Rosa Brey collected a match-high 11 kills while hitting .455 as Whitman rolled to a season-opening 3-0 victory over Russell Sage College Friday afternoon in the Las Vegas Blast Invitational at the Centennial Hills Community Center in Las Vegas. The Missionaries edged Russell Sage 30-28 in game one before scoring 30-19 victories in games two and three.
"It was a good way to open the season," first-year coach Carolyn Papineau said. "We did all the little things we needed to do to get ourselves through the match. We didn't have our best passing game, but we compensated by playing well in other aspects of the game. We served well and got contributions from everyone."
Brey, a junior middle blocker, had plenty of help on the offensive end. Outside hitters Leslie Compean, a senior, and Alex Graves, a sophomore, added 10 kills each. Compean hit .391 while Graves had four service aces and nine digs.
Lydia Hayes, a senior who moved this season from the outside to the middle, also had a strong match. She hit .438 with eight kills and three block assists.
Junior setter Kristan Brown handed out 38 assists. Seniors Kaelyn Merkel and Meg Clark contributed 17 and eight digs, respectively.
As a team, Whitman hit .287 while holding the opposing Gators to a .067 hitting percentage. The Missionaries finished with a total of 47 kills, 15 more than Russell Sage, and held the upper hand in assists (42-29), service aces (10-4), digs (54-47) and total blocks (11-6).
Russell Sage is an NCAA Div. III school located in Troy, N.Y.
With Rosa Brey posting another strong match in the middle, Whitman capped a successful first day of the season with a 3-0 victory over Northwest Conference rival Whitworth in Friday evening action at the Las Vegas Blast Invitational. The Missionaries won 30-26, 32-30 and 30-26.
After taking game one, Whitman trailed 27-23 in game two before catching fire to win again for a 2-0 lead. The Missionaries then closed out the match by erasing a 23-22 lead late in game three.
"The Whitworth match was a tough one," Papineau said. "Coming back to the win the second game gave us a big mental and emotional lift."
Brey, a 5-foot-10 junior, slammed a match-high 13 kills with a .308 hitting percentage. Sophomore Alex Graves combined a team-high 15 digs, eight kills and four blocks. Senior Leslie Compean also had eight kills for the Missionaries.
Senior Lydia Hayes chipped in with five kills, three service aces and three blocks. Katie Richards, a first-year outside hitter, had eight digs and five kills.
Kristan Brown, Whitman's junior setter, distributed 35 assists and picked up 12 digs. Seniors Kaelyn Merkel and Meg Clark had 14 and nine digs, respectively.
"We did a great job with our serving at key times in the match," Papineau said. "Our passing was much better, and we played some solid defense."
Whitman, the only team to win both of its matches Friday, plays two more matches on Saturday. The Missionaries battle the College of Notre Dame (Baltimore, Md.) at 11 a.m. followed by Rivier College (Nashua, N.H.) at 7 p.m.
Whitman ran its early season record to 3-0 by pinning a 30-16, 31-29, 30-17 loss on the College of Notre Dame Saturday morning on day two of the Las Vegas Blast volleyball tournament, taking place at the Centennial Hills Community Center in Las Vegas.
Rosa Brey, a junior middle blocker, again powered the offense with 10 kills in just 18 attempts with no errors, good for a .556 hitting percentage. The Missionaries also got nine and seven kills, respectively, from seniors Leslie Compean and Lydia Hayes. Katie Richards, a first-year outside hitter, added seven kills while sophomore Alex Graves had five.
"We also had a great day serving the ball," first-year Whitman coach Carolyn Papineau said. "Natalie Doughty, one of our first-year players, came off the bench to serve the last three points of our close second game. Alex had seven service aces and Lydia had three more."
Whitman finished with 13 aces and 16 block assists, six of them by Brey. Senior Meg Clark led a balanced defense with eight digs. Graves had seven digs and Doughty six.
Catherine Subrizi had 15 kills and eight digs for the College of Notre Dame (Baltimore, Md.), which hit just .031 as at team.
"Overall, we're showing a lot of focus and mental toughness," Papineau said. "After a tough, emotional victory over Whitworth last night, the women did a nice job getting back in the gym this morning and keeping their focus. We keep working on the little things and getting better with each game. We're doing a good job."
Whitman, which opened its season Friday with victories over both Whitworth and Russell Sage College, ends its tournament play today with a 5 p.m. match against Rivier College.
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Whitman completed its perfect season-opening run through the Las Vegas Blast volleyball tournament with a 30-15, 31-29, 30-15 victory over Rivier College Saturday evening at the Centennial Hills Community Center in Las Vegas.
The Missionaries, now 4-0 on the season, did not lose a single game in winning the tournament title. Whitman was the only team to go undefeated during the two-day competition. Rivier fiinished its tournament run with a 1-3 record.
Three Missionaries reached double digits in kills, and junior setter Kristan Brown handed out 32 assists to go with 20 digs and three block assists. Brown averaged 11.7 assists per game in the tournament, along with 3.2 digs.
"We got contributions from everyone tonight," first-year Whitman coach Carolyn Papineau said. "It was nice to see the team pull together and get the job done. We got better with each game and with each during the tournament."
Junior middle blocker Rosa Brey put the finishing touches on a dominant tournament performance, slamming a match-high 12 kills in just 14 attempts with no errors, which equates to an .857 hitting percentage. Brey also contributed six block assists and a solo block. In her four tournament matches, Brey averaged 3.83 kills per game while hitting an even .500.
"Rosa was incredibly strong again at the net, both in hitting and blocking," Papineau said. "And Lydia Hayes also made some great contributions in the front row."
Hayes, a senior who shifted positions this season to join Brey in the middle, collected 11 kills while .400. Senior Leslie Compean had 10 kills and four block assists.
Katie Richards, a first-year outside hitter, chipped in with eight kills, but made her most notable contribution at the service line in game two. Down by eight points earlier in that game, Whitman rallied to tie at 29-29. Richards then served out the match.
