Area roundup: Savannah Blinn key in GU volleyball win over LMU

Gonzaga junior Savannah Blinn had 29 kills and the Bulldogs edged No. 22 Loyola Marymount in four sets in a West Coast Conference volleyball match at the Martin Centre on Saturday in Spokane.

Scores were 27-25, 31-29, 26-28, 28-26.

The win, coupled with Thursday’s victory over Pepperdine, marks the first time in program history that Gonzaga (11-4, 2-2) has beaten those two schools back-to-back.

GU’s McKayla Ferris added 19 kills and 13 digs and Nikki Leonard and Kiani Lane combined for 59 assists.

Sarah Sponcil and Caitlin DeWitt had 21 kills apiece for the Lions (15-2, 3-2).

The Bulldogs play at WCC foe San Francisco on Thursday.

• Nicole Leonard had nine kills and 18 digs and Shawna Korshavn added nine kills as Whitworth blanked Linfield in a Northwest Conference match in McMinnville, Oregon. Scores were 25-23, 25-20 and 25-16.

Maddy Dinsmore added 31 assists and Mallorie Schoesler chipped in 22 digs for Whitworth.

• Community Colleges of Spokane (18-10, 3-2) beat Treasure Valley (7-16, 0-5) 25-14, 25-17, 25-21 in a Northwest Athletic Conference match at Spokane Falls Community College.

Men’s soccer

Karl Muelheims scored an unassisted goal in the 53rd minute and Whitworth (9-0-1, 4-0-1) held on to beat Pacific Lutheran (6-5, 3-2) 1-0 in a Northwest Conference match in Spokane.

The goal was the fourth over the last three matches for Muelheims and it helped extend the Pirates’ winning streak to four matches.

• Brandon Babinski scored off an assist from Brett Butler in the 39th minute and Community Colleges of Spokane (8-5, 6-3) beat Columbia Basin (3-3-5, 3-2-4) 1-0 in a Northwest Athletic Conference match in Pasco.

• Adam Talley notched a hat trick and Alec Johnson scored twice as North Idaho (10-0-2, 8-0-1) played to a 5-all draw with Trinity Lutheran in a nonconference match in Coeur d’Alene.

Talley scored two of his goals in the first half and then capped the scoring in the 88th minute, sending it into overtime. Both of Johnson’s goals were in the second half.

Women’s soccer

Pacific Lutheran scored all three of its goals in the second half and the Lutes blanked Whitworth (2-7-1, 1-5) 3-0 in a Northwest Conference match in Spokane.

Lauren Larson, Kaylie Rozell and Kelly White scored for PLU (6-2-1, 4-1).

• Rashelle Fisher’s goal in the 51st minute was the difference in Community Colleges of Spokane’s 1-0 win over Columbia Basin (4-5-4, 4-3-4) in a Northwest Athletic Conference match in Pasco. Lexi Miller assisted on the match-winner. The Sasquatch improved to 12-2-1 overall and 9-1-1 in conference matches.

• Katelyn Sly’s goal in the 86th minute helped North Idaho (5-1-7) play to a 1-all draw with Trinity Lutheran in a nonconference match in Coeur d’Alene. Elly Priddy assisted on the equalizer. Cardinals keeper Cassy van der Mey made nine saves.

Cross country

The Eastern Washington men had three top-10 placers, led by Vince Hamilton’s third-place finish, and the Eagles took the team title at the Montana Invitational at the University of Montana Golf Course in Missoula, Montana.

Hamilton completed the 8,000-meter course in 25 minutes, 11.21 seconds. EWU’s Alex Kimsey was sixth (25:25.85) and Stephen Bottoms was ninth (25:40).

Gonzaga’s Willie Milam was first overall in 24:27.56, but didn’t accumulate any team points for the Bulldogs because he was running unattached. The GU men took third place.

Eastern Washington’s Sarah Reiter won the women’s race and the Eagles took second place.

Reiter completed the 5,000-meter course in 17:28.64, nearly 5 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher, GU’s Amelia Evans (17:33.82). GU took third place.

• The Whitworth women, led by Amanda Blankenship’s 21st-place finish, took fourth place at the Charles Bowles Invitational at Bush Park in Salem, Oregon.

Blankenship completed the 5,000-meter course in 18:38.50.

The Whitworth men were 11th out of 14 teams.

Chico State won the women’s team title and Oregon claimed the men’s title.

• The Idaho men and women both finished last at the University of Washington Invitational at Jefferson Golf Course in Seattle.

Junior hockey

Michael Rand’s overtime goal gave the Grand Forks Border Bruins (5-6-0-0) a 2-1 KIJHL win over the Spokane Braves (4-3-0-2) at Eagles Ice A-Rena in Spokane. Hayden Boring scored Spokane’s goal in the first period.