CLAREMONT, Calif. – The Whitworth volleyball team rebounded by winning twice on Saturday at the Pacific Coast Classic hosted by Pomona-Pitzer Colleges.

One day after dropping two contests, the Pirates (2-2) swept by Chapman 25-15, 25-22, 25-18 and then came from behind to defeat the host Sagehens 25-21, 19-25, 21-25, 25-14, 15-8.

"I thought we improved our level of play significantly from yesterday," said Whitworth head coach Kati Bodecker. "We passed better and were able to get in a rhythm offensively.  Our middles played tough. They were efficient with their swings and blocked really well."

The day opened with the sweep of Chapman (0-3).  The Pirates hit .280 as a team and controlled the match from the beginning.  Whitworth never trailed in the opening set and hit .471 for a quick win.  The second set was much closer and the Bucs overcame a late 21-20 deficit to take the second on a kill by Karina Lees.  The Pirates closed out the final set by pulling away from an 8-8 tie with an 8-2 run. 

Brenna Bruil led the Pirates with 13 kills and a .333 hitting percentage and was in on two block assists.  Lees added 11 kills and 13 digs.  Three players reached double figures in kills for Chapman, led by Halle Erahl's 11 kills.

Whitworth handed Pomona-Pitzer (2-1) its first loss of the season in the Pirates' tournament finale.  After losing a hard-fought third set to go behind 2-1, Whitworth dominated the rest of the way.  The Pirates never trailed in either the fourth or fifth sets.  After the Sagehens tied the final set 6-6, the Pirates went on a 9-2 run to close out the match.

I thought we did a great job of focusing on our serving against Pomona Pitzer, to take them out of their system," Bodecker said.  "We showed a lot of heart and we were able to gut out some long rallies."

Bruil again led the way with 15 kills and she hit .306.  She had one solo block and four block assists to lead the Pirates defensively at the net.  Nicole Leonard came through with 13 kills and 19 digs, while Haley Vick contributed 12 kills and hit .417. 

Whitworth returns to host Lewis-Clark State in the 2014 home opener on Wednesday night.  That match will begin at 7:00 pm.