In addition to her setting, Brown had four kills in six attempts with no errors. Senior Kaelyn Merkel dug 17 balls on the defensive side. "Kaelyn did a fantastic job in the back row," Papineau said.
The Missionaries hit .233 as a team while holding Rivier (Nashua, N.H.) to a negative hitting percentage.
Whitman returns to action next weekend, playing in a tournament hosted by Colorado College.
A promising start to the Colorado College Invitational volleyball tournament turned sour for Whitman in a four-game loss to Webster University Friday afternoon in Colorado Springs, Colo.
The Missionaries won the first game 30-23 but then lost the next three 30-15, 30-23, 30-23. The loss dropped Whitman to 4-1 on the season while Webster (St. Louis, Mo.) evened its slate at 2-2.
Whitman grabbed the early advantage in game one, moving in front 16-11 on a Leslie Compean kill. Webster closed to within 23-22, but kills by Compean, Alex Graves and Rosa Brey put the Missionaries back in charge. Two more kills from Graves and a Kaelyn Merkel service ace wrapped up the game one victory.
Webster, which advanced to the NCAA Div. III national playoffs a year ago, opened the second game on a 7-1 run. Whitman drew no closer than 11-8 the rest of the way.
The two sides battled to a 13-13 stalemate to start the third game. After the Gorlocks pulled away on a 7-3 run, Meg Clark's service ace trimmed Whitman's deficit to 20-17. But Webster scored seven of the next eight points and closed out the game for a 2-1 lead.
In game four, another ace from Clark and a kill by Graves had Whitman trailing by just two points at 21-19. The Missionaries were still within two points, 23-21, following another Graves kill. Whitman hopes of forcing a deciding fifth game fizzled as Jackie Schall notched Webster's next three points on kills.
Graves and Brey had 11 kills each for Whitman. Brey hit a team-high .364 while Graves led the squad with 15 digs. Compean with 10 kills gave the Missionaries a third player in double-digit kills. Setter Kristan Brown had 40 digs and nine digs.
Merkel added to Whitman's defensive effort with 14 digs. Clark had 10 digs and two service aces.
Lydia Hayes contributed six kills and two aces at the offensive end. Katie Richards, a first-year outside hitter, had five kills, seven digs, two solo blocks and a block assist.
Playing the second of back-to-back matches, the Whitman women's volleyball team sputtered at key times and dropped a 3-0 decision (30-11, 30-24, 30-27) to a tall and experienced host squad in Friday evening's final game of the Colorado College Invitational in Colorado Springs.
Whitman, which lost 3-1 to Webster in the preceding match, saw its season record fall to 4-2. Colorado, which upped its record to 5-1, returns all six starters from a team that posted a 23-11 record last fall.
After a rested Colorado squad rolled over Whitman in Friday's first game, the Missionaries bounced back to grab a 24-18 lead in game two. But the Tigers regained the upper hand, reeling off 12 unanswered points, the final one coming on a kill by 6-foot-4 senior middle blocker Michelle Rybka.
The third game was close throughout with the two teams forging 15 ties, the last one coming at 21-21. Colorado inched ahead and led 29-25 after two kills by Alina Ford. Whitman narrowed the gap with a kill from junior Rosa Brey and a service ace from senior Kaelyn Merkel. But the Tigers closed out the game and match on a Whitman attack error.
"We made a nice run at Colorado at times," Whitman coach Carolyn Papineau said. "We stayed right with them through the first two-thirds of both the second and third games. We started to serve aggressively and pass a lot better, and our defense picked up some momentum. It was the second of back-to-back matches for us, but as a team we battled through that."
Brey led Whitman with eight kills and four block assists. Senior Leslie Compean combined 10 digs with six kills while hitting .395, but Whitman as a team hit just .010, far below its early season average. Junior setter Kristan Brown had 20 assists and eight digs. Merkel finished with a team-high 11 digs.
The Tigers also got 12 kills from Kameron Moding, and Meryn Grant and Colleen Keresey combined for 43 assists. "Colorado had a fast, uptempo game that we had not seen to this point," Papineau said. "Overall today, we struggled with our passing game. It was not where it needs to be for us to execute our offense."
Whitman plays again at 1 p.m. Saturday against the University of Wisconsin-Lacrosse, which won both of its matches Friday. The Missionaries then play in the third-place match at 5 p.m. against the loser of Saturday morning's match between Webster and Colorado.
The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse ran its early season record to 7-0 Saturday afternoon with a 30-22, 30-10, 30-23 victory over Whitman in Saturday afternoon action at the Colorado College Invitational volleyball tournament in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Later in the day, Wisconsin-La Crosse upped its record to 8-0 with a three-game win over Webster in the tournament title match.
Whitman saw its record fall to 4-3 heading into its tournament finale against Colorado College.
Senior Leslie Compean paced the Missionaries with nine kills and eight digs. Alex Graves added seven kills, Lydia Hayes had six and Rosa Brey five. Kristan Brown distributed 29 assists while Kaelyn Merkel led the defense with a match-high 17 digs.
Whitman wrapped up its run through the Colorado College Invitational volleyball tournament with a three-game loss to the host squad late Saturday afternoon, but Missionary coach Carolyn Papineau saw signs of improved play in the 30-18, 30-22, 30-21 setback.
"We played much better volleyball today," she said. "Our serve-receive game started to pick up against Wisconsin-La Crosse earlier today, and that helped get our hitters going. Our improved passing started to get our offense back on track a bit."
Whitman, now 4-4 on the season, got eight kills apiece from senior Lydia Hayes and junior Rosa Brey. "It was good to see Lydia have a strong match," Papineau said. "She served extremely well and contributed in the front row, both in hitting and blocking.
Junior Kristan Brown, who was named to the all-tournament team, had 26 assists and seven digs. Senior Leslie Compean added added seven kills and 10 digs, and sophomore Alex Graves was good for six kills and four digs.
