Whitman 3, Haverford 030-21, 30-28, 30-26
Whitman 3, Marymount 1
25-30, 30-14, 30-27, 30-23
After shaking loose some rust in a first-game loss, the Whitman women's volleyball team took the next three games to open its season with a 3-1 victory over Marymount University in Saturday's opening day of the 18th annual Haverford College Invitational in Haverford, Pa. The Missionaries dropped the first game 30-25 but then won the next three by scores of 30-14, 30-27 and 30-23.
"It took us a little while to get going, but after that first game, we played good ball," Whitman coach Dean Snider said.
Seniors Denise Kirstein and Jill Huber keyed the offense with 15 and 12 kills, respectively. Liz Nelson, also a senior, collected 15 digs while Huber had 13 and Kirstein 10. Huber also added four blocks and two service aces.
Kate Borsato, a freshman setter, handed out 42 assists in her first collegiate match. Laura Williams, a junior middle blocker, had nine kills and eight blocks. Lyndsay Buckingham, also a junior, added eight kills to the offense.
Marymount, an NCAA Div. III school in Arlington, Va., struggled through a long season last fall, finishing with a 5-25 record.
Whitman 3, Augustana 1
30-28, 32-34, 30-27, 31-29
Jill Huber, Whitman's three-time All-Northwest Conference middle blocker, had a big match in leading the Missionaries to a 3-1 victory over Augustana College in Saturday's Haverford College Invitational. Huber, who closed out the victory with a kill, finished with 21 kills, 11 digs, eight blocks and a service ace.
The match was close throughout, with Whitman winning the first game 30-28 and losing the second 34-32. After winning the third game 30-27, the Missionaries rallied twice from substantial deficits to win 31-29 in game four.
In that fourth game, Whitman trailed 18-10, rallied to knot the score at 18-18, but then fell behind 28-22. "Our transitional game helped us come back to win that game," Whitman coach Dean Snider said. "Kate Borsato, our setter, was making great choices, and our hitters were putting the kills away. We also had four blocks during that stretch that made a huge difference."
Borsato, a first-year player who had a total of 43 assists, also contributed two critical digs to Whitman's closing rally. Denise Kirstein, a senior outside hitter, also had a strong match, combining 15 kills with 11 digs and five blocks.
Elly Smith and Liz Nelson, a pair of seniors, led Whitman in digs with 15 each. Lyndsay Buckingham, a junior, contributed 10 kills and seven digs.
"It was a good battle -- a very competitive match," Snider said. "I'm really proud of the way we've started. We're playing about as well as can be expected at the beginning of the season."
Augustana, an NCAA Div. III school in Rock Island, Ill., rolled to a 23-17 record last season, finishing second in its season-ending conference tournament.
By winning its first two matches in the nine-team tournament, Whitman advances to play in Sunday's "gold bracket." The Missionaries play the host team, Haverford, at 10 a.m. (EDT) Sunday. At 12:15 p.m. Sunday, Whitman plays Clarion University of Pennsylvania, an NCAA Div. II school. Both Haverford and Clarion won their two matches on Saturday.
Whitman 3, Haverford 0
30-21, 30-28, 30-26
The Whitman women's volleyball team remained undefeated at the Haverford College Invitational Sunday, beating the host team Haverford in three straight games. The Missionaires improved to 3-0 on the season with the 30-21, 30-28, 30-26 win.
Senior Denise Kirstein led the way with 13 kills, nine digs and two blocks. "Denise has had an outstanding tourney for us," Whitman coach Dean Snider said. "She's played well all weekend and has really been our go-getter."
Fellow senior Jill Huber added 12 kills, while freshman setter Kate Borsato had 36 assists. Senior Liz Nelson led the team in digs with a dozen.
Clarion 3, Whitman 0
30-21, 30-19, 30-18
The Whitman women's volleyball team dropped its first match of the season Sunday afternoon to Clarion University in its final match at the Haverford College Invitational. The Missionaries finished the season-opening tournament with a 3-1 record. Clarion, a NCAA Div. II school, went undefeated during the tournament, its first action since posting a 2002 season record of 31-5.
"We played well," Whitman coach Dean Snider noted. "We played a lot of long rallies against a very athletic team."
Seniors Jill Huber and Denise Kirstein continued to pace the Missionaries, recording eight kills and six kills, respectively. Natalie Kramer, a first-year player, chipped in with five kills while hitting .556.
Kate Borsato and Annie Kuvinka, two more first-year players, split time at the setter's position. Borsato had 13 assists and Kuvinka nine. Whitman's dig leaders were seniors Liz Nelson and Elly Smith with 11 and eight, respectively.
"I think we were the strongest Division III school at the tournament," Snider said.
Both Huber and first-year setter Kate Borsato made the all-tournament team. In her 15 games, Huber averaged 3.53 kills while collecting 36 digs and 17 blocks. In her first collegiate matches, Borsato averaged 8.93 assists in 15 games. Kirstein also enjoyed a good tournament, averaging 3.26 kills while accumulating 34 digs and nine blocks.
