This Week in LBCC Athletics: Roadrunners Volleyball Improves to 27-0
Linn-Benton’s women’s volleyball team won both of their games last week, improving to 27-0 on the season.
The 11-11 Mt. Hood Saints traveled to Linn-Benton’s Albany campus on October 18 to take on the Roadrunners. It was the Beaks’ fourth consecutive match played at home, and they looked comfortable early on, maintaining a sizable lead for most of the first set en route to a 25-14 win.
The Saints held onto a slim lead in the first few minutes of the second set, but the Beaks fought back to tie the score at 8-all before pulling ahead 11-8 following a kill by freshman Desiree Tupua. With their momentum slipping away, the Saints called a timeout. However, the Roadrunners never slowed down, winning the second set by eight: 25-17.
The Beaks looked like they were well on their way to putting Mt. Hood away in just three sets after jumping out to a 4-0 lead early in the next set, but the Saints mounted a comeback in response. Mt. Hood stormed back to take a 5-4 lead and didn’t stop there, piling on the points to make the score 22-13. The Beaks managed to make it interesting, pulling within two of the Saints with a 21-23 score late, but Mt. Hood managed to hold on and take the third set 25-22.
In the fourth set, both teams traded points early on before Linn-Benton pulled away, decisively winning 25-14. The Beaks won the match 3-1, extending their season-opening winning streak to 26.
Sophomore Brooke Rogers and freshman Brooklyn Willard tied for the team lead with 12 points apiece, with 12 and 10 kills, respectively. Sophomore Grace Luttrell also had a great night, scoring 10.5 points and nine kills, while freshman Kinsey Brelage showed out defensively with 22 digs.
Two days later, the Beaks were on the road to take on the 11-15 Umpqua RiverHawks on October 20. Linn-Benton won early and often, taking the match with a 3-0 victory.
The RiverHawks kept it competitive in the first two sets, losing by five points both times. But the Roadrunners continued their streak of finishing strong, taking the final set 25-15 to finish out their week with a dominant victory. They now sit at 27-0 on the season.
Freshman Maddy Hellem led Linn-Benton statistically against Umpqua with 11.5 points and 10 kills. Luttrell recorded 11 points and eight kills and Willard came in third with nine points and eight kills.
The Roadrunners will get to enjoy a bit of a break before their next game at 6 p.m. on October 27 against Southwestern Oregon at home. They’ll also face Rogue at home at 2 p.m. on the 28th.
After that, the Beaks have just two additional games before the NWAC women’s volleyball playoffs are set to start on November 11. Linn-Benton remains the only undefeated team in their conference, currently holding the top seed in the NWAC South.
