Walla Walla, Wash. –Lewis & Clark Volleyball earned their first Northwest Conference win of the season and snapped a 16-match losing streak with a 3-0 sweep over host Whitman College.   
 
THE BASICS
Lewis & Clark 3, Whitman, 0
(Lewis & Clark 2-17, NWC 1-13)
(Whitman 15-6, NWC 9-4)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
After struggling to close out sets throughout conference play, Lewis & Clark earned a pair of comeback 25-23 set wins and then held off a late charge by the Blues to earn their first win since the team's trip to Virginia. 
 
The Pios jumped out to a lead of 6-1 off a kill by junior Izzy Willis to start the match. Sophomore Annika Traxler began a 4-0 run later in the set with the first of her four kills on the night. Fellow sophomore Debi Chun added two more kills, and Traxler served an ace to give the Pios a 12-5 lead. Whitman fought back and started a 5-0 run of their own to take a 22-20 lead. After a Pioneer timeout, senior Ashley Kane used a setter dump for the kill. Lewis & Clark College took the lead for good and set up match point off of Chun's fifth kill. Chun then served an ace to close out the set 25-23. 
 
The second set was a back-and-forth battle with eight ties and three lead changes. The Blues took a 2-0 lead to start, but the Pios fought back to take their first lead at 6-5. A kill by sophomore Emily Strand put the Pioneers up 15-11, their largest lead in the second set. Like the first set, Whitman would take a 22-20 lead. Kane gave the Pios their second set point of the night serving the team's fifth ace. A Strand kill gave L&C a 25-23 set win and a 2-0 match lead. 
 
The Blues came out of the break and took a 4-1 lead. The Pioneers fought back again, and a Willis kill gave them a 6-5 lead, and they didn't look back. Willis gave Lewis & Clark a 15-9 lead on her 10th and final kill of the night. Whitman would pull back within 18-16 but the Pioneers utilized a 7-1 run to close the match and win 25-17.  
 
BY THE NUMBERS

• Willis ended the night with 10 kills, 14 digs, and hit .250 for the match. Her double-double is the second double-double of her career and the second time in her career posting double-digit digs.  
• Chun led all players with 12 kills in the win. It's the fourth time she has had double-digit kills this season. 
• Kane dished out 28 assists and had a career-high two solo blocks. She has had 20 or more assists in six matches in a row. 
• Strand finished with eight kills, hit .235, and recorded her first collegiate career assist. 
• Traxler hit a match-high .300 with four kills off ten attempts and an error. She also had a solo block and block assist. 

WHO'S NEXT
 
The Pios play their final road match on Friday at 7 pm against Willamette.