SPOKANE, Wash. – Lewis & Clark College volleyball dropped a 25-18, 25-10, 25-14 decision to Whitworth University on Saturday evening in Northwest Conference play at Whitworth Fieldhouse.
 
THE BASICS
 
Whitworth 3, Lewis & Clark 0
(Lewis & Clark 0-21, 0-14 NWC)
(Whitworth 18-6, 12-2 NWC)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
Junior Kaitlyn Jensen led Lewis & Clark with nine kills, three aces and two digs. Senior Abigail Warrick and junior HB Schuett each finished with three kills. Schuett added two blocks, two aces and a dig.
 
Ruby Kuerschner recorded 14 of the Pioneers' 18 assists. The junior also added three digs and two aces. First-year libero Ariah Potts paced the defense with four digs and added one assist.
 
Lewis & Clark fell behind early in the first set after Whitworth's Rachel Cram served seven straight points, including two aces. The Pioneers regrouped behind a three-point run from Schuett, who served an ace following a Jensen kill to make it 7-4.
 
A kill from Jensen off a Kuerschner set sparked a four-point stretch capped by two Kuerschner aces and a Pirates hitting error to even the score at 9-9. Whitworth answered with a 5-1 run to regain control and closed out the frame 25-18 with a .318 hitting percentage.
 
The Pirates carried their momentum into the second set, using a 6-1 surge midway through to pull away. Jensen tallied two of Lewis & Clark's four kills in the set. Whitworth hit .500 to take the frame 25-10.
 
In the third, Lewis & Clark took an early 2-1 lead on a Schuett ace and later erased a five-point deficit to tie it 10-10 following a block assist from Schuett and junior Isabel Meleán-Williams and an ace by sophomore Daphne Ibrao. Whitworth responded with an 8-2 run to reclaim the lead and finished the match 25-14.
 
BY THE NUMBERS

• Kuerschner surpassed 1,300 career assists and now has 1,304. She is 20 away from moving into sixth place in program history.
• Meleán-Williams had two blocks to go along with her two kills.
• Junior Christi San Diego finished with two kills and a block.
• Lewis & Clark totaled three team blocks compared to Whitworth's two.

UP NEXT
 
Lewis & Clark returns home Friday for Senior Night against Willamette University at 7 p.m. The program will honor seniors Reilyn Sabado, Warrick, Piper McCoy Harmon and Theo Ye before first serve.