2008 Woodie Awards
Pirates right ship, take two
Volleyball beats Whitman at home, Lewis & Clark away to even NWC mark
Danika Heatherly, Sports Editor
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The Pirate volleyball team went 30-25, 26-30, 30-22, 30-23 on Wednesday, Oct. 3 to defeat the Whitman Missionaries at home 3-1 and break a 3-game losing streak. The team followed up Wednesday's win at home with a victory in the unfriendly confines of Pamplin Sports Center against Lewis & Clark College on Oct. 5.
After losing to Pacific Lutheran University, the University of Puget Sound and to Linfield College in the past two weeks, the Pirates came out tough and never let down.
In Wednesday's match, junior right side hitter Sarah Rusch led the team with 21 kills. Senior libero Cassie Moore finished with 33 digs and junior setter Holly Ridings added 42 assists, 8 kills, and 11 digs. Sophomore right side hitter Tracy Schwada added 11 kills, 4 aces and 3 blocks.
Whitworth called their first timeout of the match at 26-25 after Whitman came back from a 25-21 deficit. Late in the game junior outside hitter Nikki Bardwell was the go-to player, as several back-row attacks helped the Pirates finish the game off 30-25.
With a five-point deficit in the second game, a Pirate timeout led to an immediate sideout and sent sophomore defensive specialist Bethany Castilleja back to the line to serve for the Bucs. The team couldn't finish, losing the second game by only four points.
An early Pirates lead gave them the momentum to keep the Missionaries a steady 5 or 6 points behind throughout the game. A string of serves from Schwada put the Pirates up by nine in the third game and only four points away from taking the game and giving themselves a 2-1 match lead. A kill by Rusch, a block by junior middle blocker Holly Tomlin and an error by Whitman gave Whitworth the game advantage heading into the fourth game of the match.
The Pirates again took an early lead and didn't let go. A kill by Bardwell and another Whitman error finished the game (30-23) and gave Whitworth the Northwest Conference match 3-1.
After their strong win against the Whitman Missionaries in the Whitworth Fieldhouse on Wednesday night, the Pirates headed to Portland Friday to face the Lewis & Clark Pioneers.
Rusch was a standout in both of this week's games. She led the Pirates on Wednesday hitting .385 with four blocks and finished against Lewis & Clark with 19 kills and three blocks.
A pair of Rusch attacks and a kill from Bardwell made it 29-28, but Whitworth's rally fell short as they dropped the first game to the Pioneers 30-28.
Whitworth was able to pick up the second game 30-21 after both sides were riddled with errors. The teams combined for 20 errors in the game.
After a strong win in the second, Whitworth was determined to come back and take the lead in the third.
The Pirates and the Pioneers shared the lead and momentum of the third game, as the two squads tied at 15, 18 and 27 points. With the game on the line, Whitworth got kills from Rusch and Ridings to wrap it up. The game ended in the Pirates' favor 30-28.
Whitworth started ahead in game four and wouldn't let go. Kills by junior outside hitter Jill Solbrack, Schwada, and Rusch put the game out of reach for the Pioneers and gave Whitworth a 30-24 game four victory.
The Pirates went to 4-4 in the Northwest Conference and 9-7 overall win the match win.
Schwada added 16 kills, four aces, and 2 blocks against Lewis & Clark. Solbrack contributed with 11 kills, 14 digs and a block.
Whitworth will revisit the Portland area next week in three big matches, including a fixture with non-conference Concordia University (Ore.) at 4:00 p.m. Thursday.
On Friday, the Pirates trek to Forest Grove, Ore., to play Pacific University. Whitworth ends the three-game road trip in Newberg, Ore., against George Fox University.
Contact Danika Heatherly at danika.heatherly@whitworthian.com.
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