SPOKANE, Wash. – The Whitworth University volleyball team defeated George Fox University 25-22, 25-23, 25-20 in a Northwest Conference match that featured 36 tied scores and 17 lead changes in Whitworth Fieldhouse on Friday evening.

Whitworth (13-10, 7-4 NWC) took a 2-0 lead to open the night and the Pirates led 11-8 on a kill from junior Tori LaBrie before George Fox (9-10, 4-7 NWC) answered with a 6-3 run to knot the game 14-14. Whitworth responded with a 7-3 run on kills by sophomore Nicole Leonard, senior Kristine Kardell, LaBrie and senior Jalana White. Karlee Jo Sampson pulled the Bruins within one, 21-20, with a kill, but Jalana White answered with a kill of her own to put the Pirates back in front. A Bruin attack error gave Whitworth the 25-22 first set victory.

Back-to-back George Fox kills and a Whitworth attack error put the Bruins in front 3-0 in the second set before Leonard started a 3-0 run for the Pirates to pull the teams even. The squads continued to trade leads, with 16 tied scores and 11 lead changes in the second set alone. Sophomore Maddye Dinsmore served up an ace out of a George Fox timeout to give Whitworth a 22-21 advantage. Leonard broke a Whitworth timeout huddle to produce a kill and a service ace to put the Bucs in front 24-23 and White closed the set with a kill in Whitworth's favor.

Whitworth found itself with a 3-1 lead in the third set after a block by senior Briauna Stadeli and LaBrie. The Bruins used consecutive kills from Erin Campbell to cap an 8-3 George Fox run, giving the Bruins a 9-6 lead. Trailing 18-15 and forced to use its second timeout, Whitworth regrouped and ended the night with a 10-2 run. Jalana White killed a Maddye Dinsmore set to give the Pirates the victory.

Nicole Leonard finished with a double-double, a team-high 19 digs and 12 kills, while recording a service ace. Jalana White led the team with 15 kills and a .268 hitting percentage. Maddye Dinsmore had 35 assists and an ace, while senior Whitney Santos finished the night with 17 digs and an ace.

Karlee Jo Sampson led the Bruins with 10 kills, eight digs and an ace. Chelsea Wilson had 22 digs, while Payton Shrum passed out 36 assists. Tiffany Burk had four blocks on the night, including three solo blocks for George Fox.

Whitworth hosts Pacific (Ore.) in NWC action at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday in Whitworth Fieldhouse, while George Fox faces Whitman.