Saints sweep Cougars, still spotless in league
Both Linn-Benton and MHCC wore pink uniforms as a part of the “Dig Pink” match in support of breast cancer awareness. The Saints went on to beat the Cougars (25-22, 25-18, 25-17) bring them up to 4-0 in conference play.
After its strong earlier performance against divisional opponent Linn-Benton, the Saints volleyball team continued on a roll, sweeping the Clackamas Cougars last Friday in the “Dig Pink” match supporting breast cancer awareness.
Starting divisional play 4-0 is not an easy task, but the Saints followed their hard fought, 5-set victory again the Roadrunners by making quick work of the Cougars. With their sweep (25-22, 25-18, 25-17) of Clackamas, they were able to stay undefeated in the Southern Region, and move their overall record to 17-6.
Middle blocker Kylie Kitzmiller had a game-high 14 kills on 29 attempts. Tori Kemper added 12 kills, and sophomore Kelsey Merritt added 16 digs during the sweep. Alyssa Hall assisted 22 times, and Morgan Entze 19 times, accounting for more than Clackamas did as a whole team.
The Saints also outblocked the Cougars 5-2, dominating in every category imaginable.
Taking a brief break from league play, the team will head up to Shoreline, Wash., this weekend for the Shoreline Crossover tournament.
They open against Blue Mountain, taking on a Timberwolves squad that has an overall record of 27-0, best in the NWAACC to go along with their firm lead in the Eastern Region. In their only matchup of the season, the Saints played three close games but lost all to the undefeated Timberwolves (26-24, 25-23, 15-11). Game two of this weekend’s tournament has the Saints facing the Bellevue Bulldogs.
With an 18-6 overall record (6-0 divisional), the Northern Region’s first-place team will be looking to reverse its previous meeting with Mt. Hood, when the Saints won their first home match of the year in four games, after dropping the first (19-25, 25-21, 25-23, 25-23).
In their third game of the weekend, Mt. Hood will be pitted against the Tacoma Titans, the third-place team in the Western Region.
The Titans have posted the same overall record as Mt. Hood has (17-6), but the two squads have yet to face each other this season. After this weekend’s tournament, the Saints will head back into league play, welcoming Umpqua to Gresham for a home game next Friday at 6 p.m.
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