WALLA WALLA, Wash. – Ella Jimenez had 18 kills and visiting Whitworth exorcized the ghost of a 2023 upset by sweeping Whitman in a Northwest Conference volleyball match on Tuesday night at the Sherwood Center.
The 24th-ranked Pirates improved to 19-2 overall and 11-0 in the NWC with their 25-21, 25-23, 25-13 win. The Blues dropped to 4-14, 3-8.
Jimenez finished with 23.0 points, adding four service aces and two block assists to her 18 kills. She hit .243 in the match.
The Pirates jumped ahead 10-6 in the opening set on a kill by Jimenez. Whitworth stretched the lead to 19-13 before Whitman rallied to within 22-20 on consecutive Pirate attack errors. After Whitworth took a timeout, the Bucs scored three of the last four points in the set.
The Blues led for much of the second set until Whitworth used a 5-1 run to go ahead 18-16 after a kill by Abigail Hudson. Whitman went back in front 20-19 after a kill by Quinn Pulver. The Pirates responded with a 4-1 run to go ahead 23-21 on a kill from Amblessed Okemgbo. After the Blues retied the set, Whitworth scored the final two points, winning on a Whitman attack error.
The Pirates dominated the third set, opening leads of 12-4, 18-9 and 21-10. The match ended on Whitman's service error. Whitworth got the road win nearly one year after suffering a five-set upset to the Blues in Walla Walla.
The Pirates served 10 aces in the match, led by the four from Jimenez. Megan Lange had three and Rachel Cram two. Josephine Thompson dished 21 assists and Lange had a dozen. Taylor Miche had 16 digs and Jimenez added 13.
Arina Gushchina led Whitman with eight kills, while Pulver had five.
Whitworth will return home for the first time in three weeks when the Pirates host Linfield on Saturday night.
