FOREST GROVE, Ore. -
Teia Magaoay led the Blues with team highs of 26 assists and 10 digs, but it couldn't stop a stellar hitting night for the Boxers as the Whitman College women's volleyball team fell in straight sets to Pacific (Ore.) in Northwest Conference action on Friday. Set scores were 25-22, 25-23, 25-16.
Kenzie Martinez added 11 kills and six digs for the Blues who fell to 3-8 overall and 2-2 in conference. Mara Murphy delivered a double double with 15 kills and 14 digs for Pacific who as a team hit a .352 clip.
Whitman fell behind by two sets despite two very competitive battles in the opening two frames. The Blues trailed by a slim margin for most of the first set before a Martinez kill tied the score at 19-19. Navi Islam-Zwart then drilled back-to-back kills to put her team up two points. Alison Brown and Kayla Craft both had multiple kills down the stretch for the Boxers who pulled out the win.
Set two saw the Boxers jump on the Blues early and never relinquish the lead. Whitman never let the set slip away however, whittling the lead to two on several occasions. Midway through the set, Islam-Zwart posted a kill to cut the lead to 16-14, but kills from Brown and Craft pushed the lead back up to three points. The Blues responded to cut the lead to a single point with kills on four occasions down the stretch, but it were the Boxers that snatched the win.
A 10-0 Boxer run told the story of the third and final set. The Blues led by three, but after Pacific's huge run, trailed 21-14 and were never able to rally.
The Blues return home next weekend with matches against Pacific Lutheran (Friday, Sept. 29) and Puget Sound (Saturday, Sept. 30).
#GoWhitman