Seniors Kaelyn Merkel and Meg Clark chipped in with 11 and nine digs, respectively, and first-year player Kelsie Butts had 10 digs. "Kelsie gave us a nice defensive spark in the second and third games," Papineau said.
Colorado got 17 kills and seven digs from junior outside hitter Anna Clithero, the reigning Player of the Year for NCAA Div. III independents. The Tigers are off to a 6-2 start this season.
Whitman opens its Northwest Conference season next weekend at home in Sherwood Center, hosting George Fox at 7 p.m. Friday and Pacific at 5 p.m. Saturday.
"We're anxious to get back in the gym this week and work on the areas where we need to improve," Papineau said.
Lydia Hayes combined 19 kills with six service aces to power Whitman to a 3-2 victory over George Fox in the Northwest Conference opener for both schools Friday night in Sherwood Center. The scores were 18-30, 30-24, 30-22, 22-30, 15-12.
Whitman, which had played its first eight matches on the road, improved to 5-4 on the season and made first-year coach Carolyn Papineau a winner in her home debut. The loss dropped George Fox to 5-3 on the season.
Clinging to an 11-10 lead in the deciding fifth game, the Missionaries got a kill from Alex Graves and two more from Leslie Compean to move within a point of victory. After a Whitman service error, George Fox crept to within 14-12 on Amy Batchelder’s ace, but Compean countered with her 15th kill of the night to put Whitman over the top.
Hayes, who hit a team-high .306 for Whitman, also contributed three block assists.
Graves finished with 13 kills, 17 digs and two service aces. Whitman also got 12 kills and seven blocks from Rosa Brey, 50 assists and 10 digs from Kristan Brown, and 14 digs from Kaelyn Merkel.
Elizabeth Anderson paced the George Fox offense with 17 kills. Jennifer Panico added 12 kills and 16 digs, and Whitney Kolb chipped in with 11 digs. Batchelder collected 40 assists on the night.
The Bruins dominated game one, bolting to leads of 8-2 and 15-7. Whitman briefly closed to within five points before George Fox pulled away.
With first-year outside hitter Katie Richards serving, the Missionaries broke free from a 5-5 deadlock in game two with a mini-run of four unanswered points. With Whitman leading 14-13, kills by Hayes and Brey sandwiched around two Hayes aces and a George Fox attack error put the home team in charge at 19-13. Batchelder's kill trimmed the home team's lead to 25-22, but Hayes and Graves countered with two kills each as the Missionaries evened the match at one game apiece.
Whitman used an 8-1 early in game three to take a 14-7 lead. George Fox drew no closer than four points the rest of the way.
Down two games to one, the Bruins survived a tense game four that featured eight early ties, the last one coming at 15-15. Three kills by Natalie Pickett and two aces by Jennifer Panico helped the Bruins pull away and forced a fifth game.
Compean was a force for Whitman in the finale, slamming five kills.
Whitman continues NWC play when it hosts Pacific at 5 p.m. Saturday in Sherwood Center. George Fox travels to Spokane on Saturday to play Whitworth.
After letting a late lead slip away in game one, Whitman stumbled to a three-game loss to Pacific in Northwest Conference women's volleyball action Saturday evening in Sherwood Center. The Boxers rallied to win opener 30-27 and then took charge to win the next two games 30-18 and 30-20.
Both teams ended the first weekend of NWC play with 1-1 conference records. Whitman is 5-5 on the season while Pacific jumped its season mark to 6-3.
Pacific moved in front 14-9 in game one, but Whitman bounced back behind three kills from Lydia Hayes and two service aces and a kill from Alex Graves. After Pacific committed three consecutive attack errors, the Missionaries found themselves in front 25-22. Joanna Delanty's two kills helped the Boxers even the slate at 27-27.
Rosa Brey's kills appeared to give Whitman a 28-27 lead, but the play was negated and the point given to Pacific when the referee ruled the set had been juggled. The Boxers then wrapped up the game on a Jill Peacock's kill and Melissa Dunn's service ace.
Pacific spurted to a 10-4 lead in game two and was never headed. Game three was close with the two sides deadlocking at 9, 10 and 11. The Boxers inched in front with four straight points, but Whitman's Katie Richards slammed a kill to close the gap to 15-14. Caitlin Gollehon and Dunn countered with two kills each to push the Boxer lead back to four points, and the visitors pulled away from there.
Dunn and Gollehon paced Pacific with 14 kills apiece. Dunn added a match-high 20 digs. The Boxers also got 11 kills from Peacock and 10 more Delanty. Anela Iseke handed out 46 assists.
Hayes and Graves led Whitman with seven kills each. Graves and Kaelyn Merkel led the defense with 12 digs apiece.
Whitman hits the road next weekend to play NWC matches at Linfield on Friday and Willamette on Saturday. Pacific plays at Lewis & Clark next Friday before hosting Puget Sound on Saturday.
A strong blocking effort at the net went for naught as Whitman dropped a 3-0 Northwest Conference volleyball decision (30-22, 30-24, 30-24) at Linfield Friday night in McMinnville, Ore.
Rosa Brey, who led the Missionaries with 15 kills and a .324 hitting percentage, had five of Whitman's 14 block assists, but the Wildcats dominated most of the team stats. Linfield took charge from the outset, rolling to an 18-11 in game one. Whitman closed to within 24-21 before host squad pulled away.
Whitman also got nine kills from Lydia Hayes, and six kills, 10 digs and four block assists from Alex Graves. Kaelyn Merkel came up with 19 digs, matching Linfield's Rachael Rahn in that statistical category. Kristan Brown handed out 31 assists for the Missionaries.
Katelyn Baker slammed 22 kills to pace the Wildcats, who also got nine kills apiece from Kelsey French and Emily Vuylsteke. Stephanie Purser handed out 45 digs for Linfield.
Whitman completes its weekend trip with a 5 p.m. Saturday match at Willamette in Salem, Ore.
