WALLA WALLA, Wash. -
Nicole Kelly led all hitters with 19 kills,
Sydney London added 10 more to go along with a match-high six blocks and the Whitman College women's volleyball team won a five-set thriller over Pacific Lutheran in Northwest Conference action Saturday night at the Sherwood Center. Set scores were 25-14,19-25, 25-23, 26-28, 15-11.
Jamie Bartok added a team-best 21 digs for the Blues (7-10, 5-5 NWC) who moved into a tie with the Lutes (10-8, 5-5 NWC) in the conference standings. Both squads hit at a very comparable clip but it was Whitman's more than doubling up PLU in aces and blocks that moved the needle.
Elle Thomas led the Lutes with 17 kills with Haile Hetzler a force in the back row to the tune of a match-high 31 digs.
As they did a day ago against UPS, the Blues got off to a hot start when they opened the match winning six of the set's first eight points. Christina Boxberger drilled a kill and Megan Suka and London got in on a block to give Whitman an early lead. The Lutes got within a point but the Blues regained control and cruised to the win. Multiple kills from Boxberger and London spearheaded a 12-2 run to close the set and strike first in the match.
PLU returned the favor with a convincing win in set two. The Lutes led by as many as 11 points before staving off a late Whitman rally to even the match.
Whitman's set three victory was as tight as they came. Claire Hindman's kill put PLU up five early but the Blues quickly rallied to tie the score. From that point on, neither team led by more than two points as each matched the other on both sides of the net. Kelly's kill put Whitman up 18-17, but back-to-back kills from Kailee Efros-Bohn regained the lead for the Lutes. With the set tied at 22-22, Boxberger came alive with consecutive kills and the Blues made good on their second set point to take the lead in the match.
Whitman had an excellent shot at clinching the match in set four in what turned out to be a series of twists and turns down the stretch. The Blues led 17-11 before the Lutes ran off four unanswered points and eventually took the lead at 21-19 on the heels of a 10-2 run. The Blues later staved off two set points before having one of their own, but PLU nailed the final two points to send the match to a fifth set.
The Blues got out in front early in set five and paced the win. Boxberger and London kills helped Whitman to a 6-1 lead and, though PLU cut the lead to 10-8, the set and match belonged to the Blues.
The Blues next host Whitworth this Wednesday, Oct. 19 at 6:00 p.m.
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