SPOKANE, Wash.—Maddie Lee had 18 kills and 16 digs as Whitworth beat visiting George Fox University in four sets to open Northwest Conference play Friday in the Whitworth Fieldhouse. The Bruins won the first set 25-23, but the Pirates rallied back to win the next three 25-16, 25-23, and 25-18.
Whitworth (6-2, 1-0 NWC) opened an 11-5 lead on Saylor Anderson's service ace. George Fox (5-2, 0-1 NWC) scored the next three points on three straight Whitworth errors. A Sophia Lawrence service ace and two more Pirate errors brought the Bruins within two. George Fox scored the last five points of the set with kills from Kassandra Staton, Caitlin Nemecek, and Addison Robertson.
The Pirates upped their energy in the second set, scoring the first two points on a Maddie Lee kill and a Kaity Barr service ace and never trailed. The Pirates hit .333 as a team, the best percentage of the night. Barr finished the set with four kills and three aces.
Kaitlyn White served back-to-back aces as Whitworth opened the third set with a 4-0 run. Later, the Bruins went on a five-point that included a Robertson kill and two Kibby Kennedy service aces to go up 13-8. The Pirates responded with a 9-1 run, including two White service aces and two kills by Barr, to go ahead 17-14. Barr's kill ended the frame.
Cassidy Franklin and Lee were active on offense for Whitworth in the final set with Franklin recording five kills and Lee notching seven to take the match. The Bruins had nine kills offset by nine errors in the set. The Pirates hit .275, their second-best performance of the night.
Robertson led George Fox on offense with 14 kills, and Bailey LeBreton, Staton, and Regan Fernandez each had two blocks.
Lee had 18 kills in the match for Whitworth, while Barr (.524) and Franklin (.435) had 12 each to dominate the middle. Franklin had two solo blocks and two block assists, while White finished with five aces. Anderson and Joelle Forbes combined for 47 assists.
Whitworth will continue NWC play at home in the Fieldhouse tomorrow against Pacific University at 5pm.