With Rosa Brey pounding 19 kills and Kristan Brown combining 43 assists with 17 digs, the Whitman women's volleyball team got back on the winning track Saturday evening, beating Willamette 3-1 (30-26, 30-26, 25-30, 30-21) in Salem, Ore.
The Missionaries evened their record at 6-6 overall and 2-2 in the Northwest Conference. Willamette is 2-10 on the season and 0-4 in conference play.
After falling behind 21-17 in game one, Whitman rallied behind kills by Brey and Leslie Compean, followed by three service aces by Katie Richards. Two kills by Alex Graves, along with a kill by Lydia Hayes and Brown's ace, helped the Missionaries close out the win.
The Bearcats moved in front 10-6 to start game two, but Whitman took the lead for good at 18-17 on one of eight Brey kills in the game. Down two games to none, Willamette used a 6-2 spurt to break away from a 15-15 deadlock in game three. The Missionaries drew no closer than three points the rest of the way.
With game four tied at 5-5, Meg Clark served four consecutive points to give Whitman the early edge. After Willamette evened the score at 11-all, two Compean kills and one by Hayes put the Missionaries back in charge. Three Brey kills followed by Kaelyn Merkel's back-to-back service aces extended Whitman's lead to 24-15 and effectively ended any Bearcat comeback hopes.
With Brown setting the ball, four Missionaries collected nine or more kills. Brey hit .457 while posting her match-high 19 kills. Compean had 10 kills while Hayes and Graves both had nine kills and three service aces.
Five Missionaries reached double digits in digs. In addition to Brown's 17, Whitman got 16 from Merkel, 15 from Clark, and 14 from Graves. Brey added to the defensive effort with four block assists, and Compean had two solo blocks and one block assist.
Whitman returns home next weekend, hosting Pacific Lutheran at 7 p.m. Friday and Puget Sound at 6 p.m. Sunday.
Winning its sixth straight match, Pacific Lutheran rolled over Whitman 30-17, 30-21, 30-22 in Northwest Conference volleyball action Friday night in Sherwood Center.
Ranked No. 15 nationally in NCAA Div. III, the Lutes ran their record to 5-0 in conference and 11-3 overall. Whitman slipped to 2-3 and 6-7.
PLU bolted to leads of 11-2 and 18-6 and coasted to victory in the opening game. Whitman put up a better fight the rest of the way and trailed by just one point, 16-15, in game three before the Lutes pulled away to close out the match.
Kelcy Joynt and Beth Hanna slammed 16 and 15 kills, respectively, to pace the PLU offense. Hanna also had 10 digs and three service aces, and Gina DiMaggio handed out 38 assists. Stacie Matz contributed nine kills, eight digs and four blocks for the Lutes.
Rosa Brey led the Whitman attack with 10 kills. Leslie Compean and Alex Graves added eight kills apiece, with Graves also collecting eight digs. Kaelyn Merkel had nine digs for the Missionaries, while Kristan Brown distributed 22 assists.
Whitman stays at home Saturday to host Puget Sound at 6 p.m. PLU travels to Spokane to play Whitworth.
One night after falling somewhat meekly to Pacific Lutheran, Whitman roared back to stick a 3-0 loss on Puget Sound in Northwest Conference volleyball action Saturday night in Sherwood Center.
Whitman evened its record at 7-7 on the season and 3-3 in conference play. Puget Sound, ranked No. 20 nationally to start the weekend, dropped to 9-6 overall and 4-2 in the NWC.
"We had a meeting before tonight's match and talked a lot about what it means to embrace being good," first-year Whitman coach Carolyn Papineau said. "We talked about letting go of any fears and insecurities, and about just playing the game the way we've trained and prepared. They took it to heart and played a very good, steady match all the way around."
Rosa Brey, a junior middle blocker, sparked Whitman with 19 kills, eight digs and four block assists. With junior setter Kristan Brown handing out 36 assists, Whitman also got 10 kills from sophomore Alex Graves, nine from senior Leslie Compean and seven from senior Lydia Hayes.
"Our aim is to have at least three players in double-digit kills each match, and we're getting close to having that productivity," Papineau said. "But it was really our defensive effort that kept us in the match and allowed us to win. "Kaelyn Merkel and Kelsie Butts had great games in the back row."
Merkel and Butts, a first-year player, had nine and eight digs, respectively. Brown also collected eight digs as the Missionaries finished with 49 in all, 10 more than the Loggers.
Merkel and Hayes both had three service aces for the Missionaries. "We did a good job serving the ball tonight," Papineau said. "We definitely put some pressure on them."
"It's good for us to get a victory against such a strong team," Papineau added. "Puget Sound is very talented. It just shows that any team in this conference can beat any other team on any given night."
Lindsey Deman and Kalli Kamphaus led the Puget Sound offense with 10 kills apiece. Monica Grove added eight more. Rachel Gross found nine digs to pace the Logger defense. Molly Hunsinger and Kelsie Telge had eight and seven digs, respectively.
Whitman trailed for much of game one and was down 25-18 before catching fire with a 12-2 game-winning burst. Brey, who had four kills in that stretch, teamed with Brown for a block that gave the Missionaries a 30-27 triumph.
Whitman committed five attack errors as the Loggers lurched to a 6-1 lead to start game two. The Missionaries pulled even at 8-8 on Compean's kill, which triggered an 11-1 scoring spurt that put the home team in charge 18-9. Puget Sound rallied, closing to within 21-19 and 28-27, but kills by Graves and Hayes, both off Brown assists, secured game two for Whitman.
Four more early attack errors by the aggressive Missionaries handed Puget Sound a 6-2 cushion to start the third game. After a Puget Sound attack error squared the score at 6-all, the two sides deadlocked again at 7, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 14. A Hayes kill and Brown service ace put Whitman in front to stay. Ahead 20-19, the Missionaries tallied three unanswered points on kills by Compean, Brey and Graves and pulled away to finish off the match victory.