The Missionaries return to Walla Walla for their first home match of the year on Thursday, taking on NAIA powerhouse Lewis-Clark State.
Leading 2-0 after two games, the Whitman women's volleyball team was unable to finish off the match Thursday, falling 3-2 to Lewis-Clark State at Sherwood Center. The Missionaries are now 3-2 on the year, and the Warriors improved to 6-4.
"We played a solid match tonight," said Whitman coach Dean Snider. "I'm really, really pleased with the level of play at this point in the season. Having said that," Snider continued, "I would have liked to win this match."
Trailing 21-14 in the first game of the match, the Missionaries rallied, taking 13 of the next 19 points to tie the game at 27. Two attack errors by the Warriors and a pair of service aces by junior Laura Williams ended the game, a 30-27 win for the Missionaries. Williams finished off game two in a similar fashion, recording three straight service aces for the 30-26 win.
Lewis-Clark St. controlled the next two games, however, recording 17 kills in each enroute to 30-19 and 30-21 wins. In the fifth and deciding game, Whitman led 13-12, but the Warriors took the final three points of the match, winning 15-13.
Denise Kirstein led the Missionaries' attack, notching 22 kills while hitting .348. The senior outside hitter also recorded 12 digs and a block. Jill Huber also had a good night, hitting .310 with 14 kills and 15 digs.
"Denise was absolutely awesome tonight," Snider said. "Jill did a great job as well - and she had to go up against double blocks all night."
First-year setter Kate Borsato continued her steady play, dishing out 40 assists. "We hit almost 100 points points higher tonight than our average last season," Snider noted. "That really says something about our young setter."
Junior Lyndsay Buckingham rounded out the Missionaries in double digit kills, with 13, while hitting .375. Liz Nelson led the team with 15 digs.
The Missionaries had 33 kills in the first two games, but managed just 28 in the final three. "We had a game plan going in that worked," Snider said, "but we stopped being aggressive and went away from it."
Whitman has the weekend off, but travels to Tacoma, Wash. to Pacific Lutheran and Puget Sound for a tournament on Sept. 12 and 13. Friday's matches are versus Pacific Lutheran (2:30 p.m.) and Chapman University (5 p.m.)
The Whitman women's volleyball team dropped its opening match at the Domino's Great Northwest Crossover to conference rival Pacific Lutheran in Tacoma, Wash. Friday, falling in four games. PLU, ranked 24th in the nation, took the match 30-25, 30-20, 22-30, 30-20 to improve to 6-1 on the year. The Missionaries fell to 3-3.
Seniors Jill Huber and Denise Kirstein had 16 and 14 kills, respectively. Kirstein also had 14 digs. Huber hit .217 during the match while Kirstein posted a .182 hitting percentage. First-year middle blocker Emily Seider had a breakout game, recording 10 kills and three blocks while hitting .400. Kate Borsato, another first-year, had 45 assists in the match. Senior back-row specialist Liz Nelson led the team with 21 digs.
"We never really got on a roll and didn't have our best match," said Whitman coach Dean Snider, "but we weren't outclassed by any means."
The Missionaries recorded more kills as a team (53) than PLU (51), but also had eight more hitting errors. For the match, Whitman hit .183 as a team while PLU hit .240.
Earlier in the day, PLU knocked off fifth-ranked California State-Hayward in a five-game match. The Missionaries play Chapman University in their second match of the tournament.
The Whitman women's volleyball team came away with a victory in its second match of the Domino's Great Northwest Crossover Friday in Tacoma, Wash., defeating Chapman University 3-2. The Missionaries took the first two games 30-26, 30-21, but then lost the next two 22-30, 26-30 before taking the final game 15-8. Whitman improved to 4-3 on the year while Chapman fell to 2-5.
"This was an important match for us," Whitman coach Dean Snider noted. "We've been in the situation of winning the first two games before, and it was nice pull this one out." The Missionaries were up on Lewis-Clark State two games to zero last week before falling in five.
Jill Huber matched her kill total during the Missionaries' first match of the day, again recording 16. Huber hit a lofty .333 with just three hitting errors, and also had 12 digs and four solo blocks. Denise Kirstein added 13 kills and 11 digs while hitting .286. First-year player Emily Seider notched 10 kills and had four blocks while hitting .292.
The Missionaries continue play at the Domino's Great Northwest Crossover on Saturday, taking on California Lutheran at 9 a.m. and California State-Hayward at 2 p.m.
The Whitman women's volleyball team downed California Lutheran in three games Saturday morning in Tacoma, Wash., winning 30-19, 30-25, 30-28. Whitman is 2-1 at the Domino's Great Northwest Crossover with one match left, and 5-3 on the year. California Lutheran fell to 3-3.
Senior Jill Huber recorded 15 kills, 11 digs, three blocks and six service aces in the match. "Jill really dominated the middle today," Whitman head coach Dean Snider said. "She really picked us up and held us on her shoulders."
