SPOKANE, Wash. – Karlee Jo Sampson returned to the George Fox University lineup after missing several games with a pinched nerve and led the Bruins with 10 kills, but it was not enough to prevent the Whitworth University Pirates from taking a 3-0 win (25-22, 25-23, 25-20) in Northwest Conference volleyball action Friday night here at the Whitworth Fieldhouse.

Despite the final score in sets, it was a closely-contested match that included 36 ties and 17 lead changes.  Whitworth took an 11-8 on a kill from Tori LaBrie before George Fox answered with a 6-3 run that included two kills and a service ace by Sampson to knot the game 14-14.  The Pirates pulled away with a 7-3 run on kills by Nicole Leonard, Kristine Kardell, and Jalana White, but again the Bruins fought back to within one at 21-20 on another Sampson spike.  White slowed the comeback with a winner of her own, and a Bruin attack error gave Whitworth the first-set victory.

Back-to-back kills by Kylee Adderson and Sampson and a Whitworth attack error put the Bruins in front 3-0 in the second set before Leonard started a 3-0 run for the Pirates to pull the teams even. The squads continued to trade leads, with 16 ties and 11 lead changes in the second set alone.  Consecutive kills by Erin Campbell gave the Bruins a 20-18 lead, but a 3-0 run, capped by a Maddye Dinsmore ace, gave Whitworth a 22-21 advantage.  A Campbell kill and a block by Adderson gave the Bruins their last lead at 23-22, but Leonard tied it with a kill, served an ace, and White sealed the Pirates' win with a kill.

In the final set, back-to-back kills by Campbell gave the Bruins their largest lead of the night at 9-6, but the Pirates recovered to forge a 12-12 tie on a block by LaBrie and Briauna Stadeli.  The Bruins regained a three-point lead on consecutive winners by Tiffany Burk and Campbell, but again the Pirates came back for an 18-18 tie.  After a hitting error gave George Fox its last lead of 19-18, Whitworth rattled off five unanswered points, three on winners by Kardell, for a 24-19 advantage.  Adderson temporarily staved off the Bruins' elimination with a kill, but White hit a final winner to end the match.

Sampson was the only Bruin in double figures in kills, but Campbell was close with nine, Burk had eight, and Adderson seven.  Payton Shrum contributed 36 assists, while on defense, Chelsea Wilson made 22 digs.  Burk had four blocks, three of them solo.

Leonard finished with a double-double of 12 kills and 19 digs, while White led the team with 15 kills.  Dinsmore had 35 assists and 11 digs, and Whitney Santos made17 digs.  Stadeli posted five blocks assists and LaBrie had four block assists.

NEXT: George Fox (9-10, NWC 4-7) visits Whitman College Saturday … Whitworth (13-10, 7-4), which swept the Bruins in the two-game season series while tightening its grip on third place in the conference, hosts Pacific (Ore.) Saturday … Both games start at 5:00 p.m. in order to give the visitors extra travel time home.