SAN ANTONIO – Amblessed Okemgbo and Alyssa Baird had 20 kills apiece to lead Whitworth to a five-set upset of 11th-ranked Trinity on Saturday at the Tigers' Trinity National Invitational.
The Pirates (6-4) defeated Trinity (6-2) 19-25, 25-23, 25-22, 24-25, 15-11. The Bucs went 2-1 at the national-level event and will take that momentum into their Northwest Conference opener next weekend against Pacific University on Friday night.
Whitworth trailed throughout the opening set before using a 4-1 run to go ahead 16-14 on a kill by Rylie Harnden. The Tigers answered with a 7-0 run and closed out the set on a kill from Taylor Starr. In set two, the Pirates took the initiative, going up 14-9 before Trinity fought back to take a 23-21 lead. Whitworth regrouped to score the final four points of the set, finishing it on a Baird kill.
The Pirates only trailed once in the third set when Trinity took an 8-7 lead. Whitworth answered with a 6-1 run to go ahead 13-9 and never trailed again. Lindsey Short's kill closed it out at 25-22. The fourth set saw three surges from the Tigers, followed immediately by Pirate rallies – the final one tying the game 22-22 with a block by Short and Lauren Kremer. Trinity got the final two points, including its own block of Baird, to send the match to a final set.
Whitworth never trailed in the final stanza after jumping out to a 7-2 lead. The Tigers got as close as 12-10 before the Bucs finished on a 3-1 spurt.
Okemgbo hit .500 with 20 kills and only four errors in 32 attacks. She added three block assists for 21.5 points. Baird reached the 20-kill plateau in only her ninth match as a Pirate. The first-year added an ace for 21.0 points. Short had 12 kills and hit .310 with five block assists for 14.5 points. Mya Rodriguez dished 29 assists while Josephine Thompson added 25 with a team-high three aces. Oliva Paul had 26 digs and two aces as the libero. Whitworth hit .293 as a team.
Trinity hit .253, led by Lily Long's 19 kills and .304 hitting average. Courtney Pope added 15 kills and seven block assists. The Tigers conclude the tournament on Saturday with a match against 10th-ranked East Texas Baptist.
