Checking in with some of the key players
As Pacific Volleyball reaches the halfway point into their season, it has not been what they hoped for, as they are in the midst of a seven game losing streak for a frustrating total of 12 losses, including a parched stretch of 0 and 6 conference play.
That said, there have been highlights, like: After going down 2-1, the Boxers rallied back to win the next two sets for a 3-2 win. Freshman Isabelle Darnell led the way with a season best 13 kills, and sophomore Callie Turner tallied a season best 20 assists. And we can celebrate senior Emma Velcheck and McKenzie Uyehara, who are now in the final stages of their collegiate career.
Velcheck is continuing where she left off from last season, leading the team in kills with 117 and is joint fifth on the team in blocks; an impressive 14. Her 2.59 kills per set also puts her tenth in the Northwest Conference. The third-team All-Conference player from last season is hoping to end her career off a high note, as she’s on pace to set a career season high in kills, and better her total from last season.
Uyehara is also having a great season, leading the team in Service Aces tallying 16. She also leads the team in Digs; 121 of them, a new career high for her in a single season.
Another bright spot for the Boxers is that their freshman recruits have become regular starters, joining some of the more experienced sophomores from last season. Certainly that shows a bright light in the future.
Sophomore Callie Turner, who became a full-time starter this season, leads the team with 159 Assists; 20 of those came in Pacific’s only win this season against Occidental, with her also tallying a season high of 14 digs and even a kill. Turner also has 15 service aces, which puts her second on the team.
Freshman Emma Young is one of few freshmen who is a regular starter, and has so far had a brilliant debut season, as she leads the team with 36 blocks; that ranks her sixth most in the entire conference. The Gig Harbor native is also fifth on the team in Kills with 43 of them.
Isabelle Darnell is another freshman who’s already fit right in, as she’s second on the team in Kills with 98, behind only her much more experienced teammate Emma Velchek.
The other freshman starters are Quinn Freitag and Makenna Ennes, who have also made a big impact this season. Freitag is third on the team with kills (65) and blocks (15) while Ennes is second in blocks (30), third in service aces (9), and fourth in kills (48).
Pacific now goes into a 10 day break, before the final half of conference play, with a trip to George Fox on Friday, October 9th before coming back home on Saturday, October 10 to host Linfield at 7 pm at Stoller Center, part of a four game streak of home games.
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