Volleyball

Titans take down Saints in 4 sets

10/26/2018 13:39

The Titans beat the visiting Mt. Hood Saints in four sets; 25-20, 25-16, 21-25, 25-14. This win gives the Titans a very important 2-game win streak.

The Titans only hit .200 but held the Saints to .081 clip; thanks to a 9-2 block advantage.

How it happened: The Titans out hit the Saints .286 to .185 and had seven fewer hitting errors, but the Saints battled and made the final loosing margin a respectable 5, 25-20.

The second set saw both teams struggle hitting, with the Titans average dropping to .207 with three more errors and the Saints hitting .000 with same amount of hitting errors, 9. The Titans were able to take advantage of the poor Saints offensive execution in a 25-16 win.

After better executing their offense in the first two sets, the Titans got very sloppy in the third. They would win the first few points, but the Saint gained the lead and didn't look back. The Titans hitting dropped to a match worst .025 with nine hitting errors. The Saints offense woke up for the only time of the match, hitting .219 with only three hitting errors. The final score going Mt. Hood's way, 25-21.

The fourth set looked like it was going to go to the wire with the score being only one or two difference for the first 15-20 points, but the explosive offense was too much for the Saints, as they hit a match high .310 and five errors; the Saints hit a match worst -.071 with 7 errors and only 5 kills on only 28 total attacks.

What it means: With this win the Titans gain sole possession of second place in the Southern Region, sitting a 1/2 game ahead of Clackamas and Chemeketa, who have played one fewer matches. The Titans do not face either team and are 1-1 against both. 

Who/What stood out: Sierra Westling was second in assists with 15 and tied for second in digs, 10. Stacia Panther, who is second in the NWAC with 492 digs, had team high 15 digs; she also added 10 assists. Hannah Hayes was extremely efficient, connecting on 10 of 16 attempts, a .562 hitting percentage, her fifth most efficient match of the year. Taylor Russell, who leads the team in assists with 484 (eighth in NWAC), had a team high 17 assists. 

The Titans overall had 49 kills, fifth most this year, an impressive number considering they only average 34 kills per match and 9.85 per set, 39.4 for 4 sets.

What's next: The Titans get a week off before their final home game of the season against SWOCC at 6:30 pm.