SPOKANE, Wash. – Lindsey Short established new career-highs in kills and points to lead Whitworth to a 3-1 win over visiting Linfield in a Northwest Conference volleyball match on Saturday night in the Whitworth Fieldhouse.

Josephine Thompson also had a strong match as the Pirates (16-6 overall, 10-2 NWC) defeated the Wildcats (7-9, 5-6) 25-22, 22-25, 25-16, 25-17 to stay within one game of first place Puget Sound in the conference standings.

Whitworth jumped ahead quickly in the opening set, going up 9-5 on a kill by Alyssa Baird.  Linfield fought back to take a 13-12 lead on a kill from Lani Taliloa.  Trailing 15-14, the Pirates used a 5-0 run to take control, going ahead 19-15 on a kill from Lauren Kremer.  Trailing 21-17, the Wildcats came back to tie the set at 22-22 on Nora Myre's ace before the Bucs scored the final three points.  Kremer had four kills in five attacks in the set for Whitworth.

Linfield grabbed a 13-9 lead to start the second after an ace from Naia Alefaio-Foifua.  The Pirates rallied to take a 16-15 lead on Paige McKenzie's kill.  Trailing 19-18, the Wildcats went on a 6-1 run and led 24-20 after a Pirate attack error.  They closed out the set on a Whitworth service error.  Taliloa had five kills in the set for Linfield.

The Wildcats took the momentum into the third set, opening a 7-4 lead on a kill from Madison Millard.  The Pirates took back the momentum with an 11-3 run, going up 15-10 on Baird's kill.  Josephine Thompson's ace made it 22-14 before the Bucs closed out the set with a block of Myre.  Short had four of her kills in the third game. 

The fourth set was tied 10-10 when Whitworth went on an 8-1 run to put Linfield on its heels.  The Wildcats never got closer than within five points (20-15) the rest of the way.  Appropriately, Short closed out the match with her final kill, her fourth of the set.

Short, a junior right-side hitter, finished with 13 kills and 15.5 points, which included a solo block and three block assists, to establish two new career-high marks.  Kremer added 10 kills, while Rylie Harnden finished with 11.5 points on nine kills, a solo block and three block assists.  Thompson had 18 assists while Mya Rodriguez added 16 to direct the offense.  Thompson had two of the team's four aces and led the squad with 13 digs. 

Taliloa led Linfield with nine kills, while Myre and Araeya Watanabe finished with eight each.

Whitworth will be back at home next weekend to host George Fox and Lewis & Clark.