PORTLAND, Ore. -- Senior outside hitter Lucendy Perez supplied The Evergreen State College with 14 kills and 17 digs in a 3-2 loss to Warner Pacific University on Friday, Oct. 18 at C.C. Perry Gymnasium. Molly Packer (Jr., L) of the Geoducks added a match-high 29 digs. WPU was led by Ellianna McMoore and Elizabeth Reid, each with 15 kills. 

The scores remained close throughout most of the match and three sets were decided by the minimum of two points. The Knights won 28-26, 30-28, 25-27, 22-25, 15-9. Warner Pacific improved to 2-15 overall and 2-13 in the Cascade Collegiate Conference. The Geoducks moved to 4-14 on the season, 4-10 in the CCC.

Perez was followed on the Evergreen attacking chart by Sophia Scroggins (So., OPP/MB) with 13 kills and by Ashley Walker Campbell (Jr., OPP) with eight kills. Jessica Mitchell (Jr., S) provided 23 assists and ine digs, while Maloree Calzadillas (Sr., S) finished with 21 assists and 15 digs.

While McMoore and Reid led the WPU offense, Starley topped the Knights on defense with 19 digs, while Angel Camagay registered 14 digs. Taya-Anne Toa was credited with a match-high three block solos.

Evergreen led 21-19 in the first set on an attacking error by the Knights. Warner Pacific scored the next four points, ending with a service ace by Brooklyn Starley to move in front 23-21. The Geoducks tied the score two points later on a kill by Scroggins. Evergreen went on to tie the score three more times before Warner Pacific earned two points in a row for a 28-26 win.

In the second set, Evergreen attained a 16-13 lead, but the teams were close the rest of the way. After trailing 24-22, the Geoducks pulled even with a kill by Kaiyah Brown (Sr., MB) and an attacking error by WPU. A kill by Yasmin Dilworth (Sr., OH) gave Evergreen a 25-24 lead. The Knights replied with a kill by Autumn Gaboury-Parker. The set continued until Warner Pacific rallied from a 28-27 deficit by winning three consecutive rallies to claim the set 30-28.

Evergreen recovered from the two close defeats to win the next two sets and force a fifth set to decide the match. 

As with the first two sets, the third set took more than 25 points to earn the win. Evergreen surged out to a 5-0 lead, including kills by Marin Collins (Jr., MB), Dilworth, and Scroggins, plus a service ace by Perez and a hitting error by WPU. The Geoducks also led 8-2, but the Knights eventually tied the score at 13-13. 

Later in the third set, Evergreen rallied from a 21-17 deficit to win 27-25. The 10-4 run featured kills by Perez to tie the set at 24-24 and 25-25. The Geoducks scored the final two points of the set on service aces by Maloree Calzadillas (Sr., S).

Evergreen held leads of 17-13 and 19-15 following service aces in the fourth set. WPU reduced the margin to 22-21. Two points later, a kill by Scroggins provided the Geoducks with a 24-21 lead and Evergreen went on to earn a 25-22 victory.

In the fifth set, there were four lead changes. Two consecutive attacking miscues by Warner Pacific gave the Geoducks a 7-6 lead. The Knights tallied the next four points to surge in front 10-7. McMoore earned two kills during the run. Evergreen scored next on a kill by Collins before WPU ended the match with a 5-1 run.

The Geoducks will play at Multnomah on Saturday, Oct. 19. Match time in Portland is set for 5 p.m. PDT.