Photo by Dylan Hersha
ALBANY, Oregon – The roar of the home crowd filled the air as Jasmine Broberg’s serve hit the net.
The match was over. On Friday the 13th, Linn-Benton prevailed 15-11 in the decisive fifth set to move to 24-0 in the Linn-Benton Volleyball team’s most exciting match of the season and the home crowd loved every second second of it.
Clackamas Community College entered the LBCC Activities Center with a 10-8 record, but they played like they were in the title game. Linn-Benton, riding a 42-game winning streak since 2022 and a 23-0 start to the 2023 season, matched their intensity.
After taking the first set 25-21, Clackamas had the Beaks on their heels. With 10 kills per team, the Cougars took advantage of the Roadrunners’ 11 errors and delivered 3 service aces en route to winning the opening set.
The Cougars were slapping hands, punching the air, and screaming with every point, but LB responded.
The Roadrunners dug deep to find their best game however, taking the second and third sets, each by the score of 25-15. Grace Boeder notched 4 kills in the third set while Brooklyn Willard added 4 points. Grace Luttrell contributed 3 kills as well. Combined with 6 errors from Clackamas, it was enough to tie the game at 1 set each.
With the screams from each of the teams alternating between almost every point, the fourth set saw Clackamas put their best play forward. While the third and fourth sets saw Linn-Benton display the depth of their team, with 7 different LB players recording kills, it wasn’t enough to hold off the Cougars.
There was never a lead greater than 4 points in the 4th set, which Clackamas took 26-24. This, despite the Roadrunners finding themselves only 3 points from victory when leading 22-18. A series of errors from LB allowed the Cougars to tie the set at 23-all. An attack error from Boeder led to a deadly spike from the Cougars’ Katelynn Hooper that got the Clackamas bench to jump from their bench and the home crowd’s noise. Her kill won the set and set the stage for the game to be decided in the fifth.
Linn-Benton took the early lead with an error from Clackamas, but was the set was tied at 6-6 when LB’s Grace Luttrell had an attack error.
From there on out, it was all LB. The Roadrunners closed the match out with 6 kills from 6 different players. When Broberg’s service attempt hit the net, the home crowd gave the team a standing ovation.
With the win, the Roadrunners improved to 24-0 (9-0 in conference play) extending their lead in the NWAC South, while the Cougars fell to 10-9 on the season, with a 5-5 record in the NWAC South.
Brooklyn Willard led the team with 12 kills and 15 points, while Grace Boeder added 8 kills and 10 points. Grace Luttrell helped push the team to victory with 9 kills and 11.5 points.
It was a game that will serve as a reminder that no opponent can be overlooked and that an undefeated record will likely bring out the best from every team they face.
After the game Linn-Benton’s Olivia Hisaw provided her perspective on the game:
“I think tonight was definitely a reality check for what the outcome could be, but you know we need those kinds of moments to help remind us of why we work so hard in practice and off the court.”
When asked what made the difference “We all just got together and decided that we gotta pull it out. We all have such good strengths, and we’ve got to play as one.”
It was a game to remember for both the players and the fans, and the LB community can only hope for more of the same from the team – winning.
The Roadrunners play their next games in Albany against Chemeketa Community College on Saturday, Oct. 14th at 2 pm and again in Albany against Mt. Hood Community College on Wednesday, Oct. 18th at 6 pm.