WALLA WALLA, Wash. — The Whitman College women's volleyball team completed a perfect opening weekend of Northwest Conference play Saturday night, sweeping Linfield 25-22, 25-17, 26-24 at the Sherwood Center.
The Blues (4-4 overall, 2-0 NWC) hit .290 for the match and received a balanced offensive effort in the straight-set victory. Sammy Holmer led Whitman with 11 kills on 14 attempts, hitting .786, while Addie Belt added 12 kills and Arina Gushchina finished with 10.
Whitman overcame a tightly contested first set that featured 12 ties and eight lead changes. Linfield used consecutive service aces from Naia Alefaio-Foifua to move in front 3-2 early, but neither team led by more than three points through the middle of the frame.
With the score tied at 17, the Blues used a Linfield attack error and a Belt kill to take a 19-17 advantage. Linfield pulled within 20-19 on a Tatum Montiel kill, but Whitman answered with another Belt kill and eventually closed the set on a Belt termination from Haylee Pruse for the 25-22 win.
The Blues seized control earlier in the second set. After Linfield scored the opening two points, Whitman responded with a 7-2 run that included kills from Belt, Gushchina and Kendall Herman to build a 7-4 lead.
Whitman extended its advantage to 13-8 after a Holmer kill, then continued to apply pressure behind its offense. Gushchina recorded a kill for an 11-6 lead, and the Blues later used back-to-back Linfield attack errors to go ahead 16-10. Linfield closed to 18-14, but Whitman scored seven of the final 10 points. Belt ended the set with a kill from Melia Ferraro, giving the Blues a 25-17 victory and a 2-0 match lead.
Linfield pushed Whitman to the limit in the third set. The Blues opened with a 4-1 lead after back-to-back Holmer service aces and a Gushchina kill, but Linfield battled back to tie the score at 4 and later pulled even at 13-13.
Whitman regained momentum with a three-point run to take a 19-16 lead, highlighted by kills from Gushchina, Belt and Rowyn Lee. Linfield continued its charge, however, trimming the margin to 23-21 before a Holmer kill gave Whitman match point.
The Wildcats answered with three consecutive points, including a kill by Nora Myre and an Alefaio-Foifua service ace, to tie the score at 24. Whitman responded immediately as Gushchina delivered a kill for a 25-24 lead, and Sophie Broesamle followed with a service ace to seal the 26-24 win.
Pruse directed the Whitman offense with 28 assists, while Lauren Fogliani recorded a team-high 13 digs. Holmer also added two service aces and 13 digs, and Belt contributed 11 digs.
Whitman finished with 43 kills and only 16 attack errors on 93 attempts. Linfield was held to a .133 hitting percentage despite a strong .321 mark in the final set. Nora Myre paced the Wildcats with 11 kills.
Whitman closes out its early-season conference homestand with a Tuesday, Sept. 23 match against Whitworth. First serve is set for 6:00 p.m.
#GoWhitman
