SPOKANE, Wash. – Whitworth University rolled to a 3-0 Northwest Conference volleyball title-clinching win over visiting Puget Sound on Friday night at the Whitworth Fieldhouse.
The 23rd-ranked Pirates improved to 23-2 overall and 15-0 in the NWC with the 25-22, 25-15, 25-21 win over the Loggers (15-8, 12-3), ending Puget Sound's six-match winning streak.
Whitworth has earned the right to host the 2024 NWC tournament next weekend with semifinals on Friday night and the championship on Saturday in the Fieldhouse.
"Our entire team has been committed since the beginning of the season," said Pirate head coach Kati Bodecker. "They are so connected and really love each other, so winning this together really means a lot to them."
The Pirates had to work out of a deep hole in the opening set to get the sweep. The Loggers used a 7-0 run to take a 14-7 lead on a kill by Mackenzie Leith. Whitworth still trailed 21-16 after a service error, but then caught fire, outscoring UPS 9-1 down the stretch. Abigail Hudson had back-to-back kills in the final stretch and Ella Jimenez finished it off with her seventh kill of the first game.
"I was incredibly impressed with that rally," Bodecker said. "It's always fun when you're surprised as a coach in a good way and they did so by turning things around so quickly. Once we started keeping our serves in and finding momentum defensively, we were able to make it happen."
Puget Sound jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the second set, but the Pirates answered with a 7-1 run and never trailed again. Leading 9-7, the Bucs used a 10-4 scoring run to build a 19-11 advantage. Whitworth held the Loggers to a .000 hitting percentage in the second frame, thanks in part to three blocks. Jimenez continued her dominant play with eight more kills.
There were five ties and two lead changes in the opening points of the final frame. With the set tied 8-8, the Bucs used a 4-1 scoring spurt to take a lead they would not relinquish. A block by Hudson and Cassidy Franklin increased the advantage to 21-13 before the Loggers scored five straight points to get within 21-18 on a kill from Sarah Johnson. Whitworth regrouped and ended the match on a kill by Jimenez, her only one of the final set.
Jimenez scored a match-high 17.5 points on 16 kills, an ace and a block assist. Amblessed Okemgbo added seven kills. Franklin had five blocks (two solo, three assists) to lead the defense. Josephine Thompson dished 17 assists and served three of the Pirates' seven aces. Taylor Miche had 13 digs.
In a matchup featuring the top two blocking teams in the NWC, the Pirates out-blocked the Loggers 8.0 to 5.0.
Leith had 10 kills to lead UPS while Johnson had 7 kills and three blocks. Puget Sound has also clinched a spot in the upcoming NWC tournament thanks to the six-match winning streak that was bookended by 3-0 losses to the Pirates.
Whitworth will close the regular season against second place PLU (18-6, 13-2) on Saturday night at 6:00 pm. Five Pirate seniors will be honored prior to the contest.
