TACOMA, Wash.  Whitman's Codie Conching came up with a match-high 23 digs Friday night, but home-standing Pacific Lutheran University was able to come away with the match victory by taking three straight -- 25-13, 25-18, 25-19 -- in Northwest Conference volleyball action at the Lutes' Olson Gymnasium.

Conching posted her third straight 20-plus digs total in the loss, and surpassed that benchmark for the first time this season in a three-set match.

The loss drops Whitman to 9-12 overall and 6-7 in the league while PLU wins its fifth in a row and improves to 12-9 and 10-3, respectively.

Whitman overcame a negative attack percentage in the opening set to improve each of the next two games.

Pacific Lutheran was never behind in the first two games but found Whitman to be more resistant in the third game.

Though the Lutes broke out in front early, the Whits rallied back to take a 12-11 lead on a Miranda Taylor service ace then extended the advantage to 13-11 on a Brooke Randall solo block.

Four consecutive points from PLU flipped the lead back into the home team's favor, however, and though Whitman tied the match at 17-17 the Lutes were able to shut down Whitman's rally by cashing in on eight of the next 10 points to steal away the third set and the match.

Taylor finished the night with a match-best eight kills and got help at the net from Megan Henry and Shae Kanakaole who each rang up five kills.

At the net defensively Whitman's Natalia Zea, the nation's 19th-best blocker (1.14 blocks per set), put back half of Whitman's five blocks, registering a pair of solo blocks and adding one block assist.

The tail end of the season continues Saturday for Whitman with a trip to the University of Puget Sound, a squad that Whitman defeated 3-1 in Walla Walla on October 1.