By Sara Elcano, Assistant Athletics Communications Director

WALLA WALLA, WASH. -- Whitman College defeated Willamette University, 3-2, in a Northwest Conference volleyball match on Saturday, Oct. 9. The Missionaries won, 19-25, 25-18, 25-22, 19-25 and 15-11 to improve to 5-12 overall, 2-6 in the NWC. Willamette moved to 6-11 on the season, 2-6 in conference play.

Willamette opened the night with a 25-19 victory in the first set. Molly Blankenship (Sr., OH, Spokane, WA/Spokane Falls CC) had three kills and a serving ace during the set.

The second and third sets belonged to Whitman. Carrie Cecil served well for the Missionaries. Jillian Davis had seven kills in the second set and three in the third set.

The Bearcats recovered and were able to win set #4 to extend the match to a fifth set. Willamette never trailed in the fourth set, as Blankenship and Carly Hargrave (Fr., MH, Happy Valley, OR/Clackamas HS) each hit well for the Bearcats.

The final set was close early, but with the score tied 6-6 the Whitman Missionaries took control. A four-point run was all that Whitman needed to gain momentum and eventually capture the 15-11 victory.

For Willamette, Hargrave achieved 16 kills and hit .536 in the match. She also had three aces, one solo block and two block assists.

Danica Reed (So., OH, Arvada, CO/Palston Valley HS) added 10 kills and 13 digs for the Bearcats. Freshman Shannon Waltz (MH, Honolulu, HI/La Pietra HS) had nine kills and Kirsten Brehmer (Fr., M, Evergreen, CO/Evergreen HS) earned a team-high 14 digs. Setter Emily Compton (So., Portola, CA/Boise State Univ.) provided 48 assists and 11 digs.

Whitman was led by Davis, who finished with a match-high 22 kills. The Missionaries hit .207 as a team and registered eight team blocks.

The Bearcats' next match is on Friday, Oct. 15 against Linfield College in McMinnville, Ore. Match time is set for 7 p.m. (PDT).