TACOMA, Wash. -- The Loggers bounce back with a 3-1 victory over the Willamette Bearcats, positioning themselves well heading into the final four games of the regular season. 

How it Happened
The first set was a back-and-forth battle, with the Loggers coming out victorious. Maddie Badger secured two kills in a row following a Samantha Keighley ace, giving Puget Sound a 3-2 lead early. The Bearcats pulled ahead to make it 9-5, but a 4-0 run tied the game up at 9 apiece. Makela Pick got in on the action, getting two kills in three points to give the Loggers back the lead. 

Kills by Badger and Mackenzie Leith pushed the lead to two, as Randi Rush recorded three assists in a row. After the Bearcats tied the set at 19, Pick started a little run that gave the Loggers a set-one victory. Badger had three kills in a row to end it, as the team earned an early 1-0 lead. 

The second set went Willamette's way, Kills by Randi Rush and Leith gave the Loggers an early 6-4 lead, and an ace by Keightley pushed the lead to three. The two teams kept trading points back and forth, as Pick, and Badger helped keep the lead at one. The Bearcats went on a 5-1 run to end the set, though, taking set two 25-22. 

After losing set two, the Loggers put their foot on a gas pedal. They went on a 7-3 run to start the set, as Erin Fagan started to heat up. Two kills and another ace by Keightley were the highlights during that span, but the Bearcats started to go on a run of their own. All of the sudden it's 10-9 Bearcats, even extending their lead to two on back to back aces. 

Badger then put the team on her back, recording multiple kills to give the Loggers back the lead. Leith and Akira Anderson extended a run of seven, as the Loggers took a 3-point lead late in the set. They continued to hit well, pushing it to match point thanks to kills by Pick and Fagan. The Bearcats went on a 5-0 run to tie it, but Pick and Badger put the set away to win it 26-24. 

It was all business in the fourth set, as Amelia Reed went on a service run to start the set. Two aces in a 7-0 run was a great start for the Loggers, extending their lead to 8 thanks to another kill by Rush. After the Bearcats got a couple back, the Loggers went on a 9-3 run to give the squad a massive 13-point lead. The Loggers took set four with ease, 25-13, as an ace by Anderson closed the game. 

Top Performers
Maddie Badger had another quality game, hitting .390 with 22 kills and 3 blocks. Fagan and Pick had 11 kills apiece, while Rush had a phenomenal 48 assists. 

Coach's Thoughts
"Even though we won the first set, we weren't really in our normal rhythm tonight for quite a while, either serving, or pin attacking. But as the match went on, we dialed in our serving and blocking better, and that helped our offensive execution," said Logger head coach Mark Massey.

"Maddie Badger had another huge night with 24 points. DS Amelia Reed handled a ton of tough serves well, played superb defense, and broke open set 4 with a string of impactful serves of her own."

"Makela Pick had one of her better nights this season, 2nd in kills, really efficient at .333, and blocking that made a difference against Willamette hitters that had been putting up .300+ numbers recently. Libero Sam Keightley was big on defense again, leading the gym with 18 digs."

What Happens Next
The Loggers head to Linfield on October 31st at 7:00 pm.