PORTLAND, Ore. -- Natalie Danielson had 14 kills and five blocks to lead visiting Whitworth College to a 30-17, 30-20, 27-30, 30-11 win over Lewis & Clark in a Northwest Conference volleyball match on Saturday afternoon in Portland.

Natalie Danielson had 40 kills in two matches

Danielson led four Pirates in double figures for kills, as the team finished with a .305 hitting percentage in the match. Carey Guhlke came off the bench for 12 kills, while Brittney Bower and Julie Marsh each had 11 kills. Marsh led the Bucs with 13 digs. Bekah Hornor dished 53 assists and also had nine kills.

Kelsey Neussel led the hosts with 12 kills. She was one of only two starters to finish with a positive hitting percentage as the Pioneers hit only .043 as a team. Denielle Espejo led the team with 12 digs.

Whitworth won the first game handily. The Pirates opened leads of 10-4, 20-9 and 29-12 before L&C rallied with five points to close the gap. Whitworth broke away from a 15-13 lead in the second game with a 6-1 run. L&C led the entire way in the third game. After trailing 25-20, the Pirates pulled within 26-25 on a kill by Marsh, but the Pioneers held on, winning on a Taryn Smith service error. Whitworth ended any L&C hopes for an upset in the fourth game. A 9-1 run turned an 11-6 lead into a 20-7 advantage and the Pirates were never threatened.

Whitworth improved to 6-2 overall and 2-0 in the NWC. L&C fell to 4-5, 0-2.

The Pirates will return home to host Linfield College and Pacific University next weekend. Linfield is the hottest team in the NWC, having started the season 10-0 overall and 2-0 in the conference. The Wildcats are led by All-American right side hitter Lindsey Harksen. Whitworth and Linfield split matches last season, each winning at home. The Pirates will host the Wildcats on Friday at 7:00 pm.

Pacific University (7-3 overall, 0-1 NWC) is vastly improved this year. The Boxers have already defeated three teams that participated in the 2004 NCAA Division III tournament this fall. Their only conference loss has come to Linfield. Melissa Dunn has averaged 3.52 kills per game. Whitworth won both meetings with Pacific last fall. The Pirates will host the Boxers at 7:00 pm on Saturday.