TURLOCK, Calif. – The Western Oregon women's volleyball team (3-4) fought off host Stanislaus State (3-4) for a 3-1 win (25-22, 25-23, 22-25, 15-17), in the fourth match of the D2 West Region Volleyball Showcase at Fitzpatrick Arena on Saturday morning. The Wolves had four players with double figures in kills in the win and out-hit the Warriors, .248 (61-20-165) to .194 (55-20-180).
 
Senior middle Paige Orth and junior outside hitter Alisha Bettinson led Western Oregon with 13 kills. Bettinson notched her second consecutive double-double, fourth of the season, with 12 digs. Sophomore hitter Mariella Vandenkooy added 12 kills while fellow second-year outside Amanda Short was the final member of the double-digit quarter with 10 kills.
 
Sophomore setter Maddie Mehciz posted 55 assists, the second highest single-match total in her WOU career, and nine digs. Senior libero Christie Colasurdo led all players with 29 digs.
 
For Stanislaus State, Blair Ehrlich turned in 21 kills on 61 attacks and 13 digs for a double-double. Setter Maddie Seidl also doubled up with 45 assists and 19 digs.
 
Western Oregon broke up a tug-of-war by going on top, 17-15, after a pair of Vandenkooy kills. Bettinson's two kills in a 4-0 run pushed the Wolves to game point. A Stanislaus State kill and WOU attack error allowed the Warriors to close within two points before Bettinson put game one to bed, 25-22.
 
The Wolves got kills from a variety of sources to run ahead for a 9-6 lead. It wasn't enough as the Warriors scored four straight to lead 10-6. Western Oregon responded with four of the next five points in their favor, but didn't pull away until a 3-0 run capped by a Bettinson kill for a 24-20 advantage. Taylor Massengale had two kills as the Warriors pushed away three game points before Mehciz set Bettinson's kills securing a 25-23 win.
 
In the most even game of the match, Stanislaus State built a 6-3 lead after a service ace and increased the lead in small increments to hold a four-point edge, 19-15. The Wolves wouldn't go quietly as they mounted a 4-0 rally to pull even at 19-all. The final margin of victory was produced on back-to-back Massengale kills to put the host school on the board with a 25-23 win.
 
The Warriors carried their momentum from the third-set win into the fourth and produced an early 4-2 lead. Western Oregon ignited a pair of three-point spurts, mainly of Stanislaus State errors, to lead 8-5. Western Oregon went up as many as four at 18-14 until a 4-0 run on Colasurdo's serve bumped the advantage to seven. Vandenkooy had the last WOU kill for the 23^rd point and an attack error gave WOU match point. Stanislaus State extended the match with Massengale's 13^th kill but a service error ended the match with a Wolves 25-17 win.
 
Up next, the Wolves will make their much anticipated home debut while opening play in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference with a match against Northwest Nazarene at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Sept.15 inside the New P.E. Building.