NEWBERG, Ore. -- (From Blair Cash, George Fox SID) Hitting over .400 in two games, including a .458 percentage in the decisive fifth game, the Whitworth College Pirates rallied from a game down twice to overtake the George Fox University Bruins 3-2 in a Northwest Conference women’s volleyball match Saturday night here at the Wheeler Sports Center’s Miller Gym.

Ridings had a season- high 65 assists

Completing a sweep of the two-match conference season series, the Pirates prevailed 23-30, 30-24, 21-30, 30-28, 15-11. Whitworth had defeated George Fox 3-0 in Spokane, Wash., on Sept. 23.

Game one was tight early, with ties on every number from 6-6 to 12-12. A kill by Sarah Crossfield gave George Fox the lead for good at 13-12, and the Bruins eventually stretched it to as much as eight points at 28-20 on a Pirate attack error. The Bruins’ Karina Philliber led the way with seven kills and no errors in 12 attempts, while Angie Florence had six kills to lead the Pirates.

Whitworth posted 18 kills and only one error for a .436 hitting percentage to win game two. The Bruins held the lead throughout the first half of the game before the Pirates battled back to tie it 14-14 on a block Tamra Stark and Nicole VanderMeulen. Down 19-18, the Pirates reeled off five unanswered points, including two kills by Holly Tomlin, to take a 23-20 lead and go on to victory. Whitworth got seven blocks for winners in the game, with Stark in on six of them.

George Fox jumped out to a 9-1 lead in game three, reeling off eight unanswered points in a row that included two kills and two blocks by Elizabeth Anderson and a pair of service aces by Jennifer Panico. The Pirates got no closer than five points the rest of the way as the Bruins led by as much as 12 points twice in coasting to the win. Anderson was a perfect 4-for-4 in attacks and had four blocks in the game.

After four lead changes and eight ties in game four, Whitworth went on a 6-0 run, capped by a pair of Nikki Bardwell kills, to take a 22-17 lead, and they upped that to 27-21 on a putaway by Florence. The Bruins then rallied with a 7-1 spurt and tied it 28-28 on a kill by Whitney Kolb. Back-to-back Bruin attack errors, however, gave the Pirates the equalizing game.

In the deciding game, George Fox held brief leads of 1-0 and 5-4, but could not withstand a pinpoint Whitworth offense that produced 13 kills and only two errors for a .458 hitting percentage. VanderMeulen, Florence and Bardwell combined for 12 kills and a .526 attack mark. A block by Stark and Florence closed out the match.

Philliber led the Bruins with 21 kills, Kolb added 15, Anderson had 13 with a .400 percentage, and Holly Hutchinson had 10. Amy Knight passed out 61 assists. Panico led the defense with 15 digs, and Philliber and Knight had 13 each. Anderson contributed on eight of the Bruins’ 10 blocks.

Florence with 22 kills and VanderMeulen with 21 and a .419 hitting percentage paced the Pirates, while Bardwell added 16 kills and Tomlin 13 with a .407 mark. Holly Ridings handed out 65 assists. Cassie Moore had a match-high 19 digs, with Florence making 18, Ridings 16, and Jenna Hays 14. Stark finished with eight blocks out of the Pirates’ 10 total.

George Fox (8-15, NWC 4-8) visits 16th-ranked Linfield College and Whitworth (7-16, NWC 6-6) hosts the University of Puget Sound Friday, both matches starting at 7 p.m.