BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Allie Spear helped lead the back row with 13 digs as the Western Oregon University volleyball team opened up their three-match road series in Bellingham with Western Washington taking the 3-0 (25-20, 25-14, 25-12) victory Friday night at Carver Gym.
In addition to Spear's 13 digs, Emily Olson and Lauren Smith led the offense with seven kills apiece. Makenzie York added six. Aubrey Stanton led the team in assists with 12 and spun in a pair of service aces. Bella Maclellan and York sent back three blocks each.
Western Washington (1-0) opened the match on a 7-0 run. WOU (0-3) began to work their way back into it getting points from Isabel Hurliman and Olson. A Lauren Smith kill, another kill by York and then a double-block by York and Maclellan around an attack error had the Wolves right back in the set trailing 21-18. WOU got as close as 22-20 before the Vikings finished the set on a 3-0 run for the 25-20 set win.
Trailing 5-1 in the second set, WOU used a 3-0 spurt to pull to within one. After a 6-0 run followed for the Vikings, Olson tallied back-to-back kills to keep the set lead at four for the Vikings. Despite getting solid points down the stretch from Hurliman, York, Delaney Smith, Lauren Smith and Maclellan, Western Washington was able to take the 25-14 second set win.
In the third set, Olson tallied an early kill and then helped on a double-block with York evening the set at three. Similar to the other sets, Western Washington used a big early run to push ahead, this time a 7-0 run to break open a two-point lead to take a 14-5 advantage. Laney O'Neil and Maclellan combined for a double-block and kills from Olson and Lauren Smith down the stretch tried to help WOU make a push, but it was too much Vikings with Western Washington taking the third set at 25-12 and the match at 3-0.
Calley Heilborn led the Vikings with 13 kills, Malia Aleaga had four service aces and added 34 assists, while Kasey Woodruff had 18 digs. WWU held the edge in kills (42-26), blocks (8-5), assists (37-26) and digs (53-44).
WOU and WWU will now turn around and play two matches in a doubleheader on Saturday starting at 10 a.m., with the second match to follow around 2 p.m. Live video will be available here and live stats will be available here.
