2008 Woodie Awards
Pirates extend winning streak to three
Sara Morehouse
Issue date: 10/24/06
Last Updated: 12/26/07
Making the trip to Oregon paid off for the Whitworth Pirates last weekend, as the Pirates added two conference victories against the Lewis & Clark College Pioneers and the George Fox University Bruins, bringing their standings to 6-6 in the conference and 7-16 overall.
The Pirates won against the Pioneers last Friday 30-22, 30-28, 30-21.
"We were just determined to crush them after last time … it was a confidence-boosting match," senior outside hitter Angie Florence said.
In game one, a six-point run, followed by a 9-1 run secured the lead and the first-game victory for the Pirates.
Florence offered the kill that broke a 27-27 tie in the close second game, while sophomore outside hitter Nikki Bardwell secured the win with a final kill. Fueled by the first two wins, Whitworth swept game three.
As a team, the Pirates attained a season-high hitting percentage of .256. Florence topped off the individual stats with 12 kills, 12 digs, seven aces and a block-assist. Sophomore middle blocker Holly Tomlin followed with 11 kills and a block-assist. Senior outside hitter Nicole Vander Meulen had 10 kills and an impressive hitting percentage of .400.
"Our passing was on and it seemed like they couldn't block us for anything," senior middle back Amy Newton said.
Last Saturday's match went to five games, giving Whitworth a 23-30, 30-24, 21-30, 30-28, 15-11 win against the Bruins.
Both teams battled through game one, holding each other to ties on every number from 6-6 to 12-12, with the Bruins prevailing 30-23.
Whitworth did not get a win until game two, when they fired off 18 kills and a single error, to the tune of a .436 hitting percentage.
George Fox hurried to a 9-1 lead in game three, which proved to be too much for the Pirates, who only came within five points of the leaders the rest of the game. Whitworth answered with a win in game four, after four lead changes and eight ties.
Game five sealed the match for the Pirates, who did not let George Fox come within a winning distance. Thirteen kills and two errors for a .458 hitting percentage gave Whitworth the victory.
"We knew that they were a stronger defensive team, so we wanted to match the defense [offensively]," Newton said.
Sophomore setter Holly Ridings gave her season-high of 65 assists. Florence dominated the kills with 22. Vander Meulen followed closely with 21, Bardwell had 16 and Tomlin had 13.
Junior libero Cassie Moore led both teams with 19 digs, while Florence was a close second with 18. Ridings had 16 and sophomore setter Jenna Hays had 14. Of the teams 10 blocks, senior middle back Tamra Stark had eight.
The Pirates play host to the University of Puget Sound this Friday and Pacific Lutheran University this Saturday.
The Pirates won against the Pioneers last Friday 30-22, 30-28, 30-21.
"We were just determined to crush them after last time … it was a confidence-boosting match," senior outside hitter Angie Florence said.
In game one, a six-point run, followed by a 9-1 run secured the lead and the first-game victory for the Pirates.
Florence offered the kill that broke a 27-27 tie in the close second game, while sophomore outside hitter Nikki Bardwell secured the win with a final kill. Fueled by the first two wins, Whitworth swept game three.
As a team, the Pirates attained a season-high hitting percentage of .256. Florence topped off the individual stats with 12 kills, 12 digs, seven aces and a block-assist. Sophomore middle blocker Holly Tomlin followed with 11 kills and a block-assist. Senior outside hitter Nicole Vander Meulen had 10 kills and an impressive hitting percentage of .400.
"Our passing was on and it seemed like they couldn't block us for anything," senior middle back Amy Newton said.
Last Saturday's match went to five games, giving Whitworth a 23-30, 30-24, 21-30, 30-28, 15-11 win against the Bruins.
Both teams battled through game one, holding each other to ties on every number from 6-6 to 12-12, with the Bruins prevailing 30-23.
Whitworth did not get a win until game two, when they fired off 18 kills and a single error, to the tune of a .436 hitting percentage.
George Fox hurried to a 9-1 lead in game three, which proved to be too much for the Pirates, who only came within five points of the leaders the rest of the game. Whitworth answered with a win in game four, after four lead changes and eight ties.
Game five sealed the match for the Pirates, who did not let George Fox come within a winning distance. Thirteen kills and two errors for a .458 hitting percentage gave Whitworth the victory.
"We knew that they were a stronger defensive team, so we wanted to match the defense [offensively]," Newton said.
Sophomore setter Holly Ridings gave her season-high of 65 assists. Florence dominated the kills with 22. Vander Meulen followed closely with 21, Bardwell had 16 and Tomlin had 13.
Junior libero Cassie Moore led both teams with 19 digs, while Florence was a close second with 18. Ridings had 16 and sophomore setter Jenna Hays had 14. Of the teams 10 blocks, senior middle back Tamra Stark had eight.
The Pirates play host to the University of Puget Sound this Friday and Pacific Lutheran University this Saturday.
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