Box Score PARKLAND, Wash. – Trailing 2-0 in the match, the Whitworth University volleyball team fought back to force a fifth set before falling 3-2 (25-21, 25-20, 21-25, 16-25, 15-13) to 16th-ranked Pacific Lutheran University in Northwest Conference action at Names Family Court on Saturday. Pacific Lutheran improves to 17-5 on the season, with a 13-1 NWC record, while Whitworth falls to 13-13, 7-7 in NWC play.
After trading leads in the early going, Whitworth led 10-8 in the opening set after a kill from junior Tori LaBrie, but the Pirates could not put enough distance between the two teams. A late rally from the Lutes put Pacific Lutheran up 1-0 in the match. PLU carried its momentum over into the second set, leading 4-0 before a Lute service error put the ball in Whitworth's hands. Senior Whitney Santos capitalized on the error, serving up an ace to make it a 4-2 set. After a 15-15 tie, Pacific Lutheran scored on three consecutive kills, which proved to be enough of a spark for the Lutes to go up 2-0 in the match.
Whitworth reversed the roles in the third set. Tied 12-12, the Pirates began heating up, with kills from senior Jalana White and sophomore Nicole Leonard putting the Pirates in front 16-13. Leonard and senior Kristine Kardell blocked a PLU attack to put the Bucs up 19-14, forcing the Lutes to call their second timeout of the set, but the Pirates continued to fight, winning the set 25-21.
Whitworth combined a .222 hitting percentage with Pacific Lutheran's 10 attack errors in the fourth set. The Pirates disrupted the Lutes' offensive rhythm and kept their foot on the pedal, with a Kardell kill pulling the teams even, 2-2, in the match.
Whitworth earned the first point in the fifth set on a Leonard kill, but Pacific Lutheran answered with two kills of its own to take a 3-1 lead. The Lutes looked to be rolling to a fifth set victory, leading 12-7, but the Pirates again fought their way back. Kills from Leonard and White pulled Whitworth within a point, 14-13, but Pacific Lutheran's Amy Wooten closed the night with a kill out of a PLU timeout.
Jalana White finished the night with a double-double, posting 20 kills and 32 digs on a .276 hitting percentage. Nicole Leonard joined White with a double-double of her own, finishing the night with 17 kills, 14 digs and three blocks. Sophomore Maddye Dinsmore, junior Katie Adams and Whitney Santos each had an ace for the Pirates.
Allison Wood, Haley Urdahl and Amy Wooten each had 11 kills for the Lutes, while Bethany Huston had 10 kills. Amber Aguiar had 28 digs, while Urdahl finished the night with 19 digs. Huston had nine blocks for PLU and Lucy Capron served up two aces.
Next up, Whitworth travels to Whitman for a midweek showdown against the Missionaries. The game is set for 6 p.m. in Walla Walla.
