PORTLAND, Ore. – The Multnomah University Lions opened their season with a victory that was nothing short of exciting, after defeating their cross-town conference partner Warner Pacific University for the first time in almost five years (October 11^th, 2016). The teams both brought a vibrant crowd, battling it out in four sets.

The Multnomah offense dominated the first set – boasting a .361 hitting percentage and 18 kills. Despite being down 6-3 to start, the Lions went on a 6-point run to take the lead 9-6. Senior outside hitter Kamaile Labanon led the charge with 3 kills. The Knights responded with their own run to tie it up at 10. Yet again the Lions went on another run and held onto the lead until the end, with a final score of 25-19.

Set two saw Multnomah take the lead early on thanks to a strong defense that shut down the Knights offense, holding them at 5 kills and a negative hitting percentage. The Lions took the second set win by 10 points, 25-15.

The Knights came back in the third, playing their best set and forcing Multnomah to their worst set of the match. This time it was the Lions that were in the negative percentage for hitting, ultimately leading to the 9-point loss, 16-25.

Making every point count in the fourth set, the two teams were battling it out to the very end. The Knights carried their momentum from the last set and had a 5-point lead at 11-6. Head Coach Colton Naill called a timeout, which led to a 5-point run from the Lions to tie the set up at 11's. Warner was still staying strong, and had the lead again at 19-16. Staying true to the run game, the Multnomah offense took the lead again after 4 back-to-back kills. The Lions finished the set with the win after staying consistent despite the pressure, winning 25-22.

Leading the match offensively was junior outside hitter Danae Stokes, who finished with 20 kills to her name. Kamaile Labanon was also in the double digits, after scoring 12. Juniors Jocelynn Porter and Hannah McPhetridge were also key pieces of the Lions offense, scoring 9 and 7 kills, respectively. Sophomore setter Rachel Bailey dished all but 3 of the 41 total assists. The Multnomah defense played lights out – seeing four players with double digit digs. Senior libero Alyssa Mehalovich led the back line with 25 digs, followed by senior Rayesa Efimov with 17. Rachel Bailey and Kamaile Labanon closed it out with 12 and 11, respectively. Another notable defensive stat came from Junior middle blocker Jennifer Crago, who finished with 4 blocks on the night.

Carrying their momentum into the next days exhibition match, the Lions defeated the Bruins of George Fox University (NCAA DIII) in another four-set thriller.

Highlights:
-The team hit .370 in set two, and .333 in the fourth and final set
- Danae Stokes led both teams in kills for the second night in a row with 11
-Alyssa Mehalovich led the defense with 12 digs

UP NEXT:
The Lions will play their final non-conference game on Wednesday, September 1^st at Pacific University at 6pm. With a quick turnaround the team will be on the road for the CCC opening weekend as they travel to play at Evergreen State College on Friday, September 3^rd, and at Northwest University on Saturday, September 4^th.