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Spokane, Wash. -- Whitworth College hit and blocked its way to a 30-17, 30-23, 31-29 win over visiting Linfield College in a Northwest Conference women's volleyball match on Saturday night in the Whitworth Fieldhouse.

The Pirates, ending a three-match losing streak to the Wildcats, improved to 15-3 overall and 8-2 in the NWC. Whitworth hit .252 and totaled nine team blocks (2 solo, 14 block assists). Linfield, the defending NWC champions, fell to 7-9 and 5-5. The Wildcats hit only .115 and had four team blocks.

Whitworth rolled to a quick win in the first game, using a 6-0 run to start the game and a 7-1 run later to open a 18-7 lead. An attack error by Lindsay Harksen gave the Pirates a 30-17 win.

The Pirates pulled away from a 12-12 tie in game two with a 6-1 spurt. The Wildcats pulled back to within 24-20 on a Pirate attack error before Whitworth won 30-23 on a kill by Brittney Bower.

The third game was the most competitive of the night. Linfield took a 12-6 lead on seven consecutive Whitworth attack errors. But the Pirates came back to tie the game 13-13 on a kill by Whitney Murphy. Neither team led by more than two points the rest of the game. Harksen teamed with Laura Grambo for a block to give the Wildcats its last lead of the game, 28-27. A kill by Murphy gave the Pirates a 31-29 win in the set and a 3-0 sweep of the match.

Julie Marsh led all players with 14 kills for the Pirates, adding 14 digs. Katy Schrader added 13 kills and led all players with seven block assists. Natalie Danielson finished with 11 kills and hit .320. Whitworth setter Bekah Hornor dished 44 assists and had 12 digs. Murphy finished with a game-high 16 digs for the Bucs.

Harksen and Lisa Brocard led Linfield with 10 kills apiece. Harksen also added 18 assists and 12 digs. Michelle Wyatt led the Wildcats with 14 digs and also had nine kills.

Both teams return to action next Friday when Whitworth plays at Willamette, while Linfield plays at George Fox.

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