Pirates Unable to Continue Momentum Against 'Cats

SPOKANE, Wash. -- Katie Leavitt and Emily Vuylsteke combined for 23 kills to lead visiting Linfield College to a 25-17, 21-25, 25-22, 25-12 win at Whitworth University in the Northwest Conference opener for both schools.

The Pirates (4-8 overall, 0-1 NWC) could not continue the momentum they gained against the Wildcats (4-4, 1-0) in the second set.

Leavitt finished with 11 kills, 15 digs and four aces, while Vuylsteke had a team-high 12 kills for Linfield. Samantha Lau shared match-high honors in digs with Leavitt. Emily Carpenter (21) and Stephanie Purser (16) split the setting duties for the Wildcats.

Whitworth's Brynn DeLong (Jr., Spokane, Wash.) tied Vuylsteke for match high honors in kills with 12. Ka'ipo Rocha (So., Pukalani, Hawaii) and Kaimi Rocha (So., Pukalani, Hawaii) each added eight kills for the Bucs. Randi Stephens (Jr., Bozeman, Mont.) had a match-high six blocks, while Bree Riddle (So., Spokane, Wash.) led all players with 28 assists.

Linfield never trailed in the first set. The Wildcats broke away from a 9-8 lead with a 13-5 run, capped by a kill from Tara Hill to make the score 22-13. The Pirates got as close as 24-17 before Leavitt ended the set with a kill.

Linfield jumped to a quick 13-5 lead in the second set and went up 17-8 on Rae Smith's kill. But the Pirates stormed back to outscore the Wildcats 17-4 the rest of the way, winning the set on a block by Stephens and Riddle.

Whitworth seemed to have held on the momentum coming out of the break, taking a 10-5 lead in the third set on a kill by Ka'ipo Rocha. But Linfield found itself and steadily chipped away until the 'Cats tied it 19-19 on a Pirate ball handling error. Whitworth went back up 21-19 after a kill by DeLong, but Linfield outscored Whitworth 5-1 the rest of the way, winning on a kill by Leavitt.

After Whitworth grabbed a 9-7 lead in the fourth set with a 6-0 run, the Wildcats took total control by outscoring the Bucs 14-0 for a 21-9 lead. Whitworth committed five errors and Linfield's Leavitt had three aces during the deciding run.

Whitworth will try to pick up its first conference win of the season when the Pirates host Willamette University on Saturday night at 7:00 p.m. Linfield travels to play Whitman College on Saturday.