With starter Alex Graves missing most of the match due to an ankle injury, Whitman dropped a 3-1 decision (30-25, 26-30, 30-22, 30-23) to Whitworth in Northwest Conference volleyball action Wednesday night in Spokane, Wash.
The match left both teams with 3-4 records in conference play. Whitworth improved to 8-7 on the season, while Whitman fell to 7-8. Late in August, Whitman beat the Pirates in three close games in a season-opening tournament.
Rosa Brey led Whitman with 18 kills, 16 digs and five blocks. Lydia Hayes and Leslie Compean added 16 and 12 kills, respectively, with Kristan Brown setting 46 assists.
Kaelyn Merkel led the Missionary defense with 25 digs, although she moved from her libero position after game one to replace the injured Graves at outside hitter. Graves managed just one kill before leaving the match. Kelsie Butts, a first-year player, filled the hole at libero and collected 13 digs.
With the match tied at one game apiece, Whitworth used a 7-1 scoring sport to take a 15-8 lead in game three. Whitman drew no closer than five points the rest of the way, the last time at 27-22 on a Brey kill.
In game four, Whitman started with a 5-2 lead before the Pirates took charge with a 6-0 run that produced a 19-12 lead. Whitworth extended its advantage to 27-16 and then closed out the match.
The Missionaries got off to strong start in game one, rolling in front 11-5. Brey's kill gave Whitman its last lead at 19-18. After the two sides deadlocked at 19 and 20, Whitworth jumped ahead 26-21. The visitors rallied to within 26-25 before the Pirates responded with four consecutive points to take the opener.
Whitman's victory in game two came after 10 ties and three lead changes. With the game even at 16, two kills by Brey and Compean's service ace triggered a 5-0 Missionary run. Hayes slammed back-to-back kills for a 26-18 and then added two more kills to wrap up the Whitman triumph.
Whitman plays just one match this weekend, traveling to Portland to play Lewis & Clark at 5 p.m. Saturday.
Whitman's up-and-down volleyball season hit another high note as the Missionaries rolled to a three-game Northwest Conference victory over Lewis & Clark Saturday evening in Portland, Ore.
In sweeping the Pioneers 30-27, 30-25 and 30-28, Whitman continued its pattern of alternating wins and losses over its last nine outings. The Missionaries are 8-8 on the season and 4-4 in conference. Lewis & Clark is 6-12 and 2-6.
With starter Alex Graves sidelined by an ankle sprain, Whitman got strong performances from a number of players. Rosa Brey was a force on both offense and defense, slamming a season-high 20 kills to go with four solo blocks and two block assists. Leslie Compean and Lydia Hayes added 11 and eight kills, respectively, as setter Kristan Brown handed out 44 assists.
Kaelyn Merkel also had a good all-around game, combining a match-high 21 digs with six kills and three service aces. Kelsie Butts, a first-year player, came up with 14 digs while Meg Clark found nine more. Katie Richards, also a first-year Missionary, contributed with five kills.
Whitman took control of game one with a 7-1 run that Hayes capped with a service ace for a 23-17 lead. The Missionaries extended their lead to 28-20 and eventually closed out the game on a Brey kill.
A string of Lewis & Clark errors helped Whitman reel off nine straight points for a 21-11 lead in game two. The Missionaries maintained a comfortable lead and eventually took the game with a five-point margin.
The Pioneers broke free from a 17-17 tie in the third game to grab leads of 23-20 and 26-22. But Whitman rallied behind three kills from Brey and two more from Compean to finish off the game and match.
Whitman returns to the road next weekend, playing at George Fox and Pacific. The next Missionary home matches are Friday and Saturday, Oct. 19-20 against Linfield and Willamette.
Getting solid contributions from all quarters, the Whitman women's volleyball team recovered from a slow start to knock off George Fox in five games Friday evening in Newberg, Ore. The scores were 13-30, 32-30, 30-25, 33-35 and 15-11.
Taking sole possession of fourth place in the Northwest Conference, Whitman improved to 5-4 in league play and 9-8 overall. The host Bruins, losing to the Missionaries for the second time this season, slipped to 3-6 in the NWC and 8-8 on the season.
"This was another intense battle with George Fox," Whitman coach Carolyn Papineau said. "George Fox played some fantastic defense. After the first game, we raised our own level of defense, and we had every single player in our line-up make good contributions at important times."
With the match all even at two games apiece, Whitman reeled off seven consecutive points to grab a commanding 9-2 lead in the deciding fifth game. Two kills by Rosa Brey, sandwiched around two service aces by Lydia Hayes, sparked the big run. A third kill by Brey made it 12-7 in favor of the Missionaries, who then closed out the game and match on a George Fox hitting error.
"Rosa had another good all-around performance, and Lydia, Meg Clark and Kaelyn Merkel gave us excellent serving," Papineau said. "Our serving put a lot of pressure on their passers."
Whitman finished with a season-high 19 service aces, five of them by Merkel. Hayes and Clark each had four.
Brey slammed a match-high 21 kills to go with 13 digs and seven blocks. Leslie Compean combined 14 kills with 17 digs, while Hayes chipped in with 12 kills.
Ahead 2-1 in games, Whitman nearly wrapped up the match in the fourth game, jumping in front 15-7. The Bruins turned the tide by scoring the next seven points and then stretching their lead to 20-17 and 26-22. The Missionaries countered with a five-point run, capped by Merkel's service ace and kills by Hayes, Compean and Brey, and stood at match point with a 29-28 lead. But Elizabeth Anderson made a block at the net to keep George Fox in the game.
The Missionaries failed to convert three more point match points before the Bruins got kills from Anderson and Ali Lefebvre to claim an intense 35-33 victory. For the match, Anderson paced the home team with 14 kills, 14 blocks and nine digs. Jennifer Panico added 13 kills and 24 digs for the Bruins, who also got 32 digs from Jenna Dohren.
