PORTLAND, Ore. — Lewis & Clark volleyball put together one of its most complete matches of the season Saturday evening, extending visiting Pacific University to five sets before falling 25-15, 25-20, 16-25, 18-25, 15-13 at Pamplin Sports Center.
 
THE BASICS
 
Pacific 3, Lewis & Clark 2
(Lewis & Clark 0-19, 0-12 NWC)
(Pacific 5-12, 2-10 NWC)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
The Pioneers finished with three players in double figures for kills for the first time since defeating Pacific in five sets on Oct. 6, 2023. Three juniors led the Lewis & Clark attack as HB Schuett followed her career night at George Fox by setting new marks with 10 kills and 14.5 points. Isabel Meleán-Williams ranked second on the team with 11 kills, and Kaitlyn Jensen led with 12.
 
Junior Ruby Kuerschner surpassed 1,250 career assists and recorded her 18th double-double with 28 assists and 15 digs. Sophomore Daphne Ibrao added a career-best 11 digs and two service aces, while junior Christi San Diego contributed seven kills and five block assists.
 
Senior libero Reilyn Sabado tied for second on the team with 11 digs. Junior Kenzie Edwards led the team with three aces and helped the Pioneers cut into a seven-point deficit in the fifth set with a key serving run.
 
Pacific took the opening set behind a series of service aces and a late scoring run. After the teams traded early points, Lewis & Clark trailed 9-5 before a Meleán-Williams kill narrowed the gap. Kuerschner's ace cut it to 13-10, and a Pacific error made it 13-11, but the Boxers responded with five straight points to pull away. Meleán-Williams totaled four kills, and Schuett added three in the frame as Pacific claimed the set 25-15.
 
In the second, the Pioneers opened with a Schuett kill, an Ibrao ace and a San Diego kill to build a brief 5-1 lead before Pacific answered from the service line. Lewis & Clark rallied within 17-19 on a Boxers service error, but Pacific held on for a 25-20 win and a 2-0 lead going into the break.
 
Lewis & Clark's offense found rhythm in the third. The Pioneers hit .174 and scored 10 of the first 13 points to take control. Kuerschner distributed the attack as San Diego, who hit .800 (4-0-5) in the frame, landed back-to-back kills during a 5-0 stretch that made it 15-6. Pacific never came closer than six as Lewis & Clark rolled to a 25-16 victory.
 
Momentum carried into the fourth. The Pioneers stayed solid in serve receive and extended rallies with multiple digs from Ibrao, Sabado, Kuerschner, Jensen and sophomore Ainsley Mochrie. Jensen and Meleán-Williams combined for six kills in the set, and Kuerschner capped a 4-0 run with an ace to push the lead to 23-17. Lewis & Clark forced a deciding frame with a 25-18 win.
 
In the fifth, Pacific raced to a 13-4 advantage and reached match point at 14-5 after a block by Lacy Churchfield and Justyce Schliz. The Pioneers were not finished. A Meleán-Williams kill gave the serve back to Lewis & Clark, and Edwards served seven straight points, including two aces. Jensen added a kill and a block with San Diego during the run, but Pacific held on for a 15-13 win.
 
BY THE NUMBERS 

• Kuerschner now has 1,277 career assists after dishing out a season-high 28 against Pacific.
• Jensen's match-high 12 kills brought her to 160 for her NCAA career.
• Schuett and San Diego combined for 17 of the Pioneers' 47 kills from the middle and nine of their 17 blocks on the night.
• The back-row group of Sabado (11), Ibrao (11), Mochrie (6) and first-year libero Ariah Potts (4) combined for 32 of the team's 71 digs.
• Lewis & Clark held the edge in kills (47-39), hitting percentage (.119-.061), assists (44-31), total team blocks (9-8) and points (66-59).

UP NEXT
 
Lewis & Clark travels to eastern Washington for a two-match road trip against the Whits, facing Whitman on Friday at 7 p.m. and Whitworth on Saturday at 6 p.m.