On the first night of back-to-back home matches, the Multnomah Lions hosted the Bushnell Beacons, in what would prove to be a test of preparation and health. The Lions had rallied after a week of illness that left them unable to hold full practices, while Bushnell came in after having to face #3 ranked Corban University on Tuesday night.
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The Lions put up a fight behind the aggressive offensive play of opposite hitter
Jocelynn Porter and her sister, libero
Lauren Porter, but saw early momentum in each of the first two sets stall, as they were unable to sustain a consistent level of play throughout the match.
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Jocelynn Porter and
Jahnay Jardine each 4 kills, with middle hitter Emilina Mirafuentes adding 3. Libero
Lauren Porter matched Bushnell's Shay Coons for a match-high 17 digs. Shay Coons also led all hitters with 12 kills.
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On Saturday, the Multnomah Lions faced off against the Corban Warriors, with Corban looking to extend a 15 match winning streak (including one against top-ranked Eastern Oregon), and the Lions seeking to make a statement at home.
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In set 1, the Lions found themselves with the Warriors at point 20, behind the strong offense of
Jahnay Jardine and
Jocelynn Porter (5 kills each). Corban finished the set on a 5-1 run to take a 1-0, with a pair of errors by the Lions contributing to Corban's win.
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The Lions opened set 2 with a 7 point lead, and led 22-19 towards the tail end of the set. Four kills by Corban's Rylee Troutman (19 kills, 15 digs) would prove the difference in the finale, however, and the Warriors took a 2-0 lead into set 3. Corban set the tone early in set 3, and despite a mid-set rally from the Lions, would close out the match for a 3-0 sweep, improving to 20-2 (14-1 in conference).
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The Lions' offense was led by
Jahnay Jardine and
Jocelynn Porter with 5 kills apiece, and on defense by
Lauren Porter's 17 digs. Rylee Troutman paced Corban with her 19 kills, with Kealani Ontai adding 19 digs for the Warriors.
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