By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

SPOKANE, Wash. -- Whitworth University won bit in the first set, and then held off Willamette in the second and third sets, to defeat the Bearcats, 3-0, in a Northwest Conference volleyball match on Friday, Sept. 22. The Pirates surged through the first set for a 25-10 win. The teams were tied 11 times in each of the next two sets, with the Pirates earning back-to-back 25-22 wins.

The last two sets also included a total of 10 lead changes -- four in set #2 and six in set #3 -- but the Pirates won both set to improve to 6-6 on the season, 3-1 in the NWC. Willamette fell to 3-8 overall, 0-3 in the NWC.

"We had a rough start, but competed very well in sets 2 and 3," Willamette Head Coach Tom Shoji said. "We had two players come off the bench and do well for us. Dreux Bertolucci (Jr., OH, Cottonwood, CA/West Valley HS/Shasta College) was really steady for us and brought some stability to our ide. She really helped settle us down. Madison Haley (So., MH, Truckee, CA/Tahoe Truckee HS) did a nice job for us in the middle and gave us some well-needed quick attack offense."

Kendall Fox (So., OH, Dupont, WA/Steilacoom HS) topped Willamette's offensive chart with eight kills. Emma Liband (Sr., MH, Sandpoint, ID/Sandpoint HS) and Arianna Khan (Fr., OPP, Yuba, CA/River Valley HS) each tacked on six kills for the Bearcats, with Liband also providing six total blocks. Jaiden Mason (Fr., S/OPP, Charlotte, NC/Charlotte Christian School) provided 27 assists, nine digs and three block assists. Elena Vasquez (Fr., DS/OH, Kingston, WA/North Kitsap HS) earned 12 digs.

Bertolucci and Haley each achieved solid statistics while playing in just the last two sets. Bertolucci finished with four kills, five digs, three block assists and one service ace. Haley recorded three kills and two block assists. Haley hit .222 and Bertolucci earned a .200 attack percentage.

Cassandra Mendoza led Whitworth with 13 kills to go with a .346 hitting percentage and six digs. Emiko Kahler totaled nine kills and 10 digs, while Lauren Budde added eight kills and four block assists. Madison Douglas pounded out seven kills with no errors on 11 total attacks for a match-high .636 hitting percentage. Gracie Meiners provided the Pirates with 39 assists and 10 digs. Taylor Wicht paced all players with 17 digs.

"I was really happy with how we played in sets 2 and 3," Shoji said. "Now it's time a matter of doing it again tomorrow night (Sat., Sept. 23) at Whitman."

In the first set, the Pirates zoomed out to an 11-3 lead and Willamette never recovered during the set. Whitworth earned 15 kills, had just two attacking errors, and achieved a .464 team hitting percentage in the 25-10 win. Douglas was credited with four kills on four attacks for Whitworth, while Budde earned three kills on five attacks.

Fox registered three kills in the first set for Willamette. The Bearcats split the final 10 points of the set 5-5 to gain a bit of momentum entering the second set.

Whitworth led 10-6 in the second set, but a kill by Mason of Willamette tied the score at 11-11. The Pirates tacked on the next three points on kills by Budde, Mendoza and Corinne Bell for a 14-11 lead. The Bearcats rallied to tie the game at 16-16 on a kill by Bertolucci, and then took the lead on an attacking error by Mendoza. A bit later, Willamette grabbed a 19-18 advantage when Bertolucci landed a service ace.

The teams were tied at 20-20 following a kill by Haley for the Bearcats, but Whitworth went on a 5-2 run to end the set with a 25-22 victory. Whitworth's hitting percentage slipped to .189 during the set, while Willamette hit .161.

Willamette owned a 5-3 lead in the third set after a combo block by Bertolucci and Liband. The Pirates countered with a 7-3 run for a 10-8 lead on a kill by Douglas. The Bearcats surged back to claim a 15-14 edge on a kill by Bertolucci. Two points later, Liband tacked on a kill to give Willamette a 16-15 lead.

The Pirates responded with three consecutive points for an 18-16 lead and stayed in front the rest of the way. Wilamett was within a single point at 19-18 on a kill by Haley, 20-19 on a kill by Mason, and 21-20 following a serving error by Whitworth. Kills from Mendoza and Kahler lifted the Pirates into a 23-20 margin. Liband pounded down a kill during the next rally to cut the deficit to two points, but Whitworth won two of the next three points to win the set, 25-22.

Willamette will take on Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington, on Saturday, Sept. 23. Match time is scheduled for 5 p.m. (PDT).