NEWBURG, Ore. – Three Whitworth Pirates reached double figures in kills and points to lead the visiting Bucs to a 3-1 win over George Fox in a Northwest Conference volleyball match on Saturday night.

Whitworth defeated the Bruins 25-18, 21-25, 25-13, 25-15 to improve to 12-4 overall and 6-0 in the NWC.  GFU fell to 4-8, 1-5

The Pirates held the lead for most of the opening set, but had trouble shaking George Fox until the end.  Leading 21-18, Whitworth scored the final four points, getting the win on a GFU attack error.  The Pirates hit .270 in the first game while holding the Bruins to .000.

George Fox turned the tide in the second set.  Whitworth took its final lead at 17-16 on a kill by Alyssa Baird.  The Bruins went on a 4-0 run and went on to win after a Pirate attack error.  GFU hit a match-best .239 in the game while the Bucs hit .200.

Whitworth did not let the Bruins build momentum.  They dominated the final two sets to make a statement about the GFU chances in this match.  The Bruins led the third game 10-9 before Whitworth outscored GFU 16-3 the rest of the way.  Leading 7-5 in the final set, the Bucs got a 6-0 run to open a 13-5 lead.  The Bruins got as close as 16-11, but Whitworth outscored them 9-4 the rest of the way.

Amblessed Okemgbo had 15 kills and 17 points to lead the Bucs in both categories.  Baird had 12 kills, three aces and a block assist for 15.5 points.  Lauren Kremer finished with 11 kills and hit .688.  She added two aces and three blocks for 15 points.  Mya Rodriguez had 26 assists and Josephine Thompson added 17 as the Pirates finished with a .261 hitting percentage.  Olivia Paul finished with 21 digs and served a pair of aces.

Gracie Bearden had 12 kills and three aces, while Alexis Baer added 11 kills and four block assists to lead GFU.  The Bruins hit .077 as a team.

Whitworth will return to action next weekend by hosting Pacific Lutheran and Puget Sound to wrap up the first half of the NWC schedule.