WALLA WALLA, Wash. – The Whitworth volleyball team ran its winning streak to five in a row by taking its first two matches of the Whit Classic at Whitman College on Friday.

The Pirates (5-2) swept Northwest Conference member Lewis & Clark 25-19, 25-14, 25-22 in their first match of the day, then rallied to defeat Whittier (Calif.) 18-25, 25-20, 25-16, 25-20) in the final match of the night.

Whitworth will conclude the tournament by taking on host Whitman on Saturday at 1:00 and Mills (Calif.) at 5:00 pm.

The Pirates hit .239 as a team in the win over Lewis & Clark (2-3), led by a remarkably efficient match from middle blocker Haley Vick.  Vick posted ten kills and no errors in 17 total attacks for a career-high hitting percentage of .588.  She added three block-assists.  Cassandra Mendoza, in her first season, led Whitworth with 11 kills, while Brenna Bruil added nine kills.  Maddye Dinsmore posted 32 assists and 12 digs.

The Pirates controlled the match against the Pioneers, rarely trailing in any of the sets.  Leading 21-17 in the opening set, Whitworth closed on a 4-2 run, winning on a kill by Bruil.  Trailing 4-2 early in the second, the Bucs used a 12-2 run to take control.  Whitworth led the entire third set, but had to hold off a rally by the Pioneers.  The Pirates led 13-6, but L&C pulled within 18-17 before Whitworth retook control. 

"We came in focused against LC and played efficiently," said Whitworth head coach Kati Bodecker.  "We were able to get in a rhythm offensively and we had a high side out percentage."

The Pirates started slowly against Whittier (1-2), never holding a lead in the opening set.  Whitworth had pulled within 19-17 before the Poets closed on a 6-1 run.

But Whitworth grabbed the momentum in the second set, pulling away from an 11-11 tie with a 7-1 run.  The Bucs would win the set on a kill by Bruil.   Whitworth kept the momentum going with an easy win in the third set, opening an 18-8 lead.  The Pirates never trailed in the final set either, opening a 16-9 advantage on a kill by Andie Gebbers.  Whitworth won the match on a final kill by Bruil.

Bruil led Whitworth with 12 kills from her middle blocker position.  She also finished with a team-high five block-assists.  Dinsmore dished 43 assists while Elizabeth Ginley served five aces.  The Pirates finished with 11 aces to only three for Whittier.

"We started slowly against Whittier," Bodecker said.  "Our hitters weren't swinging aggressively and we were just going through the motions. In the second set, we passed better and we picked up our intensity on defense. Our defense spurred our runs in the final three sets."