Merkel, one of five Missionaries to hit double digits in digs, led the way with 31. Setter Kristan Brown, who handed out 51 assists, also had 16 digs. Kelsie Butts, a first-year player, chipped in with 15 digs while Clark collected nine more. "Kaelyn and Kelsie were the keys to a great defensive effort for us," Papineau said.
Katie Richards, a first-year right-side hitter, rounded out the Missionary offense with seven kills. "Katie has been working very hard in practice, and she added a nice dimension for us tonight," Papineau said.
After dropping Friday's first game by a wide margin, Whitman raced away to 21-13 lead in game two. Down 28-24, the Bruins tallied five of the next six points to square the score at 29-29. After a Hayes kill was negated by a Missionary service error, Hayes pounded two more kills for a 32-30 Whitman triumph.
With game three knotted at 19, the Missionaries got two kills by Brey and two aces by Clark to fuel a 7-0 run. Hayes later finished off the game with a kill.
Whitman faces another tough road test Saturday when it plays at Pacific at 5 p.m. The Boxers, now 4-5 in the NWC, downed Whitman in three games last month in Walla Walla.
One night after it rallied past George Fox in five games, Whitman failed to find a similar spark in losing 30-19, 30-18, 30-26 to Pacific in Northwest Conference volleyball action Saturday evening in Forest Grove, Ore.
The match outcome left both teams with 5-5 conference records, tied for fourth place in the NWC standings. The Boxers elevated their season mark to 10-7 while the Missionaries slipped to 9-9 overall.
After Pacific controlled the first two games, Whitman nearly climbed back into the match with a strong effort in the third game. Kills by Kaelyn Merkel and Rosa Brey gave the Missionaries a 24-21 advantage, but after calling a time-out, Pacific scored nine of the next 11 points to complete the sweep.
Rosa Brey accounted for a match-high 13 kills, but the rest of the Whitman offense was lacking. Merkel with six kills and first-year outside hitter Katie Richards with five had the next highest totals. Merkel and first-year libero Kelsie Butts paced the defense with 19 and 16 digs, respectively. Setter Kristan Brown had 26 assists and nine digs.
The victory gave Pacific a sweep of the season series with Whitman. The Boxers also claimed a three-game victory last month in Walla Walla.
Whitman, which played its third straight match without starter Alex Graves, hosts a pair NWC opponents next weekend, starting with Linfield at 7 p.m. Friday in Sherwood Center.
Lydia Hayes slammed 20 kills, pushing her career total to 999, to power Whitman to a 3-1 Northwest Conference volleyball victory over Linfield Friday night in Sherwood Center.
Winning by scores of 26-30, 30-26, 30-22, 30-24, Whitman climbed above the .500 mark, improving to 10-9 overall and 6-5 in the NWC. The Missionaries remain tied with Pacific for fourth place in the conference standings.
Third-place Linfield falls to 7-4 in the NWC and 12-8 on the season.
Hayes, who hit a match-high .389, collected 18 of her kills in the first three games. Needing three more to reach 1,000 career kills, the 5-foot-10 senior managed just two as Whitman’s balanced attack took hold in the deciding fourth game. Teammates Rosa Brey, Leslie Compean and Kaelyn Merkel combined for 12 kills in that final game as the Missionaries closed out the match.
Brey finished with 17 kills, 13 digs and four blocks. Compean added 15 kills while hitting .368, and setter Kristan Brown handed out 56 assists.
Losing for only the third time in its last 10 matches, Linfield got 19 kills and 14 digs from Katelyn Baker. Emily Vuylsteke and Molly Taylor had 10 and eight kills, respectively, for the Wildcats.
Kelsie Butts, a first-year defensive specialist, led the Whitman defense with a match-high 24 digs. Merkel chipped in with 18.
Rachel Rahn had 21 digs for Linfield. Hannah Veley added 18.
The Wildcats used a 10-2 spurt early in the first game to jump in front 12-6. Whitman pulled even at 22-22, but kills by Baker gave Linfield its final four points and a game one victory.
Hayes, who had six kills in the opener, added five more as Whitman took a 22-17 lead in the second game. Linfield rallied, getting two kills from Vuylsteke to ease into a 24-23 advantage, but two Wildcat attack errors, followed by kills from Brown and Brey, staked the Missionaries to a 28-24 cushion. Another Brey kill eventually evened the match at one game apiece.
Whitman never trailed in game three, after bolting to a 10-4 lead. Linfield drew no closer than four points the rest of the way. Kills by Hayes accounted for four of the final seven Missionary points.
Game four was similar in that Whitman again never trailed. Clinging to a 12-11 lead, the Missionaries tallied the next eight points to knock Linfield onto the ropes. Compean keyed the burst with three kills and a service ace. The Wildcats made a final run, closing to within 24-21 on Lisa Brocard's kill. But two kills by Brey, and one each from Merkel and first-year outside hitter Katie Richards, helped the Missionaries wrap up the game and match.
Whitman stays at home Saturday to host Willamette at 5 p.m. Linfield is in Spokane Saturday to face Whitworth in a 7 p.m. match.
Assuming that Hayes passes the 1,000 plateau in career kills Saturday, she will be the first Whitman player to do so since the fall of 2003, when Jill Huber and Denise Kirstein finished their careers with 1,306 and 1,066 kills, respectively. Huber holds the Whitman school record.
Compean, also a senior, is not far behind Hayes. Compean enters Saturday's match against Willamette with 927 kills. Brey, only a junior, increased her career kill total Friday to 808.
Turning back a spirited rally from its opponent, the Whitman women's volleyball team outlasted Willamette in five games Saturday evening in Sherwood Center.
Whitman won the first two games 30-18 and 30-21, lost the next two 30-26 and 30-23, and bounced back to take the deciding fifth game 15-10.
The Missionaries, winning for the fourth time in their last five matches, finished the weekend with records of 11-9 overall and 7-5 in the Northwest Conference. If Linfield loses later this evening, Whitman would slip in a third-place tie with the Wildcats.
