As the season has gone by, the Linn-Benton volleyball team has improved with every match they play.
The Roadrunners faced off against Clackamas and Chemeketa this past weekend, coming out on top with back-to-back straight-set victories.
The team started their weekend on Friday, Oct. 18, with a trip to Oregon City, where they took on the Cougars. Though a closely contested battle, the Roadrunners left with the victory, winning by a score of 25-22, 25-18, and 25-23.
Sophomores Brooklyn Willard and Grace Luttrell led the team’s attack, Willard accumulating 20 kills, while Luttrell contributed 10 of her own. Setter Meah Carley led the team with 27 assists, with Avery Hughes not far behind with 18 assists.
So far this season, Linn-Benton has played 10 away matches, winning a remarkable 30 out of 31 sets possible as the visiting team. The Roadrunners are one of just two schools in the NWAC that are yet to drop an away match, the other being Treasure Valley.
The team then headed back home, where they took on Chemeketa the following day. The outing was another triumph for the Roadrunners as they collected another dominant sweep, winning by a score of 25-20, 25-11, and 25-9.
The visiting Storm looked to cause the upset, battling hard in the first set and jumping to an early lead in the second. The Roadrunners would then go on a 9-point run that would flip the momentum of the entire match. Following Linn-Benton’s early run in the second, Chemeketa would only put up 17 more points for the rest of the night.
Maddy Hellem recorded 12 kills, while Willard would add on an additional 10. Carley and Hughes led the team with 18 and 13 assists, respectively. Freshman Annabelle Peterson, whose birthday happened to fall on the day of the match, led the team with seven block assists. Following the game, Peterson’s father led the crowd in a collaborative rendition of “Happy Birthday.”
“We’re a little bit tired,” said Willard, “but I think we really had each other’s backs and worked together to stop the Storm.”
Willard’s impressive performances made her the NWAC South Offensive Player of the Week, while her setters Carley and Hughes shared honors as NWAC South Setters of the Week.
During the season, Willard has immensely contributed to the team’s attack, leading the Roadrunners with 265 kills. Her offensive performances have helped her claim NWAC South Offensive Player of the Week four times, a conference-best.
Despite the success, Willard still emphasizes the importance of trying to get better and taking things one step at a time.
“It’s one point, one set, one match, one mission. We really just come out every single point ready to go, like ‘This is the point that matters’ every time,” said Willard.
Heading into their next match, Linn-Benton remains comfortably atop the NWAC South Region standings with an overall record of 24-0 and a conference record of 10-0.
So far, the team has not dropped a single set through conference play and has only lost three sets for the entire season.
The Roadrunners will look to continue their dominance as their season continues. After their away contest at Mt. Hood Community College on Oct. 23, they’ll return to Albany for an Oct. 25 matchup against Umpqua at 6 p.m. for the school’s annual Dig Pink Night.