Emily Seider, a first-year middle blocker, had eight kills and one block while junior Lyndsay Buckingham had six kills, two blocks and five service aces. First-year setter Kate Borsato recorded 31 assists. Another first-year player, Natalie Kramer, had nine digs, anchoring the Missionaries' back line. "Natalie played an important role in this win," Snider commented.
Falling 30-17, 30-12, 30-25, the Whitman women's volleyball team lost to nationally-ranked California State-Hayward Saturday afternoon at the Domino's Great Northwest Crossover in Tacoma, Wash. The Missionaries, playing without two starters, fell to 5-4 with the loss, while Cal. State-Hayward improved to 8-2. Whitman went 2-2 during the tournament, with both losses coming against teams ranked in the top 25 in the nation.
"It was a tough way to end the tournament," Whitman coach Dean Snider said. "They're a great team and they dominated us from start to finish."
Leading the Missionaries in kills was junior Lyndsay Buckingham, with eight. Buckingham also had 10 digs, a block and one service ace. Senior Jill Huber added 13 digs and four blocks while notching six kills. First-year outside hitter Natalie Kramer also had six kills.
At the conclusion of the tournament, Huber was one of 10 players named to the all-tournament team. In her 15 games, Huber collected 53 kills, 40 digs, 16 blocks and 10 assists. She also made the all-tournament team earlier in the month in Pennsylvania at the Haverford College Invitational.
The Missionaries end non-conference play with five wins in nine games. Next weekend the team travels to George Fox University and Linfield College to open Northwest Conference play. Friday's match begins at 7 p.m. with Saturday's contest is slated for 6 p.m.
Hitting .379, senior Denise Kirstein slammed a career-high 28 kills while collecting 22 digs and serving five aces to lead Whitman to a 3-1 victory over George Fox Friday night in Newberg, Ore. In a match that opened Northwest Conference play for both schools, Whitman dropped the first game 30-20, rallied to win game two 34-32 and then closed out the match with 30-22 and 30-16 victories in games three and four.
Whitman improved to 6-4 on the season, dropping George Fox to 3-6 overall.
"Starting 1-0 in conference is always good, but we had to play well to win, and we did," Whitman coach Dean Snider said. "The turning point was game two, when we came back to tie at 27 and eventually win at 34. Once we did that we played with great confidence. We were more direct in our play and able to control the flow of the match."
Kirstein, a 5-foot-8 outside hitter, powered the victory with a "dynamite performance," Snider said. "Those are some outrageous numbers she posted."
Jill Huber also had a big night for the Missionaries, combining 18 kills with six blocks. Three of Huber's kills came late in game two as Whitman staved off four George Fox game points.
Game three was close until Whitman won six of the final seven points to take a 2-1 lead. In the final game, senior Elly Smith served nine unanswered points, giving the Missionaries a 9-1 cushion. "Elly had three aces during that run," Snider said. "From that point on, we just rolled in the fourth game."
First-setter Kate Borsato keyed the offfense with 51 assists. "As a first-year player, Kate is carrying a lot of weight on her shoulders, and she's doing a great job," Snider said. "We hit .202 as a team, and we don't do that without good, solid setting."
Junior Lyndsay Buckingham added 12 kills and 10 digs. Senior Liz Nelson contributed 19 digs.
Whitman plays its second NWC match at Linfield on Saturday.
The Whitman women's volleyball team dropped a Northwest Conference match Saturday evening 3-1 to Linfield College in McMinnville, Ore. Linfield, picked to finish second in the conference in the coach's poll, won the match 30-28, 27-30, 31-29, 30-20. Whitman drops to 6-5 overall, 1-1 in conference action. Linfield improved to 11-1, 2-0.
"It was a hard-fought battle between two slugging teams," Whitman coach Dean Snider said.
After winning game two 30-27 and tying up the match, Whitman held a 29-28 lead in game three. A block that would have ended the game just slipped past the Whitman defender, and the Wildcats went on to win the next two points and the game. Linfield finished off the Missionaries by winning game four 30-20.
Seniors Jill Huber and Denise Kirstein both had big numbers for the Missionaries. Huber recorded 22 kills, 21 digs and three blocks as she hit .233. Kirstein reached the twenties in kills for the second straight night as she posted 21. Kirstein also had 32 digs and a block. Junior Lyndsay Buckingham also had 11 kills while Laura Williams blocked six attacks. First-year setter Kate Borsato posted a career high in assists for the second straight night, dishing out 56.
"This was our best defensive game of the year," Snider noted. "We had 122 digs and 10 blocks in four games and played really well against a strong attacking team."
"We're looking forward to getting a shot at them when they come to our gym," said Snider.
The Missionaries return to Walla Walla for a pair of NWC matches next weekend against Willamette and Pacific.
The Whitman women's volleyball team defeated Willamette 3-0 Friday evening in Sherwood Center. The Missionaries opened the weekend series of Northwest Conference matches with a 30-23, 30-18, 30-21 victory, improving to 7-5 on the season and 2-1 in NWC play. Willamette fell to 8-4 overall, 1-2 in conference play.
