Box ScoreFOREST GROVE – Whitworth used hit hitting in the first sets and blistering blocking through to knock off Pacific in three sets Saturday, 25-13, 25-16, 25-19, in Northwest Conference volleyball action at the Stoller Center.
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The league-leading Pirates (17-5, 10-2 NWC) finished the night hitting .186, but opened with a blistering .486 percentage in the opening set. The Boxers (6-14, 2-10 NWC) managed to hit .111 in the opening frame but finished hitting .011 for the match.
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Una Areta (So., Kent, Wash.) led the Boxers with eight kills and three blocks.Â
Emily Farnham (Jr., University Place, Wash.) added 11 assists and
Lia Zablan (So., Ewa Beach, Hawaii) contributed 10 digs.
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Brenna Bruil led Whitworth with 10 kills and four blocks while hitting .529 for the match. Nicole Leonard added eight kills. Maddie Dinsmore finished with 27 assists and Mallorie Schoesler had 13 digs.
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Whitworth took Pacific by storm in the opening set, hitting .458 in the frame while keeping the Boxers from scoring on their own serve. After giving the Boxers a 1-0 lead on an attack error, the Pirates proceeded to put together a six-point run. Leonard had two kills and a block in the run as the Pirates went ahead 6-1. Whitworth extended the lead to 15-7 on a service error and made it a 19-9 advantage on a Dinsmore dump as Whitworth went on to the 25-13 win.
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Pacific jumped out to a 5-2 lead thanks to a five-point run, which was fueled by a pair of Areta kills. Whitworth came right back with a four-point run of their own, taking a 6-5 lead on a Pacific attack error. The lead was 8-7 when the Pirates went on another six-point run, fueled by two blocks each by Dinsmore and Haley Vick, that extended the advantage to 13-7. The Whitworth lead would be as much as eight points late as the Pirates cruised to the 25-16 victory.
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After trailing 2-1 to open the third set, Pacific came back to take a 6-3 lead on a string of three Whitworth attack errors.Â
Hannah Herbert (Jr., Hillsboro, Ore.) extended the lead to 10-6 before the Pirates scored four straight points to tie it at 10-10. Pacific maintained control and led 14-15 before Whitworth closed the match by winning 12 of the final 17 points. A four-point run that was fueled by three Pacific errors opened up the 17-14 lead and a kill by Bruil closed out the match.
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Pacific takes their final road trip next weekend. The Boxers play at Puget Sound on Friday and Pacific Lutheran on Saturday, with both matches beginning at 7 p.m. Whitworth will return home to host Willamette on Friday.
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