WALLA WALLA, Wash. - Whitman College's Abby Seethoff set a season high for kills Wednesday night in a Northwest Conference volleyball match-up against Whitworth University at Sherwood Athletics Center, but the visiting Pirates were able to withstand the senior's efforts and escaped with a 3-1 victory over the Missionaries.

Seethoff, with an outstanding .350 attack percentage, tied for match-high honors with 18 kills to lead Whitman (2-7, 0-3 NWC). Teammate Katie Sisson also surpassed her previous season best, finishing the night with nine kills. League leader Whitworth (9-3, 3-0) was led by Cassandra Mendoza's 18 kills, one of three Pirates to reach double-figures on the night during their 25-18, 25-17, 17-25 and 25-20 match win.

The Missionaries didn't get off to a slow start in the match, they just weren't matching the small point runs that Whitworth was putting up on the scoreboard. That all changed in the third game when Whitman never trailed and used an early 5-0 spurt to take command.

The first of those points came with the score tied at 2-2 on a Whitworth attacking error. That put the ball in Codie Conching's hands behind the service line, and in Sisson's wheel house on the left side at the net. A solid serve from Conching at 3-2 resulted in another Pirate attacking error and then Sisson pounded through the Whitworth front line on the next two points for a pair of kills. Conching's service ace was the last of the points in the run and from that point forward the Missionaries maintained their advantage. Fittingly, it was Seethoff who collected two the game's final three points for Whitman with two more kills.

By now the Missionaries had found their legs and, other than a very early 5-1 deficit they recovered from, played the Pirates point for point for much of the fourth game. Whitman tied the score seven times and edged ahead at 7-6 and 9-8 before the final tie at 12-12. Whitworth notched five of the next six points, though, and then clung to that small advantage to close out the match in four.

Seethoff's night included 10 digs, trailing only Hannah Linsenmayer's 21 on the Whitman side of the stats ledger. The Missionaries were strong at the net on defense with Natalia Zea and Anna Dawson combining for six of the team's 10 blocks. Whitworth's defensive efforts weren't as strong at the net, with only five blocks, but its work on the floor -- five players reached double-digits in digs -- helped stave off many of Whitman's attacks.

The Missionaries are back in action with only a day off, welcoming George Fox University to Sherwood at 7 p.m. Friday for another NWC match.