Roundup: Pirates remain winless

Three home matches into the season and the Whitworth Pirates volleyball team is still looking for its first victory.

Anile Clemente had a match-high 12 kills and Jenika Bird added 11 kills and five blocks to propel the Lewis-Clark State Warriors to a 25-21, 25-15, 25-16 non-conference victory on Wednesday.

Whitworth started well in every set, holding a 5-1 lead in the first, a 6-0 lead in the second, and a 3-0 lead in the third, but the Warriors – who had 10 blocks to one for the Pirates – asserted themselves at the net to regain control of each game.

The Warriors hit .240 as a team.

Brynn DeLong and Kaimi Rocha led the Pirates with seven kills apiece.

Whitworth’s struggles against the Warriors’ tall front line led to a .019 hitting percentage.

Whitworth will try to regroup at the Colorado College Pikes Peak Challenge beginning Friday. All four of the Pirates’ opponents will be NCAA Division III members.

LCSC improved to 3-2.

Men’s soccer

The North Idaho Cardinals (1-1) dropped a 3-2 decision to the Columbia Basin Hawks in a non-conference match in Pasco.

No details were available.

Women’s basketball

The Idaho Vandals released their 2009-2010 schedule and have four NCAA tournament teams lined up for non-conference games.

The Vandals open the season hosting Gonzaga, the first of four tourney teams. They will also travel to the World Vision Classic on Nov. 27-29 and will play host Baylor a Sweet 16 team last season.

Idaho also has preseason road games against Eastern Washington, Montana and Long Beach State.

The Vandals open Western Athletic Conference play at home on Jan. 9 against defending conference champion Fresno State.

The WAC tournament will be held March 10-13 at the Lawlor Events Center at Reno, Nev.

Prep volleyball

The Moscow Bears prevailed in a seesaw match with the Coeur d’Alene Vikings 25-22, 16-25, 25-16, 17-25, 15-12 in a battle between Inland Empire League teams in Coeur d’Alene.