirt Sophomore; 1V

#8 Amanda Short: OH; 5' 8"; Redshirt Freshman; HS

#11 Maddie Mehciz: S; 5' 10"; Freshman; HS

#12 Mariella Vandenkooy: OH/OPP; 6' 1"; Freshman; HS

#5 Paige Orth: S/OPP; 5' 9"; Junior; TR

Players Mentioned

#6 Alisha Bettinson
: 5' 11"; Sophomore; 1V
: OH

#16 Sydney Blankinship
: 6' 0"; Redshirt Sophomore; 1V
: MB

#8 Amanda Short
: 5' 8"; Redshirt Freshman; HS
: OH

#11 Maddie Mehciz
: 5' 10"; Freshman; HS
: S

#12 Mariella Vandenkooy
: 6' 1"; Freshman; HS
: OH/OPP

#5 Paige Orth
: 5' 9"; Junior; TR
: S/OPP