NEWBERG, Ore. – Saturday evening's 3-1 Northwest Conference victory at host George Fox University in the season's final contest pushed Whitman College's volleyball team to its first three-match winning streak of the season. Shae Kanakaole led the Missionaries and all players on the attack, tying a career-high for kills with 19 in the match.

Whitman (11-14, 7-9 NWC) didn't take the easy route to the win over the Bruins (4-22, 3-13) either, especially in the opening game which it won 25-22 after trailing 9-2 early in the match. Seeking to increase the advantage in the second game the Missionaries battled to a 15-14 lead midway through but consecutive points from the Bruins turned the tide and Fox eventually fought off Whitman with a 26-24 win to even the match at a game apiece.

In Game 3 Whitman found things a bit easier going from the opening points. Trailing 2-1 Kanakaole's kill evened the score and a George Fox attacking error gave the Missionaries a lead that would grow over the course of the game in a 25-13 win that brought Whitman to within one victory of the match win.

The easy road turned rocky again in the fourth game which saw its 11th tie at 19-19. Anna Dawson registered the kill to give Whitman a 20-19 lead and then Franny Gardner added another kill, sandwiched between a pair of Fox attacking errors, for a four-point run that left the Missionaries just two points shy of capturing the night. The Bruins won back the serve on the next point, gave it away on an attacking error, regained the serve with another point then hit into a block thrown up by Gardner and Megan Bafus to end the game with a 25-21 Whitman triumph.

In their final collegiate games Gardner, with nine, and Bafus, with six, combined for 15 kills to help Kanakaole on the attack. Natalia Zea added in eight kills.

Gardner also chipped in with three digs and two service aces, and earned an assist on five blocks in the match to lead the team defending the net. Behind Gardner were Hannah Linsenmayer and Kanakaole who came up with 18 and 12 digs, respectively, each. Linsenmayer's total was a match-high.

George Fox's attack was paced by Erin Campbell who accumulated 17 kills during the loss.

The Missionaries' 7-9 mark within the final conference standings left them in a tie for fifth place with Willamette University which Whitman defeated on November 1 for the first of its season-ending winning streak. The conference record is a two-win improvement from the 2013 campaign while the team's 11 overall wins is a four-win improvement from last season.