"Willamette is one of the more talented conference teams," Whitman coach Dean Snider said, "but to beat any Northwest Conference team in three games is a great win."
Whitman dominated the match from start to finish, hitting a season-high .310 as a team, including .520 in game two. "Kate Borsato was outstanding tonight," Snider noted. "She's setting a very evenly balanced offense." Borsato had 32 assists on the night to go along with four kills, five digs, a block and a service ace.
Senior Denise Kirstein again paced the Missionary attack, recording 15 kills while hitting .367. Kirstein also had 11 digs. Jill Huber had 11 kills, 10 digs, two aces and two blocks, hitting .304 during the match. Defensive specialist Liz Nelson also had 11 digs.
"This is a team that we didn't play well against last year," Snider commented. "It was nice to come out and have one of our best matches of the season. We played really solid defensively and transitioned really well." Whitman lost both conference matches to the Bearcats last year, 3-1 on both occasions.
The Missionaries continue their homestand on Saturday, facing Pacific University at 3 p.m. in Sherwood Center.
Senior Denise Kirstein hit .417 with 20 kills as the Whitman women's volleyball team cruised to a 3-0 win over Northwest Conference opponent Pacific in Walla Walla Saturday. The scores were 30-20, 30-25, 30-22. The Missionaries are now 8-5 overall, 3-1 in NWC action. Pacific fell to 3-5, 0-4.
Kirstein also led the team in digs, with 14, and recorded two aces and a block. "With as many balls as Denise gets, it's outstanding to hit .417," Whitman coach Dean Snider said.
The Missionaries took a 5-5 tie in game one and extended a seven point lead at 15-8 on a kill by Jill Huber. Whitman led by as many as 13 points at 24-11, and finished off game one 30-20 on another kill by Huber. Game two was tied at 10-10 before the Missionaries scored seven of the next eight points, making it 17-11. Pacific could not recover from the run and an attack error ended the game in favor of Whitman, 30-25. The Missionaries saved their best game for last, hitting .308 as a team enroute to a 30-22 win.
First-year setter Kate Borsato dished out 39 assists during the match, contributing to a .297 team hitting percentage. Huber finished the match with 10 kills, hitting a lofty .391 and had eight digs.
"It was important to get two wins at home," Snider said, "we attacked the ball solidly and played really well both nights."
Whitman goes on the road next weekend, traveling to Tacoma, Wash. for matches against No. 17 Puget Sound and No. 14 Pacific Lutheran.
Powered by seniors Jill Huber and Denise Kirstein, the Whitman women's volleyball team upset No. 17 Puget Sound 3-2 Friday night in Tacoma, Wash. The game scores were 30-21, 26-30, 19-30, 30-24, 15-11. The Missionaries improved to 9-5 overall, 4-1 in Northwest Conference play. Puget Sound is 12-5, 3-2.
Huber had 22 kills and Kirstein 20 as the Missionaries beat the Loggers for the first time in four years. Huber hit .354 during the match and had 22 digs while Kirstein hit .208 with 17 digs.
"It was a really grinding match that went back and forth," Whitman coach Dean Snider said. "Puget Sound is a really strong attacking team, and I'm thrilled that we were able to pull this one out."
The Missionaries took game one by scoring 10 of the final 14 points. Kirstein recorded four kills during the stretch, and had seven during the game. Game two was close throughout, but Puget Sound took a 22-22 game and rolled off eight of the final 12 points. The Loggers controlled game three as Whitman hit just .086 as a team. The Missionaries hit just eight points higher in game four, but managed a 30-24 win with nine kills and five service aces. Huber was the deciding factor in the fifth and final game, recording four kills as the Missionaries won 15-11.
First-year setter Kate Borsato had 43 assists on the night and also had two blocks. Junior Lyndsay Buckingham played well defensively, with 18 digs. Buckingham also had six kills.
The Missionaries will try to upset a Top 25 team twice in one weekend as they take on No. 14 Pacific Lutheran Saturday in Tacoma, Wash.
Knocking off its second NCAA Div. III Top 25 opponent in as many nights, the Whitman women's volleyball team beat Pacific Lutheran 3-2 Saturday in Tacoma, Wash. The unranked Missionaries won 24-30, 30-24, 30-25, 15-30, 15-12, improving to 10-5 overall, 5-1 in conference play. It was Whitman's fourth consecutive victory, and fifth win in its last six matches.
Pacific Lutheran, ranked No. 14 last week, suffered its first conference loss, falling to 3-3, 5-1. The win puts Whitman into a three-way tie for first place in the conference with Pacific Lutheran and Linfield.
"This was the best road weekend in Whitman College volleyball history," Whitman coach Dean Snider said. "We played mentally tough volleyball and executed when it counted."
