WALLA WALLA, Wash. – The ending seemed inevitable Friday evening at the Sherwood Athletics Center where Whitman College swept visiting Lewis & Clark College, 3-0, in a Northwest Conference women's volleyball matchup.
The Missionaries (7-9, 3-4 NWC) closed out each game with brief runs to down a Pioneer (7-9, 3-4) squad that had previously defeated Whitman early in the season on the same court at the Whitman Classic.
The clinching win Friday ended with a 5-0 run by the Missionaries that included three kills from
Shae Kanakaole, including the game winner that gave the sophomore her match-high 14th of the night.
Already leading 2-0 in the match Whitman broke in front from the start of Game 3 and maintained a lead until late when Lewis & Clark reeled off six straight points to slip ahead, 22-20, for the first time since Game 2. A fateful service error from the Pioneer's Alex Navarro ended the run and pulled the Missionaries to within a point.
Kanakaole registered a pair of kills to wrest back the lead then, following a Lewis & Clark attacking error that moved Whitman one point shy of the sweep, finished off the night with one last kill in the 25-22 triumph.
As solid as Game 3 was for the home team, they were forced to rally from behind in each of their first two wins.
In both the first and second games Lewis & Clark owned lengthy leads only to have Whitman rally late with consecutive-point runs to steal wins.
Game 1 saw Lewis & Clark reverse a 5-4 deficit into a lead it would maintain until consecutive blocks by
Natalia Zea allowed Whitman to regain the advantage at 19-18. The teams traded the next few points before a four-point run closed out the 25-21 win for Whitman.
The second game was eerily similar -- for both teams. Whitman led early, 4-3, but the Pioneers took control and led, again, for much of the game but by only two or three points until finally lengthening that advantage to four at 15-11. A 6-1 run from Whitman, though, pushed the home team ahead and hinted at an ending similar to the opener.
Sure enough, the Missionaries closed out the comeback with three straight points to steal another 25-21 win from the shocked Pioneers. Hannay Linsenmayer registered a service ace for the final point, setting up a chance for the sweep.
Along with her match-leading attack total, Kanakaole also added in seven digs and one solo block and two block assists.
Megan Bafus chipped in on the attack with 10 kills while
Abby Seethoff registered nine.
Linsenmayer's 20 digs were a match high as was
Anna Dawson's 32 set assists and
Kaileah Akker's three solo and one block assist.
Whitman rolls back into league action Saturday at 5 p.m. with a visit from George Fox University (2-15, 1-6 NWC).
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