McMINNVILLE, Ore. – The Whitworth volleyball team turned the tables on the Linfield Wildcats on Thursday night, and by doing so moved a big step closer to defending their Northwest Conference title.
Four weeks after watching the Wildcats pull a reverse sweep in Spokane that temporarily knocked the Pirates out of first place in the NWC standings, Whitworth pulled out a 19-25, 23-25, 25-19, 25-22, 15-12 reverse sweep at Linfield. The Pirates continue to hold a one game lead in the conference standings over Pacific Lutheran and Puget Sound with one game left for all three teams.
Ella Jimenez had 21 points for the Pirates (17-6 overall, 11-4 NWC) on 15 kills, eight blocks (two solo, six assists) and an ace.
Whitworth never led in the opening set as the upstart Wildcats (8-14, 4-14) looked to prove that their earlier win over the Bucs was no fluke. Raelyn Hammock's ace gave Linfield an 8-5 lead before Whitworth forced an 11-11 tie on a kill from Jaye Hodge. The set was still tied 17-17 when the Wildcats used a 4-0 spurt to take control. A block from Ellie Mead and Aylea Dixon ended the set in Linfield's favor.
The Pirates took their first lead of the match when Hodge's kill put her team ahead 8-7 in the second set. Linfield answered with a 4-1 run and didn't trail again. Whitworth got back within 21-20 on a block by Jimenez and Hodge, but Linfield closed out the second set with another block from Mead and Dixon.
The Pirates finally started to turn the tide in the third set. Whitworth used a 5-0 run to turn an 8-8 tie into a 13-8 lead after a kill from Jimenez. Jimenez teamed with Abigail Hudson on a block for a 20-13 lead. After Linfield pulled within 21-17 on a Pirate error, Katy Barr closed the set for Whitworth with a kill.
The fourth set was the most competitive of the match. Maddie Lee's kill made it 12-9 in favor of Whitworth, but the Wildcats rallied for a 14-13 lead on a block from Megan Stanek. Linfield still led 20-19 following a block from Mead before the Pirates closed on a 6-2 run. Another block from Okemgbo and Jimenez ended the game for the Bucs.
The decisive set featured six ties over the first nine points, with the final coming at 9-9 after a Pirate service error. Whitworth responded with three straight points, including back to back aces from Hodge, to go up 12-9. Lee's kill made it 14-10. After Linfield pulled within 14-12, Hudson ended the match with a solo block.
Lee had a team-high 17 kills for Whitworth, while Hodge had 19 points with 16 kills, two aces and two block assists. Joelle Forbes (30) and Megan Lange (25) combined for 55 of the team's 62 assists. Whitworth finished with 18 team blocks – a season high for the NWC leaders in that category.
Hammock had a match-high 21 kills for Linfield, while Mead finished with 12 kills and seven blocks (three solo, four assists). The Wildcats had 14 team blocks.
Whitworth will conclude the regular season on Friday night at Pacific University. With a win the Pirates will clinch the NWC's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III tournament.
