SPOKANE, Wash. – Whitworth celebrated Senior Night with a sweep of visiting George Fox in a Northwest Conference volleyball match on Saturday in the Whitworth Fieldhouse.
The Pirates (16-6 overall, 10-4 NWC) won 25-15, 27-25, 25-17 to remain tied for first place in the NWC standings with Puget Sound. The Bruins (11-10, 8-6) have only a small chance of sharing the crown with one week to play.
"I loved how we played confidently and together this weekend," said Whitworth head coach Kati Bodecker. "We had a hard conversation on Monday following our last loss at Willamette and this team listened, grew and came back together."
Maddie Lee had a match-high 17 points to lead Whitworth.
The Pirates dominated the opening set after jumping out to a 6-3 lead on Lee's kill. Whitworth led 15-9 when George Fox used a 4-0 run to pull within 15-13 after a service ace by Piper Harrop. The Bucs responded with a 7-1 run to go ahead 22-14 on a kill from Jaye Hodge. Joelle Forbes' service ace won the set for the Bucs.
The second set was the night's most competitive, featuring 17 ties and 10 lead changes. GFU led 12-8 after a kill from Addison Robertson. Whitworth came back to take a 17-16 lead on Robertson's attack error. Neither team led by more than one until the final point in the game. The Bruins served for the set at 25-24, but the Pirates scored the final three points, winning the game on a kill from Ella Jimenez. Lee had six kills in the set for the Bucs.
Trailing 7-4 early in the third game, Whitworth used a 15-2 run to take command, opening a 19-9 lead on Lee's kill. The Bruins had five attack errors in that Pirate run. The Pirates led 23-12, but George Fox did not give up and got within 24-17 on a kill from Robertson. A final Bruin error ended the match for the Bucs.
Whitworth hit .242 as a team and got contributions from all four seniors. Lee finished with 14 kills and three solo blocks for her 17 points. Forbes dished 24 of the Pirates' 43 assists and added two aces. Eva Millan led the team with 19 digs, while Renee Tiumalu had 20 service receptions without an error.
"I'm so proud and so grateful for them," Bodecker said. "They led our team this weekend through their words and their actions."
Hodge added 10 kills and hit .391 for the Bucs.
Robertson led George Fox with seven kills and three blocks (one solo, two assists).
Whitworth will play its final two matches on the road, at Linfield on Thursday and at Pacific (Ore.) on Friday. To earn the NWC's automatic bid, the Pirates will have to win twice and hope UPS drops one of its final two contests.
