ELLENSBURG, Wash – Lindsay Forseth had 21 kills and 15 digs as the Northwest Nazarene volleyball team defeated Central Washington University 30-28, 30-25, 19-30, 26-30, 15-8 in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference match in Ellensburg.

Forseth, who matched her career-best kill total of 21 that she set earlier this season at Chaminade, had just three hitting errors on the night and hit .391 for the match.

The Crusaders (11-6, 5-4 GNAC) returned to the balance that has proven successful throughout the season with three players in double-figures as Cammy Dranginis had 12 kills and nine blocks and Loni Evenson had 10 kills and a co-match best 24 digs.

“I was proud of the way the kids responded to fight back and win the fifth game,” commented NNU head coach Jared Sliger, who saw his team win for the first time in Ellensburg while under his watch.  “We started off really strong and Lindsay played a great match, with only three hitting errors…that's just terrific.”

NNU setter Allison James had a match-high 51 assists and defensive specialists Jackie Bourdon and Kristy Wigren had 17 and 14 digs, respectively.

The Crusaders hit .165 for the match, including a .235 mark in the opening game and a .368 effort in the fifth game.  Eight of the Crusaders matches this season have gone five games, with NNU improving to 5-3 in the five-game sets.

The Wildcats (6-12, 5-4 GNAC) were led by Rachael Schurman and Erin Norris who had 17 and 16 kills, respectively, while Kayla Roof and Kady Try also reached double-figures with 12 and 11 kills each.  Erika Stevens matched Evenson's dig total of 24 to lead the Wildcat defense.

The Crusaders will return to Nampa and host Seattle Pacific next Saturday at 7:00 p.m. at the Johnson Sports Center on the NNU campus.