News Release Date:
Friday, October 2

WALLA WALLA, Wash. -- After winning game two in lopsided fashion to even the match, Whitman College was unable to keep pace offensively or defensively as Puget Sound pulled away for a 25-20, 14-25, 25-21, 25-12 volleyball victory Friday night in Sherwood Center.

Alex Graves

The Loggers, who hit a hefty .323 as a team, improved to 4-1 in the Northwest Conference and 10-3 overall. 

Whitman, which was hitting .302 until its offense ran aground in game four, dropped to 1-4 and 4-7. 

Brynn Blickenstaff, a 6-foot sophomore, led the Puget Sound onslaught with a match-high 19 kills, no errors and a .613 attack percentage. Kalli Kamphaus, a 6-foot senior, was good for 13 kills, two solo blocks and five block assists.

Courtney Brewer

Senior Alex Graves paced Whitman with 17 kills and 11 digs. Courtney Brewer, a first-year middle blocker, had 11 kills while sophomore Katie Miller added 11 kills, eight digs and five service aces.

Whitman, which leads the NWC in aces, finished with nine in all but had no blocks at the net. The taller Loggers frequently tipped points up and over Whitman's smaller block.

Leigh Sumida keyed Puget Sound's back row defense with 26 digs. Stephanie Harvey made the offense go with 41 assists.

Junior Katie Richards had 40 assists for Whitman. Sophomore Amanda Holberg found a team-high 16 digs.

In the opener, the two teams found themselves deadlocked six times before Puget Sound used a 5-0 run to break free from an 18-18 tie and grab the early 1-0 advantage in games. 

Katie Miller

Whitman charged back in game two, adding to a 10-7 advantage with an 8-2 run that included three kills by Graves and two aces by Miller. The Missionaries tallied three of their final four points on two more kills by Graves and a Richards ace, wrapping up the game at 25-14.

Whitman maintained its momentum early in game three, getting two kills by first-year middle blocker Olivia Nielson as part of a 4-0 run that had the home team in front 9-5. The Loggers battled back, squaring the match on points 12 and 13. With the score tied a final time at 16, the visitors pulled away on a 5-2 run and then knocked down the last two points for a 25-21 win and 2-1 cushion in games.

After the Loggers raced away to a 6-1 lead in the fourth game, Whitman rallied to within 11-8 before Puget Sound made its final push with a 9-2 spurt.

Whitman returns to Sherwood Center at 4 p.m. Saturday for an NWC match with Pacific Lutheran. Puget Sound is in Spokane on Saturday for a 5 p.m. match against Whitworth.

Box score

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CONTACT: Dave Holden
Sports Information Director
Whitman College, Walla Walla, Wash.
509 527-5902; holden@whitman.edu