TACOMA, Wash. – Alyssa Baird pounded 20 kills as visiting Whitworth defeated Puget Sound 3-1, leading the Pirates into a share of first place in the Northwest Conference volleyball standings at the halfway point of the conference schedule.
Whitworth (13-2 overall, 7-1 NWC) knocked the Loggers (9-7, 6-2) out of a share of the lead with the 23-25, 25-16, 25-17, 25-17 victory. The Pirates are tied with Pacific Lutheran at 7-1, but currently hold a tiebreaker with the Lutes thanks to Friday night's win at PLU.
Baird's kill total tied the season-high she posted in a win at Nebraska Wesleyan earlier this season. She only had three errors and hit .347. She added an ace and a block assist for 21.5 points to lead all players.
The opening set featured 12 ties and five lead changes. Whitworth led 7-5 after an ace by Sophie Fox. Puget Sound went up 11-9 on a block by Charlotte Fleetwood. Whitworth retied the set 19-19 on an ace from Bryanna Dodson and the game was tied three more times before the Loggers scored three of the final four points to win on a kill by Aubrey Tanner.
Whitworth never trailed in the second set after jumping to a 5-1 lead. Puget Sound fought back to tie at 6-6 on a block by Vivian Garcia. The Bucs responded with three straight points and led the rest of the way. Whitworth used a 9-2 run to take a 19-10 lead on Lauren Kremer's block. Kremer's kill then ended the set for the Pirates, who hit .294 in the game. Baird had seven kills in the set.
The third set was key, featuring wide swings in momentum. Baird's kill gave Whitworth a 12-6 lead. But the Loggers answered with nine straight points, including four straight kills from Maddie Badger, to go ahead 15-12. After the mid-set break, the Pirates closed on a 13-2 run getting three kills and two blocks from Kremer during that final surge.
Puget Sound looked to extend the match after starting the fourth set with a 6-1 lead. Whitworth got back within 8-7 on a kill from Kaylee Winterroth. Trailing 12-9, the Pirates used a 7-0 run to take control. Baird's kill closed the run and gave Whitworth a 16-12 lead. Whitworth continued to pull away and Baird's final kill was the match-winner.
Whitworth finished the match with a .232 hitting percentage against the league's best blocking team. Madison Pridon dished 28 assists while Sofie Fox had 18. Kremer added 14.5 points with nine kills, two aces, two solo blocks and three block assists. Dodson finished with 10 kills and two aces, while leading the team with 19 digs.
The Pirates limited 2025 NWC Player of the Year Badger's impact in the match. The junior MH had six kills, but eight errors for a -.074 hitting percentage. The NWC's leader in hitting percentage and blocks only had one block against the Bucs.
Tanner led the Loggers with 11 kills and added 13 assists playing two ways. Puget Sound hit only .058 against Whitworth's defense.
The Pirates will open the second half of NWC play on the road at Lewis & Clark and Linfield next weekend. Linfield handed the Bucs their only conference loss in the team's NWC opener.
