SPOKANE, Wash. -- Whitworth rolled to a 25-23, 25-12, 25-19 win over visiting Willamette in a Northwest Conference volleyball match on Saturday night at the Fieldhouse, giving Pirate head coach Steve Rupe his 200th career victory.

Whitworth, ranked 24th in the most recent AVCA Division III Coaches Poll, improved to 16-5 overall and 11-1 in the NWC with its fourth straight victory. Rupe, in his 13th year, is now 200-135 while leading the Bucs.

Whitworth struggled to pull away from Willamette (7-14, 4-8) in the opening set. Ka'ipo Rocha's kill gave the Pirates a 14-8 lead, but the Bearcats fought back to tie the set 22-22 on a kill by Shannon Waltz. A Willamette service error and a kill by Amanda Grumbach gave the Bucs back a two-point lead, and Jalana White ended the set with a kill.

Whitworth rolled to an easy win in the second set, hitting .483 as a team. Grumbach's kill gave the Pirates a 14- lead, then she served an ace for a 21-7 advantage. Kaimi Rocha and Kristine Kardell had four kills each for Whitworth in the set.

The Pirates never trailed in the final set. Ka'ipo Rocha's kill gave Whitworth a 15-8 lead. Waltz had three of her team-high eight kills in the final set for Willamette, including two during a late rally the pulled the Bearcats within 23-18. But Ka'ipo Rocha ended the match with a block of Kathrin Miracle.

Whitworth hit .310 as a team, led by Kaimi Rocha's 13 kills and Ka'ipo Rocha's ten kills. Grumbach and Kardell had eight kills each and Grumbach served three aces. Jordan Hoffnagle and Whitney Santos each dug ten balls and Bree Riddle dished 43 assists.

Waltz added four blocks to her eight kills for Willamette. Danica Reed and Madisyn Leenstra each had six kills, while Emily Compton added 23 assists and seven digs.

Whitworth will head over to Tacoma to take on Puget Sound (Friday) and Pacific Lutheran (Saturday) in a weekend that could ultimately determine the NWC title. Puget Sound (8-4 NWC) is in third place, while PLU (9-3 NWC) is in second place.