Seniors Denise Kirstein and Jill Huber again led the way for Whitman, recording 20 and 18 kills, respectively. Kirstein led the team in digs with 19 and had four service aces. Huber added 17 digs, while first-year setter Kate Borsato continued her solid play with 47 assists with nine digs.
Senior defensive specialist Elly Smith had 17 digs. Liz Nelson, also a senior, had 10.
The Lutes hit 83 points better than the Missionaries at .189, but each team had 56 kills. Whitman capitalized on 10 service aces and had six blocks.
The victory avenged Whitman's four-game loss to Pacific Lutheran earlier this season in a tournament hosted by the Lutes. That tournament match does not count in the conference standings.
Whitman heads to Spokane on Wednesday, Oct. 8, to play Whitworth. The Missionaries are back home Friday, Oct. 10, to battle Lewis & Clark.
The Whitman women's volleyball team won its fifth straight match Wednesday, topping Whitworth 3-1 in Spokane, Wash., and moving into sole possession of first place in the Northwest Conference. After losing game one 30-27, the Missionaries rallied to win the next three, 30-25, 30-28, 30-26. Whitman improved to 6-1 in the NWC and 11-5 overall, while the Pirates fell to 8-11, 2-5.
The latest NCAA Div. III national coaches poll, released prior to Wednesday's match, shows the Missionaries cracking the Top 25 for the first time this season. Whitman is ranked in the No. 25 spot.
Jill Huber keyed Whitman's victory Wednesday with 19 kills, 18 digs and three solo blocks. Denise Kirstein added 17 kills and a career-high 36 digs. Lyndsay Buckingham also had a big night, hitting a lofty .429 while recording 16 kills, a career high. Kate Borsato handed out 54 assists. Liz Nelson and Elly Smith had 14 and 12 digs, respectively.
"Lyndsay was really the critical factor in this match," Whitman coach Dean Snider said. "She had a career match. We needed her to play like that to pull this one off."
Whitman led game one 12-10 before a 10-2 Whitworth run made the score 20-14 in favor of the Pirates. The Missionaries climbed back in at 25-24, but fell in the end, 30-27. Whitman fell behind early in game two, trailing 16-10 before rallying for a 22-22 tie. An 8-3 run by the Missionaries finished the second game, tying the match at one game apiece.
The Missionaries hit .235 in the third game, taking an early 8-7 lead and never trailing again in a 30-28 win. Whitman opened up as much as an eight point lead in game four at 18-10, but Whitworth rallied late to pull within two at 27-25. The Whitworth rally would fall short, however, as Huber finished the match off with a kill.
The Missionaries return home to host Lewis and Clark College on Friday.
The Whitman women's volleyball team extended its winning streak to six games Friday evening in Walla Walla, sweeping Lewis & Clark College 3-0. The Missionaries won their seventh Northwest Conference match 30-17, 30-13, 30-14, and retained first place in the conference. Whitman is 12-5 overall, 7-1 in NWC play. Lewis & Clark is 0-11, 0-7.
The Missionaries posted their best hitting percentage of the year, a lofty .435 with 46 kills. Senior outside hitter Denise Kirstein led the attack with 17 kills, hitting .636. Jill Huber hit .643 with nine kills and first-year player Erin Pounds hit .500 with six kills.
"It was nice to see us come and play intense volleyball from start to finish," Whitman coach Dean Snider said. "We played with several different lineups tonight, and maintained intensity and strength with every one."
Whitman opened up the game one by taking nine of the first thirteen points, and never let the Pioneers get with four. It was a seven point game at 24-17 on a Pioneer kill, but the Missionaries rolled off six straight points for the win. Game two played out the same way, with the Missionaries taking the first five points and a 10-3 lead on a Kirstein service ace. Lewis & Clark scored the next two, but would get no closer in a 30-13 Whitman win. The Missionaries took 12 of the first 16 points of game three and extended their lead to 11 at 24-13 on a Kirstein kill. The Pioneers scored just one more point during the match, which was ended on a Pounds' kill, 30-14.
As a team, Whitman recorded 11 aces on the night. Elly Smith led with three while Lyndsay Buckingham and Laura Williams each had two. Kate Borsato had 23 assists in two games. Annie Kuvinka came in to set the third game, and had 12 assists.
"It's nice to finish the first half of the season in the driver's seat," Snider said, "and we're really looking forward to playing a couple of tough teams at home during the second half."
The Missionaries are home again next weekend, hosting George Fox University and No. 23 Linfield College.
The Whitman women's volleyball team retained its share of first place in the Northwest Conference with a 3-0 victory over George Fox Friday night in Sherwood Center.
Winning 30-16, 30-19 and 30-22 before its largest home crowd of the season, Whitman improved to 8-1 in the NWC and 13-5 overall. The Bruins fell to 4-5 in conference and 8-10.
Whitman's victory sets up a Saturday night showdown with Linfield, which ran its record to 8-1 in league (17-2 overall) with a Friday night win at Whitworth. Saturday's battle between the two league leaders gets underway at 6 p.m. in Sherwood.
