FOREST GROVE, Ore. – Whitworth University fell in four sets at Pacific University in the Pirates' volleyball regular season finale on Friday night, and the loss likely cost the team a chance at the NCAA Division III tournament.
The Boxers (12-10 overall, 8-7 NWC) won 25-22, 16-25, 25-23, 25-23 to drop Whitworth to 17-7 overall and 11-5 in the NWC. If Puget Sound (10-5) defeats Lewis & Clark (1-14) on the road tomorrow night, the Loggers will tie the Pirates for the title and UPS holds the tiebreaker to claim the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III tournament, based on head-to-head sets.
Whitworth never led in the opening set. Pacific jumped to an 8-4 lead on Sarah Hon's ace and led 15-11 after Hon's kill. Trailing 21-16, the Pirates pulled back to within 22-21 on a Pacific attack error. The Boxers answered with three of the next four points, winning the set on a Whitworth attack error. Maddie Lee had five kills in that set for the Bucs, but Mara Murphy and Alison Brown had five each for Pacific.
The second set was tied only once, early on at 3-3, otherwise Whitworth led the entire way. After the Pirates went ahead 9-4, Pacific pulled to within 11-9. The Pirates answered with a 6-1 run, including three kills from Ella Jimenez, to take control at 17-10. Whitworth clinched the game on Pacific's setting error. The Pirates hit .345 as a team in the second set with only two errors. Lee had four more kills.
The fate of the match turned in the third set. Whitworth led 3-0 early, but Pacific used a 9-3 run to go ahead 9-6. The Pirates came back to tie the frame 12-12 and the teams traded points until Whitworth used a 5-0 run to turn an 18-17 deficit into a 22-18 lead, three points away from clinching the set. The Boxers closed on a 7-1 run to stun the Pirates, taking advantage of three Whitworth hitting errors and getting consecutive kills from Murphy for the winning points. Murphy finished with seven kills in the third frame.
The Boxers took the momentum into the fourth set, jumping to an 8-3 lead on Whitworth's ball handling error. The Pirates got back within one point eight times before finally pulling into an 18-18 tie on Lee's kill. Whitworth tied it again at 21-21 and 22-22 before Pacific got consecutive points on Pirate errors. Katy Barr's kill pulled the Bucs back within 24-23, but a final Whitworth attack went wide and Pacific had the upset.
Jimenez led the Pirates in scoring for the second straight night with 17 points on 12 kills, four aces and two block assists. Lee had a team-high 14 kills. Barr finished with eight kills and five block assists. Eva Millan closed her career with 34 digs.
Murphy finished with 22 kills and two aces for Pacific. Charlotte Powell added 11 kills.
