Box Score TACOMA, Wash. – The Whitworth University volleyball team opened strong against 14th-ranked Puget Sound, but could maintain the momentum as the Loggers won 3-1 (20-25, 26-24, 28-26, 25-18) in Northwest Conference action in Memorial Fieldhouse on Friday evening. Puget Sound improves to 16-5 overall, with an 11-1 record in the Northwest Conference, while Whitworth falls to 13-12 on the season, 7-6 in the NWC.
Whitworth opened the game with a 6-0 run on kills by seniors Jalana White and Kristine Kardell. The Pirates hit .219 in the opening set, while Puget Sound matched its nine team kills with nine attack errors. Jalana White and Kristine Kardell each had four kills, while senior Briauna Stadeli had three kills.
Sophomore Maddye Dinsmore served up two aces to open the second set, and the Pirates led 14-11 after a Jalana White block that forced a Puget Sound timeout. The Loggers' offense began to click as Puget Sound came back to tie the set 16-16. The teams traded kills and attack errors before the Loggers closed out the set to even the match 1-1.
After trading leads early in the third set, Puget Sound built up an 18-14 lead on a Logger block. The Pirates went on a 5-1 run on kills from Kardell and junior Tori LaBrie and blocks by Stadeli and White. Whitworth took a 22-21 lead on a Kardell kill, but the Pirates could not put enough distance between themselves and the Loggers. Puget Sound took a 2-1 match lead on a Jackie Harvey kill.
Opening the fourth set with an attack error, Whitworth bounced back with three unanswered points. Jalana White hit back-to-back kills to put the Pirates in front 7-2, but the Loggers stormed their way back to knot the score 10-10 and then take a 14-10 lead. Sophomore Nicole Leonard contributed with a block and a kill to pull the Pirates even, 14-14, but Puget Sound powered through to a 25-18 set win, leading the 3-1 match win.
Jalana White led the Pirates with 16 kills, 15 digs, four blocks and an ace. Kristine Kardell had 13 kills with a hitting percentage of .478, and Briauna Stadeli had 11 kills and six blocks for the Pirates. Maddye Dinsmore had 44 assists, 14 digs and three aces for Whitworth, while senior Anna Buck served up two aces.
Marissa Florant led Puget Sound with 14 kills, 18 digs and three aces. Jackie Harvey had 12 kills and 17 digs for the Loggers, while Nicolette Reynaud had 11 kills and six blocks for Puget Sound. Jenni Brehove had 46 assists for UPS, while Karly Edwards had two aces.
Whitworth travels to Parkland to face No. 16 Pacific Lutheran at 5 p.m. on Saturday, November 2, while Puget Sound hosts Whitman at 6 p.m.
