WALLA WALLA, Wash.  Two of the Northwest Conference's queenpins of the volleyball marathon needed five sets to settle their differences at Sherwood Athletic Center here Saturday.

Despite overcoming 1-0 and 2-1 set deficits and surviving match point three times, Whitman saw its three-match win streak come to an end in a hard-fought, 25-17, 21-25, 25-22, 23-25, 15-12 loss to Pacific.

The Boxers improved to 13-3 overall, 6-2 in conference and 3-0 in five-set matches. Whitman, despite scintillating play at the net by Codie Conching and Elyse Benavides and the all-around excellence of Anna Dawson, fell to 4-9, 4-4 and 2-1, respectively.

The match was contested with playoff intensity by two worthy suitors to the conference crown, who will face off again Nov. 4 in Forest Grove, Oregon, in the NWC finale for both squads.

"Pacific played well," Whitman head coach Matt Helm said. "They're a good team. They came in here 5-2 in conference for a reason. We just needed to be a little bit more decisive on certain plays. The timing of some of our errors hurt us."

The Blues were at their best when the margin for error was slimmest. Benavides, a first-year outside hitter from El Paso, Texas, had five of her 14 kills in the second set, which Whitman scrambled to win and tie the match 1-1.

Conching, a junior who moved from libero to outside hitter this season as Whitman adjusted to roster depletions, added five of her team-high 16 kills as the Blues held on to win the fourth set and force a fifth.

"We competed well. This team is never going to lay down and die," said Helm. "Like Codie said yesterday, we're playing for those that can't. That's all we can ask for."

Lara Temel had consecutive aces, giving her a team-high five in the match, to help Whitman grab an iota of fifth-set momentum. Temel's bullets from the stripe made it 3-1, Blues.

But the Boxers scored seven of the next nine points to take an 8-5 lead. It was 13-8, Pacific, after Whitman hit into the next and 14-9 on one of Milana Ivkovic's match-high 18 kills before the Blues made their last stand, scoring on consecutive Pacific errors and a Brooke Randall block to make it 14-12.

Jordan Zweifel, who had 17 kills, smacked the game-winner for the visitors.

"We battled until the end," Helm said.

Dawson dished 41 assists to go with nine digs, three block assists and six kills for Whitman.

Conching added 20 digs, Randall seven kills, six block assists and one block, and Cherokee Washington 17 digs and three assists.

Temel and Megan Henry anted six kills and four block assists apiece.

The Blues host the University of Puget Sound at 5 p.m. on Friday.