Kaimi Rocha Posts 14 Kills to Lead the Effort

McMinnville, Ore. -- (From Linfield Sports Information Office) Kaimi Rocha slammed home 14 kills to lead visiting Whitworth to a four-set win over Linfield Saturday night at Ted Wilson Gymnasium by the scores of 23-25, 25-23, 25-14 and 26-24.

The Pirates ran their record to 8-13 overall and improve to 4-6 in Northwest Conference action. The ‘Cats slumpped to 7-10 overall and 4-6 in the NWC.

Whitworth got of on the right foot in game one but couldn’t hold off a relentless Linfield club. The Wildcats trailed 7-1 to open the game but battled back to tie the score at 20 on a Katie Leavitt service ace. After the Pirates took the next two points the Wildcats took advantage of three Whitworth attack errors to sneak out a victory.

Despite dropping the first game of the night, Whitworth came back with a gutsy effort in game two. After a Stephanie Purser ace put Linfield up 21-17, Whitworth rolled off the next three points to get back within reach. After an exchange of points tied the score at 20, Linfield faltered down the stretch, committing three errors to give Whitworth the win.

Using a 17-6 run to close the game, Whitworth broke open an 8-8 tie and ran away with the win in game three. The Pirates used runs of 4-0 and 5-0 to put the game out of reach.

After falling behind 14-6, Whitworth battled back to clip Linfield in game four. The Wildcats led 24-23 but once again Linfield miscues proved costly. A set error and an attack gave the Pirates a 25-24 advantage. The final point came on a block by Brynn DeLong and Ka’ipo Rocha.

Bree Riddle passed out 24 assists for the Pirates and Ariana Obert had 20 digs.

Tara Hill led the Wildcats in kills with 14. Samantha Lau finished with a match-high 26 digs.

Whitworth, winners of four of its last five matches, returns home to host George Fox (Friday) and Lewis & Clark (Saturday) next weekend.