SPOKANE, Wash. – Whitworth served a season-high 14 aces to sweep visiting Lewis & Clark 25-13, 25-16, 25-22 and pick up its first Northwest Conference volleyball victory this season.
The Pirates (7-2 overall, 1-1 NWC) bounced back from a rough serving night on Friday against Linfield to keep the River Otters (4-6, 1-2 NWC) off balance throughout the match. Lauren Kremer served five of the aces, a career-high for the senior middle blocker.
Whitworth hit .522 in the opening set behind four kills apiece from Kremer and Lindsey Short. The Pirates used an 8-1 run to pull away from a 10-8 lead and take control of the set. The Bucs had five of their aces in the opening game, two each by Short and Hailee Biegler.
Trailing 12-11 in the second set, Whitworth took control with an 12-1 run, going ahead 22-13 on a kill by Bryanna Dodson. Short and Dodson had three kills each in the game for the Bucs, while Kremer served three of her aces, half of the team's total in the set.
The final set was the closest of the night. L&C took a 16-15 lead on a kill by Morgan Armitage. Whitworth used a 7-1 run to go up 22-17 on a Dodson kill. The River Otters fought back to within 23-22 on an ace before the Pirates scored the final two points to put the match away. Short and Dodson had four more kills apiece in the game.
Short had 11 kills and three aces on her night. Dodson added ten kills. Kremer hit .889 with eight kills and no errors in nine attacks and finished with 13.5 points. Madison Pridon dished 29 assists to help Whitworth hit .276 as a team.
Five players had three kills apiece for L&C. The River Otters finished with a .000 hitting percentage with and equal number of kills and errors.
The Pirates return to action on Tuesday night in a Battle of Whits at Whitman College.