Senior Denise Kirstein, who leads the NWC in kills per game, paced Friday's win with 20 kills and a .357 hitting percentage. Jill Huber, also a senior, added 12 kills, seven digs and five blocks.
"Denise had another big night," Whitman coach Dean Snider said, "and Jill did a great job blocking."
In game one, Whitman took a 3-2 lead on a Kirstein kill and never looked back. Kirstein lit the same spark in game two, giving the Missionaries an early 2-1 lead with the first of seven kills in that game.
Whitman jumped to a 12-5 lead in game three, but George Fox kept it close, eventually getting to within two points at 24-22. Two Huber kills and six straight Missionary points, however, ended the game and match.
On defense, Kirstein led the way with 14 digs. Senior Elly Smith and junior Lyndsay Buckingham had 12 digs each, and senior Liz Nelson collected 10. Laura Williams continued her dominant serving, recording four of Whitman's nine aces.
As a team, the Missionaries hit .289 with 48 kills. Kate Borsato set the first two games, recording 30 assists, while Annie Kuvinka dished out 10 assists in the final game. Both Borsato and Kuvinka are first-year players.
Friday's victory gave Whitman a series sweep of the Bruins. The Missionaries beat George Fox in four games on its home floor earlier this season.
Whitman began the week ranked No. 22 in the NCAA Div. III national coaches poll. Linfield, which bested Whitman in four games earlier this season in McMinnville, Ore., is ranked No. 19 in this week's poll.
The Whitman women's volleyball team had its seven game win streak snapped Saturday night in Walla Walla, falling in five games to Linfield. The Wildcats, ranked 19th nationally, won 30-17, 22-30, 30-27, 24-30, 15-10, and took sole possession of first place in the Northwest Conference. Whitman, ranked 22nd in the nation, is 13-6, 8-2. Linfield improved to 18-2, 9-1.
In a match that saw the momentum swing in each game, senior Denise Kirstein hit .263 with 25 kills and 25 digs. Jill Huber added 16 kills and 15 digs. First-year setter Kate Borsato had 47 assists during the match. Defensive specialist Liz Nelson had 18 digs while Lyndsay Buckingham and Elly Smith had 16 and 14 digs, respectively.
Linfield took control of game one early, staking a 10-5 lead. The Wildcats then scored nine straight points before an attack error made it 19-6. The Missionaries cut the lead to nine at 24-15, but Linfield score six of the final eight points to win, 30-17.
Whitman regrouped in game two, and lead for most of the game. With the game tied at 9-9, Huber had two straight kills as Whitman took an 11-9 lead. The margin was cut to one at 17-16, but the Missionaries rolled off six of the next seven points, taking a 23-17 lead. Kirstein had three kills in Whitman's final seven points of the game as the Missionaries won 30-22. Game three saw the momentum swing again as Linfield recorded 16 kills enroute to a 30-27 win. The score was tied 10 times during the game, the final tie at 18-18. Linfield scored seven of the next nine, and turned back a late Whitman rally.
The Missionaries had 16 kills of their own in game four. Whitman jumped out to an early 4-0 lead on a kill by Huber. Linfield came within three at 19-16, but a Kirstein kill and two straight hitting errors made the Missionary lead six. Whitman finished off the game with three straight points, forcing a fifth game. Linfield regained the edge in the final game, hitting .304 as a team in a 15-10 win.
"We played our hearts out tonight," Whitman coach Dean Snider said. "We gave everything we had and this game was just fun to be a part of."
As a team, the Missionaries had 63 kills, two more than Linfield. The Wildcats held the edge in blocks, 12 to seven, and in hitting percentage, .179 to .103. "The game really came down to blocking," Snider noted, "and they did a better job."
The Missionaries travel to Willamette and Pacific next weekend for a pair of matches. In the season's first meeting with each school, Whitman came away with 3-0 victories.
Senior Jill Huber set the career Whitman women's volleyball kill record Friday night as the Missionaries fell in five games to Willamette University in Salem, Ore. The Bearcats took the match 21-30, 30-25, 30-26, 26-30, 17-15. Whitman dropped to 13-7 overall, 8-3 in Northwest Conference play. Willamette is 14-7, 6-5.
Huber, a middle blocker, collected 21 kills during the match, and now has 1221 in her four years at Whitman. She needed just one kill to tie the record set by Mandy Rockwell in 1998. Huber also has career totals of 930 digs, 326 blocks and 155 service aces.
The Missionaries took control of game one early, scoring 10 of the first 11 points. The Bearcats fought back to tie the game at 14-14, but Whitman pulled away again, taking a 26-18 lead on a Denise Kirstein kill. With Whitman leading 28-21, Huber finished off the game 30-21 with two consecutive kills. In game two the Bearcats started off quickly, taking eight of the first nine points. In a reversal of roles, it was the Missionaries climbing back into the game and eventually tieing it at 13-13 on a Bearcat attack error. Whitman took the next six points, but Willamette rolled off five of its own and eventually tied the game at 20-20. The Bearcats gained the edge with the next point, and held on for a 30-25 win.
