SPOKANE, Wash. –Lewis & Clark College volleyball faced a tough Whitworth University squad on the road Saturday and dropped a 3-0 Northwest Conference match in the Lilac City.
THE BASICS
Whitworth 3, Lewis & Clark 0 (25-16, 25-10, 25-6)
(Lewis & Clark 0-13, 0-6 NWC)
(Whitworth 13-0, 6-0 NWC)
HOW IT HAPPENED
Senior
Ella Ruark led the Pioneers with eight of the team's 16 kills and finished with a .304 (8-1-23) hitting percentage.
Sophomore
Isabel Meleán-Williams and senior
Annika Traxler tied for second on the team with three kills each. Meleán-Williams hit .333 (3-1-6) from the floor. Traxler added six digs to join senior libero
Bethany Ballesteros in leading Lewis & Clark defensively.
Setter
Ruby Kuerschner add 11 of the Pioneers' 16 assists on the night. The sophomore added two digs.
The opening set was competitive early, with Lewis & Clark trailing just 6-4 after a Ruark kill. But Whitworth pulled away with a 9-2 run and went on to a 25-16 win. The Pioneers outhit the Pirates .348 to .345 in the frame.
Whitworth raced out to a 15-5 lead behind strong serving, including three aces in the second set. Lewis & Clark never recovered, dropping the set 25-10.
The final set saw Whitworth at its most dominant, as the Pirates hit a blistering .591 with 14 kills and just one error. Lewis & Clark managed only three kills in the set.
BY THE NUMBERS
- First-year Ainsley Mochrie was second on the team with three digs.
- Ballesteros added three assists in the match.
- Meleán-Williams and Ruark have hit over .300 five times this season. Meleán-Willams has three games hitting .300 or better and Ruark has two.
WHO'S NEXT
The Pioneers travel to Newberg on Friday for a 7:00 p.m. match against George Fox.
