Linn-Benton Captures First NWAC Volleyball Title in Program History

PHOTOS | BRACKET

LAKEWOOD, Wash. – The Linn-Benton Roadrunners won their first-ever NWAC Volleyball Championship with a 3-1 win over Skagit Valley on Sunday at Pierce College. The Roadrunners finished the season with a 32-2 record and on an incredible 25-match winning streak.

FINALS | Linn-Benton 3, Skagit Valley 1

The Roadrunners swept through the NWAC Championship, winning all six matches going back to the NWAC regional bracket last week. Linn-Benton lost two sets only once, in the first match of the regional bracket against Tacoma when they fell behind 0-2. Since dropping those first two sets, the Roadrunners went onto win a possible 18 of their next 21 sets.

"We did exactly what we've done over and over again all season," said head coach Jayme Frazier. "I am so thankful for this group. It took everybody to get here and it's nice to have won the title."

LBCC got off to a good start in opening set of the finals, winning a close one 25-23. Despite having just played in a wild five-set thriller about 30 minutes prior, Skagit Valley came out with lots of energy and nearly won the first set. The score was tied late 22-22, but the Roadrunners went onto win three of the final four points.

Another close set saw the Cardinals tie up the match score 1-1 with a 25-23 victory. Skagit Valley limited LBCC to a .080 hitting percentage and eight attack errors.

Set three was another close one, with Linn-Benton finishing it off 25-22 and taking a 2-1 lead in the match. From there, it was all Road Runners, as they dominated the fourth set 25-15 to claim their title.

Shalyn Gray led the match with 17 kills, adding 13 digs. Taya Manibusan, who named the tournament's Most Valuable Player, recorded 12 kills with 11 digs.

"Taya stepped up in the tough times we needed her to score," said Frazier. "Time and time again stepped up when we really needed her."

Jade Hayes had a great tournament as the team's libero, recording 21 digs in the finals. Savannah Hutchins had 25 assists and 18 digs, while Sydnie Johnson added 19 assiss and 11 digs. Alexis Chapman led the team with three solo blocks and a block assist.

The Cardinals were led by Olivia Pratt's 15 kills and 12 digs. Mia Scheepens had 14 kills with eight digs. Libby Miller had a great match with 32 digs, including a number of tough point-saving digs. Brooklyn Johnson had 38 assists.

Linn-Benton finishes the year with one of the best seasons in NWAC history with a .941 winning percentage. The Cardinals complete the season with the second highest winning percentage in the NWAC at .806, going 25-6 overall.

SEMIFINALS | Skagit Valley 3, Pierce 2

There were a countless, spectacular matches over the weekend at the NWAC Championships, but the semifinal match between Skagit Valley and Pierce will go down as one of the best ever. In particular, the match featured one of the greatest back-and-forth sets.

With Pierce leading 2-1 in the match, the Raiders came within one point of advancing to the final's multiple times. The Cardinals showed a relentless fight and knack for winning the most crucial points. Pierce led 24-23 and had match point nine-straight times all the way to 32-31, before Skagit finally earned their first set point. The Cardinals put their first opportunity away to send the match to a fifth set.

In the fifth set, the Cardinals used their momentum to send themselves to the finals for just the second time in program history, looking for their first NWAC title.

Faith Baar led the Cardinals with 19 kills. Olivia Pratt had 15 kills and 20 digs. Mia Scheepens also had a double-double with 14 kills and 18 digs. Libby Miller finishes with 37 digs while Brooklyn Johnson had 50 kills and 21 digs.

The Raiders were led by Moeshana Maiava's 23 kills. Dominique Dizon had 18 kills and Brianna Ingram had 11 kills with seven block assists. Alyssa Sangster had 32 digs and Raedyn Goudreau had 55 assists with 11 digs.

ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
Taya Manibusan, Linn-Benton

FIRST TEAM
Sydnie Johnson, Linn-Benton
Jade Hays, Linn-Benton
Brooklyn Johnson, Skagit Valley
Olivia Pratt, Skagit Valley
Moeshana Maiava, Pierce
Carlin Stroud, Lane

SECOND TEAM
Alexis Chapman, Linn-Benton
Libby Miller, Skagit Valley
Baylee Blau, Pierce
Cassidy Herbert, Lane
Keelan Memory, Edmonds
Arianna Bilby, Bellevue
 
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Contact: Iain Dexter; idexter@clark.edu