WALLA WALLA, Wash. – Whitman College used a hot start Friday night to down Northwest Conference opponent Linfield College, 3-0. The Missionaries took a commanding lead in the first set and then fought their way back to win set two, before finishing the conference's third ranked team in three straight. Whitman's attack was led by the trio of Abby Seethoff, Shae Kanakaole and Megan Henry who combined for 30 of the 40 Missionary kills.
 
Senior, Hannah Linsenmayer led Whitman (5-14, 3-10 NWC) with 16 digs and junior Natalia Zea contributed seven blocks in a defensive effort that was nothing short of spectacular. The Missionaries held Linfield (10-12, 7-6 NWC) to a 43 attack percentage and came up with 63 team digs in the contest. Linsenmayer (16), first year Codie Conching (12) and Kanakaole (11) combined for nearly 62 percent of the team's digs.
 
Whitman nearly led from start to finish in the first set; the only time the Missionaries did not hold the lead was at a 9-9 tie. From that point, Whitman rattled off six straight points and took an impressive 15-9 lead, an advantage that would hold to the 25-20 victory.
 
The second set of the night was a battle from start to finish. No team led by more than three until Whitman broke the Wildcat defense down midway through the set. The Missionaries surged their way to a 23-19 lead after taking nine of ten points from Linfield. The Wildcats would answer the Whitman run, tying the game at 25 before Seethoff sent the set-winning kill into the Linfield defense, giving the Missionaries the 27-25 victory.
 
After a ten-minute intermission, Whitman came out with a sense of urgency and a determination to finish the night in three sets. The Missionaries led from start to finish and at one point pushed their lead to eight. Zea, Kanakaole and Henry would combine for 12 kills in the set that would prove to be a 25-16 match-clinching game for the Whitties.
 
Whitman is home for its last game at the Sherwood Center tomorrow night against Pacific University at 5:00 p.m.