Despite a .182 hitting percentage and double double performances by Ellie Parker and Karlee Duncan, the Pacific volleyball team lost to Whitworth, 25-22, 17-25, 23-25, 25-19, 15-10 on Friday night in Forest Grove.
 
The Boxers (16-7, 9-6 NWC) had three players with double-digit kills including freshman Jordan Zweifel (Tillamook, Ore.), who had a season-high 19 to go along with 16 from Karlee Duncan (Bend, Ore.) and 15 from sophomore Milana Ivkovic (Beaverton, Ore.). Ellie Parker (Beaverton, Ore.) had a season-high and career-high 57 assists to go along with 17 digs for her 12^th double double and third-straight in the loss.
 
The Pirates (15-9, 12-3 NWC) were led by the 21-kill, 22-dig effort from Emiko Kahler in the win. Whitworth rallied to win the final two sets, hitting .289 and .265 for the win. Cassandra Mendoza and Lauren Budde each added 15 and 11 kills, respectively to lead a Whitworth squad that hit .209 in the win.
 
The visitors hit .217 in the opening set with five kills from Kahler to take the opening set, 25-22. The second set was controlled by the Boxers, who raced out to a 10-1 lead to start the set. Pacific hit at a .289 clip and Zweifel had five kills for a second-straight set and Anna VanderWeyst had a pair of service aces.  
 
With the match tied at a set apiece, the Boxers won the third set by a 25-23 margin. In the tightly contested set, the score was tied 12 times and had seven lead changes. Pacific overcame an early 7-1 deficit in the set. A Duncan kill and block put Pacific ahead 13-12 and for the first time in the set. The two teams traded the lead for the remainder of the set until the Boxers' closed out the set on back to back back-to-back kills by Duncan and Morgan Mendicino.
 
The fourth set saw the two teams continue to battle back and forth with five tie scores and three more lead changes. Midway through the set, the visitors went on a 9-0 run to take a 24-15 lead. During the run, Kahler had four kills to lead the Pirates. Kahler and Mendoza each had five kills to lead Whitworth, who out hit Pacific, .289 to .182 and they posted three blocks.
 
In the deciding fifth set, Pacific was unable to stretch a lead beyond two points as the Pirates went on a 5-1 spurt to prompt a Pacific time out at 11-7. The Boxers would get as close three on a pair of occasions. For the fourth time in the five sets, Whitworth out hit Pacific, .265 to .161 en route to the win.
 
Next, Pacific closes out the 2017 season with Senior Day - Hannah Hulse, Karissa Komo, Anna VanderWeyst and Kelly Wahl – as the Boxers will host Whitman on Saturday at 5 p.m. Earlier this season, Pacific defeated Whitman in five on October 7.