Complete box score and play by play SPOKANE, Wash . -- Whitworth College outside hitters Julie Marsh and Brittney Bower each hit over .500 while reaching double figures in kills to lead the 20th-ranked Pirates past visiting George Fox University 30-20, 30-14, 30-16 in a Northwest Conference women's volleyball match on Friday night in the Whitworth Fieldhouse.
The win was Whitworth's (14-2, 9-0 NWC) tenth in a row. The Bruins fell to 9-7, 4-5. Marsh finished with a match-high 16 kills and hit .519. Bower totaled 11 kills and hit .526 as the Pirates finished with a .356 team hitting percentage. Whitney Murphy dug 16 balls and Bekah Hornor dished 40 assists. Carey Guhlke finished with a match-high five blocks. Whitney Kolb came off of the bench to lead George Fox with eight kills, while Linzi Stolsig added seven kills. Mikaela Ameele, playing at setter for Amy Knight, who was injured in the first game, dished 12 assists and led GFU with seven digs. Elizabeth Anderson had a team-high three blocks.
Whitworth only led the first game 21-18 when Knight twisted her ankle on a kill by Marsh. After Knight left the game, the Pirates closed it out with a 9-2 run. Marsh hit .900 in the first game, finishing with nine kills in 10 attempts, to lead the Pirates. The Bruins still had trouble adjusting to the loss of Knight in the second game as the Pirates jumped to leads of 6-0, 9-1 and 18-5 on the way to a 30-14 win. Whitworth only led 9-7 in game three before going on a 6-0 run to take control. The Bucs benefited from three Bruin attack errors in the run. Whitworth led 23-13 when the match was delayed 15 minutes by a power failure in the Whitworth Fieldhouse. After resuming the Pirates finished the game at 30-16. Whitworth will look to extend its winning streak on Saturday afternoon when the Pirates host Lewis & Clark College at 2:00 pm. The Pioneers lost 3-0 at Whitman College on Friday night. George Fox will travel down to Walla Walla to take on Whitman Saturday night at 7:00 pm. |
