SPOKANE, Wash. – Whitworth bounced back from a first set loss to defeat visiting Willamette 3-1 in a Northwest Conference volleyball match on Saturday night in the Whitworth Fieldhouse.
Alyssa Baird had 13 kills for the Pirates (8-4 overall, 2-0 NWC), who swept the NWC opening weekend with a 26-28, 25-17, 25-17, 25-19 victory . The Bearcats (3-7, 1-2) dropped both matches in their Eastern Washington road trip.
The first set featured high-powered offense and wide swings in momentum with 14 ties and eight lead changes. Willamette hit .340 with 20 kills, while Whitworth hit .342 with 15 kills. The Bearcats pulled out the set after the Bucs rallied from a 21-17 deficit to tie the frame twice and took a lead (25-24) on a kill by Lindsey Short. But Willamette finished on a 3-1 run, getting the win on a block by Katelynn Hopper and Caroline Jameson. Jameson had five kills in the set.
The Pirates turned a 9-8 lead in the second game into a 16-10 lead with a 7-2 run. Whitworth extended the margin to 23-14 on a kill from Lauren Kremer and won it on a kill by Baird, who had six kills in the set. The Pirates held the Bearcats to a hitting percentage of .000 in the second set.
The third set featured six ties and four lead changes until Whitworth pulled away in the second half. Leading 16-14, the Bucs closed on a 9-3 run. Rylie Harnden's kill ended the set in the Pirates' favor. Again, Whitworth held Willamette to a .000 hitting percentage in the third game.
The Bearcats looked poised to send the match after going ahead 15-10 in the fourth while forcing a pair of timeouts by the hosts. The Pirates responded with an 11-2 run, including three kills by Amblessed Okemgbo, to take a 21-17 lead. Lindsey Short's kill ended the match.
Okemgbo added 10 kills for Whitworth, while Kremer had 11.5 points on eight kills, two aces and three block assists. Josephine Thompson (19) and Mya Rodriguez (14) combined for 33 assists. Rodriguez added a pair of aces. Olivia Paul had a match-high 24 digs.
Katey Cramer had 15 kills and Jameson finished with 10 kills and four block assists for Willamette. Leina Chu dished 40 assists.
Whitworth will take on Whitman on Tuesday night.
