SALEM, Ore.  One rough set can be glossed over, given the tenacity in which Whitman rolled out a 3-1 road victory over host Willamette University in Northwest Conference volleyball action Friday night at Cone Field House. The Blues earned their 25-18, 26-24, 15-25, 25-15 victory on Gordie James Court to avenge a Bearcats sweep earlier in the schedule.

The victory -- its sixth in the last eight matches -- inches Whitman (7-10, 7-5 NWC) to within a half game of third place in the league standings. The loss ends a Willamette (7-12, 4-7) two-match win streak.

The Blues had things going their way early in Friday's opening game, earning three consecutive points at 6-6 to forge a lead they would never relinquish. Late in the game Willamette would climb to within four, 21-17, but constant pressure from Whitman's attack forced three errors on the Bearcats' side of the net while on the attack, sandwiched around a Kalli Dickey kill.

Though Willamette would race out to a 10-0 lead in the third game on its way to a 10-point win, the match had likely turned minutes earlier at the tail end of the second game.

Whitman lost the lead midway through that second, allowing a 12-11 lead to slip away into a 21-17 deficit.

The Blues battled back to eventually draw even at 22-22 on a Codie Conching service ace, but Willamette responded with consecutive points to serve for the set at 24-22. An Anna Dawson kill followed by one from Lara Temel squared things on the scoreboard and prompted a Willamette timeout.

The quick break to regroup failed, however, as a Bearcats attacking error pushed Whitman in front, and a Conching kill finished off the rally.

Perhaps better left unspoken about, the Blues forgot about their third-set slide and did some regrouping themselves at the start of the fourth game. Though Willamette maintained its momentum in the early moments, that joy would end with a 9-0 run by the Blues that effectively put the game, and match, away.

During that lengthy scoring spurt Whitman would get a run-starting block from Temel and Conching; two kills apiece from Temel and Conching along with one by Dawson; and a pair of service aces from Megan Henry.

The home team rallied to climb within three late, 18-15, but the Blues reeled off the next seven points -- which included three kills and a solo block from Brooke Randall -- to close out the night and earn some retribution for the disheartening sweep it suffered at the hands of the Bearcats in mid-September.

Conching finished Friday's match with 14 kills while Dickey added 13, and Temel chimed in with seven. Temel also provided punch defensively at the net, coming away with a pair of solo blocks and five block assists to help Whitman forge a 13.0 to 4.0 advantage in blocks.

Dawson more doubled up the next closest player in set assists, doling out 36 on the night for her sixth 30 match in her last eight outings.

Washington, who has averaged a tick more than 16 digs over her last eight matches, finished Friday's victory with 18 to continue her stellar season.

The Blues return to Walla Walla, Washington, for their final home stand, taking on George Fox University on Friday and Lewis & Clark College Saturday on Senior Night.