Game three also went to Willamette 30-26. The Bearcats hit .333 during the game while Whitman hit .196 as a team. Whitman had a late lead at 21-20, but the Bearcats made the late run to win the game. The Missionaries bounced back in game four, scoring the first three points enroute to a 30-26 win. In the fifth and final game, Whitman fell behind 7-4, but battled back and took a 14-12 lead on a Lyndsay Buckingham kill. A Missionary attack error and a Bearcat kill tied the game, however, and Willamette scored three of the next four points to win the game, 17-15.
"This was a tough match to lose," Whitman coach Dean Snider said. "We controlled game one, but handed them game two and let them back in the match."
Kirstein continued to lead the team offensively, recording 23 kills. Buckingham added 15 kills and five service aces while hitting .382. Kate Borsato had 53 assists setting the ball for the Missionaries. On defense, Kirstein led with 19 digs while Elly Smith and Liz Nelson each had 17. Borsato tallied 15 digs, Huber 14 and Buckingham 13.
"Lyndsay had a great outing tonight," Snider said. "She really picked us up in the final two games."
The Missionaries play their second NWC match of the weekend on Saturday against Pacific University. Whitman downed the Boxers in three games in the first meeting between the two teams.
The 22nd ranked Whitman women's volleyball team rebounded from a Friday night five-game loss to Willamette to down Pacific University in four games Saturday afternoon in Forest Grove, Ore. The Missionaries took the match 30-24, 28-30, 30-27, 30-20, and improved to 14-7 overall, 9-3 in Northwest Conference play. Pacific fell to 8-9, 4-8.
Senior Denise Kirstein led a trio of Missionaries in double digit kills with 19. Jill Huber continued to add to her Whitman career kill record with 16 while Lyndsay Buckingham finished with 10. First-year setter Kate Borsato had 50 assits in the four games.
"Jill did another great job today," Whitman coach Dean Snider said, "and she has had a remarkable career at Whitman. We're really proud of her."
Whitman jumped on top early in game one 5-3, and would not relinquish the lead in winning 30-24. The Boxers bounced back in the second game to take a 9-8 lead after trailing 6-1. The Missionaries held a 28-27 advantage late in the game, but three straight attack errors resulted in a win for Pacific. In game three, Whitman led 21-20 and then hit five straight winners, staking a six point lead. A late Boxer rally came up short, and the Missionaries took the win 30-27. Whitman controlled the fourth and final game. After leading 11-10, the Missionaries rolled off 11 of the next 12 points to take an 11 point lead, and finished off the match with a 30-20 win.
"We played solid defense today," Snider noted. The Missionaries finished with 92 digs as a team, led by by Liz Nelson and Kirstein, who each had 17. Buckingham and Huber recorded 14 each, and Elly Smith and Borsato each had 13.
The Missionaries return home next weekend for matchups with No. 25 Puget Sound and No. 18 Pacific Lutheran. Whitman beat both teams in five games in team's first meetings.
The Whitman women's volleyball team lost a Northwest Conference match to Puget Sound 3-1 Friday night in Walla Walla, Wash. Puget Sound won the match 26-30, 30-25, 30-27, 30-26. The Missionaries, ranked 23rd nationally, fell to 14-8 overall, 9-4 in NWC play. Puget Sound improved to 14-11, 5-8.
"This was an exciting match," Whitman coach Dean Snider said. "We played solid volleyball and gave a great effort."
Senior Denise Kirstein, who leads the conference in kills per game, led all players with 27 kills. Jill Huber added 13 kills and Lyndsay Buckingham 10. Kate Borsato had 48 assists setting for the Missionaries, and added three kills of her own. Defensively, Huber and Liz Nelson each recorded 13 digs, while Kirstein had 12.
"Everyone really played well," Snider noted, "Kate Borsato set a good offense and Denise Kirstein had another outstanding night."
The first game was tied 14 different times, the final one coming at 26-26. The Missionaries took the next point on a Kirstein kill, and finished off the game without allowing another point. Game two also had 14 ties, with Puget Sound breaking the final tie at 23-23 on an attack error. The Missionaries were unable to recover as the Loggers ran off three straight points and eventually won the game, 30-25. Whitman responded in game three, taking an early 11-4 lead. Puget Sound fought back, though, and took a 21-18 lead with a string of seven straight points. A Jill Huber kill brought the Missionaries within two at 23-21, but Whitman would not get any closer, losing 30-27. In the fourth and final game, the Loggers jumped on top early, taking a 10-2 lead. The Missionaries chipped away, cutting the lead to four at 24-20. That was as close as Whitman could get, however, as the Loggers ran off three straight points and held on for a 30-26 win.
The Missionaries continue Northwest Conference play at Sherwood Center on Saturday as they face No. 19 Pacific Lutheran.
