Colorado Springs, Colo. – The Southwestern University Pirates volleyball team defeated the Johnson & Wales University (JWU) Wildcats in three sets (25-15, 25-18, 25-14), splitting its two matches in Colorado on Friday afternoon.

Southwestern posted a season-high .337 hitting percentage with four different players hitting .500 or better, led by Ashley Whitlock's scorching 12 kills on 16 attacks with no errors, leading the match with a .750 hitting percentage.

Alyssa Dooley had eight kills on 15 attacks with no errors and Cassidy Nimtz came off the bench to score six kills on 10 attacks with no errors. For the match, the Pirates had 49 kills on 101 attacks with 15 errors.

"We did some wonderful things offensively. For us to hit .337 was a sign we were focused on the demands of the match," Head Coach Don Flora said. "Having Cassidy Nimitz and Ashley Whitlock come off the bench and hit .500 and .750 respectively was a really good sign of their growth and development."

Jamison Duck led the team in digs with 11 with eight kills. Makenzie Mendez had 36 assists for Southwestern, moving the ball around to different hitters and setting the tone.

Ashlee Ruehs led JWU with nine kills on 20 attacks with two errors as Southwester held a 40-27 advantage in digs.

With the win, Southwestern improves to 11-9 on the season and 6-3 in Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference play while JWU drops to 12-10 and 4-4 in conference. The Pirates will remain in Colorado for a match on Sat., Oct. 13 for conference matches against Dallas and Austin College.