Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

BOSTON – In the final games of its 2014 non-conference schedule, the Whitman College volleyball team ran out of steam on the second day of the two-day 2014 UMass Boston Invitational. The Missionaries battled Williams (Mass.) College in a 3-1 loss to start the afternoon then stepped right back onto the Clark Gymnasium court to square off against the host Beacons who downed Whitman by a 3-0 count. Sophomore Shae Kanakaole was among the highlights for Whitman in the pair of losses, registering a team-best 22 kills on the day while chipping in with 14 digs and one block assist.

Whitman (4-5) split its games Friday in Boston playing a five-game match in its opener and then bouncing back for a win in a four-game contest. The trip across three time zones combined with Friday's efforts certainly made Saturday's contests more challenging.

The opening game against Williams (5-1) was nip and tuck the whole way with the Ephs scratching out a 25-20 win to pull ahead. Game 2 was even closer as the teams traded narrow leads until Williams pulled within a point, 24-20, of putting Whitman down by a pair of games. The Missionaries rallied to tie the score at 24-24 but Williams twice, at 25-24 and 26-25, inched to within a point of the win only to have the Missionaries fight their way back to stave off another loss. Finally, behind two attacking errors from the Ephs and a game-clinching kill from Franny Gardner, the Whitties were able to complete the come-back and take Game 2, 28-26.

The gas tanks were running low for Whitman, however, and Williams was able to reel off 25-18 and 25-15 wins in Games 3 and 4 to take the match.

The opener against UMass Boston (9-3) was an energy-draining game in which the score was tied 11 times and saw four lead changes. The Beacons eked out a 25-23 win before rolling off 25-19 and 25-15 wins to close out the Invitational with a perfect 4-0 mark, all by 3-0 scores.

In addition to Kanakaole's efforts on the attack, Natalia Zea and Megan Bafus each finished with 13 kills and Zea compiled a pair of solo blocks and five block assists to lead Whitman defensively at the net.

Anna Dawson was the team leader in setting up the attack, finishing Saturday with a total of 56 assists while also coming up with 24 digs, which trailed only Hannah Linsenmayer's 39 digs for Whitman.

The Missionaries return to action on the West Coast with their conference opener on September 19 at the University of Puget Sound.