WICHITA, Kan. -- The Evergreen State College volleyball team split a pair of matches at the Friends Invitational on Saturday, Aug. 22. The Geoducks opened the day with a 3-1 win over Oklahoma Panhandle State University by scores of 25-22, 12-25, 25-22, 25-16. In the second match, MidAmerica Nazarene University (Kan.) downed Evergreen 25-23, 25-17, 25-17. Evergreen completed the tournament, which was hosted by Friends University, with a 1-3 record. Oklahoma Panhandle State fell to 0-3, while MidAmerica Nazarene improved to 2-0.
Evergreen 3, Oklahoma Panhandle State 1
During the match against OPSU, four Evergreen players each contributed eight or more kills. Analise Orlowski (Fr., MB) topped the offensive chart with 12 kills and a .500 hitting percentage with only one attacking error.
Sophia Scroggins (Sr., OH) and
Zofia Formella (Jr. MB/OH) each provided 10 kills, and
Bright Brubaker (Jr., OPP) added eight kills. Scroggins and
Jaci Yamada (So., DS/L) topped the Geoducks with 13 digs, while
Jayden Vaimaona (Sr., S) earned 21 assists.
Riley Mangan (Jr., S/DS) added 14 assists. Formella and Vaimaona both registered 10 digs.
The Aggies were paced by Tanner Robinson and Mariell Gonzalez, each with 10 kills. Gonzalez hit .350 to lead OPSU in attack percentage. Veronica Rolando supplied 19 assists, while Kylie Cumbie led the Aggies with 15 digs.
Evergreen gained an 11-8 advantage in service aces. Scroggins was credited with five aces, and Orlowski tacked on four aces. On defense, the Geoducks held the Aggies to a .079 team hitting percentage.
The Geoducks fell behind 5-2 in the first set on a service ace by Giulia Beatriz Silva. Later, Evergreen trailed 13-8 on a block by Beatriz Silva, but the Geoducks countered with a 7-2 run, ending with a kill by Orlowski for a 15-15 tie. OPSU regained the lead with a 3-0 run and eventually held a 21-18 edge. The Geoducks ran off six consecutive points to start a 7-1 run to win the set 25-22. The run included a block by Orlowski, a service ace by Yamada, and a kill by Formella.
OPSU zoomed out to a 9-2 lead in the second set. Evergreen cut the margin to 9-6 before the Aggies gradually pulled away for a 25-12 victory.
Evergreen replied with a 25-22 win in the third set, as the Geoducks rallied from deficits of 9-3 and 17-11. The Geoducks pulled within 18-17 on a kill by Scroggins but trailed 20-17 two rallies later. Evergreen surged into a 23-20 lead with a 6-0 run led by Scroggins, who supplied one kill and ended the run with three consecutive aces. OPSU added kills from Scout Burris and Roerie Knight to get within 23-22, but the Geoducks tallied two points in a row to win the set.
In the fourth set, Evergreen overcame a 9-3 deficit to take an 11-10 lead. A bit later, Evergreen led 18-15. The Geoducks pulled away with a 6-0 run that included two kills by Brubaker. Robinson added a kill for the Aggies, but Scroggins concluded the set at 25-16 with a kill.
MidAmerica Nazarene 3, Evergreen 0
The match between the Geoducks and MidAmerica Nazarene began with an opening set in which neither team led by more than two points. Late in the set, Evergreen took a 21-20 lead when Orlowski and Brubaker combined to block an attack by Kyla Brandes. Evergreen also led 22-21 and took a 23-22 advantage on a kill by Scroggins. The Pioneers used two kills by Laura Carbonell and one kill by Mia Olson to score three consecutive points and win the set 25-23.
MidAmerica Nazarene held a slim 9-8 lead in the second set after the Pioneers committed an attacking error. MNU went on an 8-3 run for a 17-11 lead. The Geoducks scored next on a combo block by
Hollis Hicks (Fr., MB) and Scroggins, but MidAmerica Nazarene pulled away for a 25-17 triumph.
In the third set, Evergreen was in front 9-8 before Anna DeGraffenreid of MNU earned four service aces during a 7-0 run to grab a 15-9 lead. Evergreen pulled as close as 18-15 on an attacking error by the Pioneers. MidAmerica Nazarene closed the set with a 7-2 run.
Scroggins led the Geoducks against the Pioneers by pounding nine kills. Formella amassed eight kills and a .318 hitting percentage. Vaimaona contributed 13 assists, and Yamada was credited with 15 digs. Makayla Kelly (Grad., MB/OPP) registered three block assists, while Formella added one block solo and two block assists.
For MidAmerica Nazarene, Carbonell accumulated 10 kills and hit .333. Emily Mathis registered 19 digs and Callie Winebarger finished with 22 assists. DeGraffenreid supplied 15 assists and 10 digs to go with her four service aces.
Up Next for Evergreen
The Geoducks will host the University of Puget Sound in an exhibition match at the Costantino Recreation Center on Friday, Aug. 28. Match time is set for 7 p.m. PDT.