Hard-luck Willamette, dropping its fifth five-game decision of the season, fell to 3-19 overall and 0-12 in the NWC.
"Willamette is a good, athletic team, and we had to play well at the end to get past them," Whitman coach Carolyn Papineau said. "They really put us to the test."
Rosa Brey, a junior middle blocker, clubbed a career-high 30 kills, five of which came in game five. Brey's kill gave Whitman a 9-6 lead in the finale, but Willamette countered with kills by Jessica Durham and Jordyn Smith to stay close. After a bad set by the Bearcats gave the Missionaries a 13-10 lead, kills by Brey and Lydia Hayes finished off the match.
"Rosa obviously had a great match," Papineau said. "She was very instrumental in us winning the fifth game."
Brey, who hit .410 for the match and added 15 digs, had 11 of her kills in game four. As team, however, Willamette crushed 20 kills in winning that fourth game, hitting .395 in the process. Durham sparked the Bearcats with 14 kills, 16 digs and four service aces.
Hayes hit a milestone in game one, scoring Whitman's first point on a kill to run her career kill total to 1,000. The senior finished with 14 kills, hitting .355, and three service aces.
Two more Missionary seniors, Leslie Compean and Kaelyn Merkel, also had big nights. Compean had a double-double, combining 17 kills with 12 digs while hiting .372 and running her own career kill total to 944. In addition to nine kills, Merkel had team-high numbers in digs (23) and service aces (six).
"Merk had a great match all the way around," Papineau said. "Kristan Brown also set an excellent match. She made some greata decisions and kept all of her hitters involved."
Brown, a junior, distributed 63 assists and collected nine digs. Whitman as a team hit a season-high .321 for the five games.
Willamette got 11 kills each from Smith, who hit .375, and Kelley Lindstrom. Brittany Ashby handed out 46 assists and had eight kills of her own. Clare Chedester had a match-high 24 digs.
While Willamette has come up just short in five-game matches this season, Whitman has now won all three of its five-game decisions.
Winning its school record 16th consecutive match, Pacific Lutheran wrapped up the 2007 Northwest Conference title with a three-game victory (31-29, 30-21, 30-22) over visiting Whitman Friday evening in Tacoma, Wash.
Pacific Lutheran, now 13-0 in the NWC and 19-3 overall, has just three matches left on its regular season schedule. Puget Sound and Linfield, which began the weekend in a second-place tie, already have four conference losses.
Friday's setback leaves Whitman with records of 11-10 overall and 7-6 in conference play. The Missionaries battle Puget Sound at 6 p.m. Saturday and then conclude their season next week with two home matches.
Whitman had Pacific Lutheran on the ropes in game one, bouncing back from early deficits to grab a 29-27 lead on Leslie Compean's kill. But the Lutes countered with four straight points to escape the opener with the win.
After the home team jumped in front 8-3 to start game two, Whitman closed to 10-7 and 14-10 on kills by Rosa Brey. Pacific Lutheran then won five of the next six points to pull away.
The Lutes opened game three on a 6-0 run, but Whitman closed the gap to 14-11 on a Lydia Hayes service ace and two Pacific Lutheran attack errors. The Missionaries drew no closer the rest of the way as the Lutes closed out their title-clinching victory.
Brey led Whitman with 14 kills and seven blocks, five of them solo. Hayes chipped in with nine kills while Compean had eight kills and 10 digs. Kristan Brown handed out 30 assists, half of which came in the close first game. Kaelyn Merkel also had 10 digs for the Missionaries.
Beth Hanna with 17 kills and Stacie Matz with 15 powered Pacific Lutheran's offense. Gina DiMaggio with 40 assists and Megan Kosel with 20 digs were two more keys to the victory.
A back-and-forth tussle in Tacoma took a final turn against the Whitman women's volleyball team as the Missionaries dropped a 3-2 Saturday night decision to Puget Sound. The Loggers outlasted Whitman 30-27, 20-30, 30-32, 30-21 and 15-12.
Puget Sound retained its grip on second place in the Northwest Conference, improving to 10-4 in league and 15-8 on the season. The Missionaries slid into fifth place with a 7-7 conference mark (11-10 overall).
After Whitman won two of the first three games, Puget Sound took game four and jumped to a 5-2 advantage in the deciding fifth game. Kristan Brown's kill cut the Missionary deficit to 7-5, but the Loggers pulled away for leads of 10-5 and 12-7. The Missionaries rallied again, closing to 12-11 on a series of Puget Sound miscues. The Loggers then took three of the next four points to ice the victory.
Rosa Brey led Whitman with a match-high 22 kills, 18 digs and five blocks. Lydia Hayes added 18 kills and five blocks, Kaelyn Merkel combined 33 digs with eight kills, and Leslie Compean had seven kills and 19 digs. The Missionaries also got 53 assists and nine digs from Brown, and 26 digs from Kelsie Butts.
Puget Sound's kill leaders were Lindsey Denman with 20 and Monica Groves and Kalli Kamphaus with 13 apiece. Rachel Gross collected 38 digs and was one of five Loggers with double-digit digs. Puget Sound also got 52 assists and 21 digs from Jamee Fred.
Both sides played excellent defense. Puget Sound racked up 126 digs while Whitman totaled 118.
Whitman, which beat Puget Sound in three games last month in Walla Walla, had the lead late in game one. But with the Missionaries up 27-25, the Loggers reeled off five straight points to win the first game.
With game two tied at 15, Whitman tallied 15 of the next 20 points to win going away. Compean and Brey contributd two kills each to the scoring spurt. Hayes and Merkel, who had one kill apiece, also teamed up for two blocks.
Merkel's kill late in game three gave the Missionaries a 26-22 lead, but Puget Sound squared the match at 28 on Denman's kill. After Brey's kill gave Whitman its third game point at 31-30, Brey and Brown shared a block at the net to give the visitors the win and a 2-1 lead in games.
