Box Score

WALLA WALLA, Wash. -- Pacific outlasted the Missionaries to win a thrilling  Northwest Conference women's volleyball match in 5 sets tonight at Sherwood Athletic Center, despite 25 kills and 3 serving aces from Whitman's Jillian Davis.
 
The victory improves the Boxers' conference record to 5-6 and overall mark to 6-12. The Missionaries fall to 4-7 and 6-18.
 
The teams alternated winning sets, with Pacific taking the first and third sets 25-22 and 25-23 and the Missionaries prevailing in the second and third sets 25-19 and 25-19, before the Boxers won the final set 15-13, after trailing 6-2 and 8-4.
 
The Boxers were powered by Una Areta who tallied 16 kills to go along with 15 digs, and Mariah McHolland who totaled 12 kills and had 3 serving aces. Whitman got 11 kills from Megan Bafus and 9 from Natalia Zea.
 
In the fifth set, after the teams had switched sides and the Whits led 8-4, the Boxers outscored the Missionaries 9-1 to take a 13-9 advantage. During the run, Pacific benefitted from several kills and a service ace from Areta and two kills from Hannah Herbert who had 9 on the night.
 
Whitman scored a point to make it 13-10 but then hit an attack long to put Pacific on the doorstep of victory. The Boxers, then, served into the net, committed a passing error, and Whitman's Davis recorded her 25th kill on a touch shot that fell between Pacific players to cut the lead to 14-13. Pacific called a timeout. And then, with Whitman serving, McHolland, hitting from the middle, was able to put down a kill to end the contest.
 
The match, which lasted 2 hours 15 minutes, was marked by many long rallies. Pacific recorded 12 team blocks to Whitman's 6. Emily Farnham and McHolland each assisted on 5 blocks with McHolland adding two solos. Whitman's Zea assisted on 3 and had 1 solo.
 
Taylor Aschenbrenner had 53 assists for Whitman; Farnham led Pacific in assists with 37.
 
The victory for the Boxers provides a season split for the two teams. The Missionaries defeated Pacific in Forest Grove 3-0 back on September 27.
 
Next Up: Whitman hosts George Fox tomorrow night at 5 pm  . . . the seniors will be honored before the match . . . the match can be viewed via live video at http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/whitman.portal#
 
 
Contact:
Andrew Holt
Whitman Sports Information Director
holtac@whitman.edu
509.527.5902