The Titans opened their first NWAC tournament match since their resurrection with a 3-0 loss vs Walla Walla.
The Titans opponent was the two seed from the East, and has a record of 32-6. They finished the regular season ranked 3rd in the NWAC.
How it happened: The first set went to Walla Walla 25-19. The Titans had a 6-4 led and only trailed 17-21, but the Warriors finished on a 21-13 run after trailing by two. The Titans offense never got going, hitting only .077 with nine kills and six errors. The Warriors weren't great either, hitting .200, but had 16 kills and seven errors.
Set two was the most lopsided, seeing Walla Walla take a commanding 2-0 lead after a 25-16 set win. The Titans hit a match-low .032 and match-low seven kills and six errors. Despite the bad hitting and low kill total, the Titans did have the lead at 16-15, but the Warriors went on a 10-0 run that included four errors and two serve aces allowed by the Titans. The run helped to pad the Warriors offensive set totals, hitting a match-high .303 with 14 kills and a match-low four errors.
The third set was a mirror of the first two sets. The Titans were tied 9-9 and 12-13, but the Warriors made another run, extending their lead to eight at 24-16. The Titans responded with four straight points, but the Warriors finished it off 25-20. The Titans hitting rebounded slightly, .081, but a kill to error ratio of 10-7 made it hard to gain ground. The Warriors had their worst hitting set, but still out hit the Titans at .200, and collected 13 kills.
What/who stood out: Neither team took a timeout during the three set match. The Titans had
For the game, four Titans had four kills. Saige Brashears was the most efficient, hitting .308 with four kills. Sierra Westling had a team-high 11 assists, she also contributed four digs. The second leading player in total digs in the NWAC, Stacia Panther, led with 11. Other
What it means: The tournament is double-elimination, which means the championship can still be won, but the loser bracket will be a challenge.
What's next: They face the Tacoma Titans at 8:15 p.m. on court 1. Tacoma lost 3-0 to Edmonds earlier today.