The Whitman women's volleyball team fell to Pacific Lutheran in three straight games Saturday in Walla Walla, Wash. PLU won 30-21, 30-20, 30-22,improving to 19-5 overall, 11-3 in Northwest Conference play. It was the first time this season that the Missionaries have dropped two straight conference matches, and they are 14-9, 9-5.
The Lutes gradually built a lead in game one, extending a 12-10 lead to 16-11 and 25-17 on kills. PLU finished off the game 30-21, and recorded 18 kills while hitting .517. Whitman had 15 kills during the game, and hit .222 as a team. Game two was tied at 12-12 before PLU scored 10 straight points on four kills and four Whitman attack errors. Laura Williams scored Whitman's 13th point with a kill, but the Missionaries were unable to get within nine points as the Lutes won 30-20. The Missionaries responded in game three by taking five of the first six points behind two Lyndsay Buckingham kills. The Lutes fought back to tie the game at 7-7, and took an 8-7 lead on the next point. They would not relinquish the lead, winning 30-22 with 17 kills and a .325 hitting percentage.
"This was a tough match," Whitman coach Dean Snider said. "We never really got going, but we're looking to right that against Whitworth on Wednesday."
Jill Huber and Denise Kirstein led the Missionaries offensively as they each recorded 13 kills. Kirstein is now just two kills shy of the Whitman single season kill record, and Huber continues to add to her career kill record. Huber hit .545 during the match, making just one attack error. Kirstein led the defense with 10 digs, while Elly Smith recorded nine digs. Kate Borsato had 36 assists.
The Missionaries finish up their Northwest Conference schedule with a match against Whitworth on Wednesday in Walla Walla.
Senior Denise Kirstein set the single-season kill record as the Whitman women's volleyball team swept Whitworth 3-0 Wednesday evening in Walla Walla, Wash. The Missionaries won the match 30-16, 30-24, 30-23 to improve to 15-9 overall, 10-5 in Northwest Conference play. Whitworth fell to 9-18, 3-12.
Kirstein recorded 15 kills during the match, giving her 398 for the season. The previous record of 384 was set in 1997 by Mandy Rockwell.
"Denise Kirstein setting the record gave us a boost tonight," Whitman coach Dean Snider said. "She's had a great season and we're really proud of her."
Three other seniors were playing in their final match at Sherwood Center as well: Jill Huber, Liz Nelson and Elly Smith. Huber paced the team offensively, recording 22 kills and four service aces while hitting a lofty .447. Defensively, Huber had 16 digs and four blocks to lead the team. Kirstein had 15 digs, Nelson 11 and Smith seven. Kate Borsato finished the match with 41 assists.
"I am really pleased with the way we finished our season at home," Snider said. "Jill Huber played outstanding tonight. Matches like this one show why she holds the career kill record - she was dominant."
Kirstein broke a 5-5 tie in game one with two straight kills, and the Missionaries never looked back. Whitman hit .300 with 18 kills during the game, while holding Whitworth to nine kills and a hitting percentage of .059. Game two was tied at nine different points, the last coming at 16-16. Three kills by Huber and an attack error gave Whitman the next four points as it staked a 20-16 lead. The Pirates pulled within two at 23-21 on a kill, but were unable to get any closer as the Missionaries won, 30-24. A 7-7 tie in game three was again broken by a Kirstein kill, and Whitman scored seven straight to open up a 14-7 lead. Whitworth scored seven of the next nine points, however, to pull within three at 16-13. Whitman scored the next two and held a seven point lead at 25-18. A late rally by the Pirates closed the gap to four at 26-22, but Whitman scored four of the final five points to seal the victory.
The Missionaries finish up their conference schedule on Friday as they travel to Lewis and Clark College.
The Whitman women's volleyball team was upset by Lewis & Clark 3-2 in its final match of the season Friday night. The Pioneers won the Northwest Conference match in Portland, Ore. 20-30, 30-22, 20-30, 31-29, 15-12. Whitman, ranked 23rd in the country, finishes the season at 15-10, with a 10-5 conference record. Lewis and Clark won its second match of the year, improving to 2-17, 2-13.
"Lewis and Clark played a great match tonight," Whitman coach Dean Snider said. "They were solid throughout and came ready to play."
Four seniors played in their final match for the Missionaries.
Denise Kirstein and Jill Huber led the Whitman attack, recording
25 and 21 digs, respectively. Huber hit .341 on the night while
Kirstein finished with a .333 hitting percentage. Liz Nelson
anchored the back row, recording 15 digs during the match. Kirstein
also had 15 digs and six blocks. Elly Smith had eight digs in her
final match.
First-year setter Kate Borsato dished out a career-high 58 assists on the night, contributing to Whitman's .218 hitting percentage. Whitman hit .389 and .324 in games one and three, but just .079, .179, and .050 in games two, four and five, respectively. Another first-year player, Natalie Kramer, finished the match with 11 kills and 11 digs.
Huber finishes her career at Whitman holding the record for kills, with 1306. Kirstein broke the single season kill record last Wednesday in Walla Walla, and finishes the season with 423 kills.