The Loggers dominated the fourth game, grabbing leads of 10-3 and 20-10 en route to a relatively easy victory that set the stage for game five.
Whitman returns home next week for its final two matches. It hosts Whitworth at 6 p.m. Wednesday and Lewis & Clark at 5 p.m. Saturday.
With setter Kristan Brown handing out 44 assists and two of her teammates collecting double-doubles in kills and digs, Whitman knocked off Whitworth in three games (30-25, 30-19, 36-34) in Northwest Conference volleyball action Wednesday night in Sherwood Center.
Whitman heads to its season finale on Saturday with records of 12-11 overall and 8-7 in NWC play. Whitworth slipped to 10-14 on the season and 5-10 in conference games.
"This was one of our better matches this season," Whitman coach Carolyn Papineau said. "Kristan had a great match in terms of her decision-making and distributing the ball in our offense. She played a big part in keeping us in that long third game."
Brown also contributed 12 digs, four kills in just six attempts, and three block assists.
Rosa Brey, Whitman's all-conference middle blocker, led the Missionaries with 18 kills and 10 digs, while senior Kaelyn Merkel added 11 kills, 18 digs and three service aces. Lydia Hayes, also a senior, hit .400 while combining 11 kills with four aces.
Cassie Moore paced Whitworth with 10 kills and 17 digs. Sarah Rusch, who played her first two collegiate seasons at Walla Walla Community College, had nine kills for the Pirates. Nikki Bardwell chipped in with eight kills. Bethany Castilleja rounded up a match-high 25 digs for Whitworth, which also got 31 assists and seven digs from its setter, Holly Ridings.
After Whitman took the first two games, game three turned into a battle. Moore's kill put the Pirates on the cusp of victory with a 29-28 advantage, but Hayes responded with a Missionary kill to even the slate at 29-29. Hayes then turned away two more Pirate game points with two more kills, extending the score to 31-31.
After Brey's kill gave Whitman a game point, a Missionary attack error made it 32-all. Bardwell stepped up for Whitworth, but her two kills were negated by another Brey kill and a Pirate attack error. With the score knotted at 34-34, Brey crushed her 18th kill of the night and teamed with Brown for a block at the net to close out the match.
"Whitworth is a great defensive team," Papineau said. "We had to work for all of the kills we got."
With Rusch getting four quick kills, Whitworth jumped in front 18-13 in game one. Merkel stemmed the tide for Whitman, following her own kill by serving seven straight Missionary points, three of which were service aces. After the two sides traded kills, Hayes added two more aces as Whitman pulled away to a 25-20 lead. Two Pirate attack errors ended game one in favor of the Missionaries.
"Merkel got us back into that first game with her serving as well as her energy and enthusiasm," Papineau said. "She always bring a lot of energy to the court. She's a competitor."
Whitman broke free from a 10-10 deadlock in game two to lead 18-12. Moore's two kills narrowed Whitworth's deficit to 18-15, but Brown followed her kill with seven service points as the Missionaries rolled to an easy win.
Whitman, which also got 10 digs from first-year libero Kelsie Butts and nine more from senior Meg Clark, finished with 74 digs in all, five more than the Pirates. "We've raised our level of defensive play over the second half of the season," Papineau said. "We've worked hard on it."
Whitworth concludes its season by hosting Lewis & Clark at 7 p.m. Friday. Lewis & Clark and Whitman then put the finishing touches on their seasons at 5 p.m. in Sherwood Center.
Seniors Lydia Hayes, Leslie Compean, Kaelyn Merkel and Meg Clark wrapped up their volleyball careers in fine fashion as Whitman rolled to a 3-0 Northwest Conference sweep (30-24, 30-22, 30-21) of Lewis & Clark Saturday night in Sherwood Center.
Whitman ended its season with a 9-7 NWC record (13-11 overall), good enough for a fourth-place tie with Pacific. Linfield took the third spot with a 10-6 conference mark. Lewis & Clark concluded its season with records of 5-11 and 9-17.
The Missionaries trailed on just one occasion -- 1-0 to start game two -- in marching past Lewis & Clark. Junior Rosa Brey led the offense with 19 kills, but Whitman also got 10 kills and eight digs from Compean and seven kills apiece from Hayes and Merkel. Hayes added four service aces, and Merkel chipped in with 12 digs and three aces. Kristan Brown, Whitman's junior setter, had 44 assists and seven digs.
Katherine Fielder and Sara Kettler paced the Lewis & Clark offense with nine and eight kills, respectively. Leah Collins had 12 digs for the Pioneers, and Lara Smith handed out 13 assists.
With game one tied at 5-5, Whitman took control with a 9-3 spurt. Three kills by Brey and two more by Katie Richards, a first-year Missionary, fueled the run. Compean's kill put Whitman ahead 17-11 before Lewis & Clark rallied behind two kills each from Fiedler and Kettler. The Pioneers closed to within 22-20, but kills by Brey, Hayes and first-year libero Kelsie Butts helped Whitman finish off a game one victory.
Whitman grabbed leads of 10-6 and 15-8 to start game two, but the Pioneers again rallied. With its lead down to 17-16, Whitman pulled away on the strength of four Compean kills.
The Missionaries held sway throughout the third game, building leads of 7-2, 12-7 and 21-14. Lewis & Clark drew no closer than six points the rest of the way.
Hayes, a four-year starter, finished her Missionary career with 1,058 kills, 565 digs, 168 service aces, and 139 blocks. She ranks fourth on Whitman's all-time list for career kills, and she led the Missionaries in service aces in each of her four seasons.
Final career numbers for Compean, also a four-year starter, include 977 kills, 702 digs and 150 blocks. She led Whitman in kills in her first season.
Merkel, who accumulated most of her career numbers over the past three seasons, finished with 973 digs, 171 kills and 74 service aces. She led Whitman in digs this fall for the second time in three seasons.
Primarily a defensive specialist, Clark had career highs this season with 164 digs and 31 service aces. She ranked third among the Missionaries this season in aces.