SAN ANTONIO – Whitworth pushed top-ranked Trinity to the brink in its finale at the Trinity Fall Classic Volleyball Tournament on Saturday, splitting a pair of matches on the day and finishing 3-1 at the tournament.
The Pirates rallied from a two-set deficit before falling in five to the Tigers. Earlier in the day Whitworth handed Texas Lutheran its first loss of the season in four sets.
Maddie Lee had 40 combined kills in the two matches to lead the Pirates. Lee and Eva Millan were both named to the All-Tournament team.
Whitworth hit a season-high .219 to defeat Texas Lutheran 25-19, 23-25, 25-19, 25-18 in the early match on Saturday. The Pirates split a pair of hard-fought sets at the outset, then pulled away late in the third set. After jumping ahead 7-0, Whitworth led the entire way in the fourth stanza.
Lee had 21 kills, her Whitworth career high, and hit .227. She added two block assists for 22 total points and finished with 14 digs. Abby Wolverton added nine kills, while Kaity Barr had eight kills. Saylor Anderson had 29 assists, and a pair of service aces, while Joelle Forbes dished 21 assists. Eva Millan finished with 33 digs, a career-high.
No TLU player reached double figures in kills.
Whitworth showed grit in its 25-17, 25-18, 21-25, 21-25, 15-10 setback to top-ranked Trinity in the second match. The Pirates appeared like they might get swept after the Tigers dominated the first two sets, hitting better than .300 in each frame. But Whitworth stepped up defensively in the third and fourth sets, establishing a block and causing problems for Trinity's offense. The Tigers hit only .074 in the third and .030 in the fourth.
Trinity pulled away from a 5-5 tie to win the fifth and stay unbeaten.
Lee had 19 more kills and also led the team with 19 digs. She added a pair of service aces for 21 total points. Barr had eight kills and six block assists. Cassidy Franklin hit 11 kills, two solo blocks and three block assists. Anderson (28) and Forbes (20) combined for 48 assists.
Avery Tuggle had 19 kills to lead the Tigers. She was selected as the tournament's MVP.
Whitworth will head back on the road next weekend with four matches at the Whittier Invitational in California.
