TACOMA, Wash. — Outside hitter Emma White led Southwestern with a match-high 13 kills, and the Pirates pulled through two tightly contested sets before running away for the third to defeat Pacific Lutheran in three sets (25-23, 26-24, 25-12).
White crushed the ball with volume and efficiency, putting down her 13 kills on 25 attacks with just one error for a blistering .480 hitting percentage while also contributing 13 digs. Lauren Crabtree added another 11 kills.
"Getting a competitive first set and a really tough second-set win under our belts against a quality program and defensive team puts a sense of pride in the minds of our team," Southwestern volleyball head coach Don Flora says. "It was nice to see our focus stay at a quality level in pressure moments."
The first set went back-and-forth with 12 ties and eight lead changes. Pacific Lutheran played stellar defense, and Southwestern committed 12 attack errors, pulling away with two consecutive points to take the set by two despite Pacific Lutheran only recording six kills.
"We needed to clean up our attacking decision-making after set one, and the numbers show these athletes made those good decisions even while staying aggressive," Flora says.
Southwestern setters Katelyn Whitehead (17 assists) and Claire Romo (11 assists) directed an offense that picked up steam as the match went on, producing 14 kills in each of the final two sets with increasing efficiency, hitting .278 in the second set and .407 in the third. Libero Ali Grona tied White for the team lead with 13 digs, anchoring a Southwestern defense that held Pacific Lutheran to just 28 kills on a .105 hitting percentage.
"I was very proud of Claire Romo and Katelyn Whitehead for their setting decisions and effectiveness today," Flora says. "And having a plus-11 dig margin versus an athletic Pacific Lutheran University team always sets a nice tone. This type of match shows us where we can be good and where we need to be more mindful."
Southwestern improves to 2-0 after winning the first of two matches on Friday. Next, they'll play Whitman at 8:00 p.m. CST.
