Box Score

BILLINGS, Mont. – One win away.

With the goal of earning an NCAA Division II National Tournament berth driving them for the past 11 ½ months, the Crusader volleyball team now finds itself one win away from achieving its goal.

Thursday night in Montana, 11^th-ranked Northwest Nazarene rolled to a 25-17, 24-26, 25-20, 25-19 win over host Montana State Billings in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play, leaving NNU needing just one win in its final two matches of the regular season to claim a first-ever GNAC Championship, and the automatic berth to nationals that goes with that title.

"We are thrilled to get a victory on the road and to be one match away from a GNAC Championship," NNU head volleyball coach Doug English said.

Last season, NNU (22-2 overall, 15-1 GNAC) matched its all-time record for wins in NCAA play with 18, and wins in GNAC play with 14, finishing third in the league standings.

But on the NCAA Tournament bubble, the Crusaders were disheartened when they were left out of nationals.

Looking to make sure that doesn't happen again - by winning an automatic bid to nationals - the Crusaders went right to work, going up as much as 19-10 in the first set on a Taylor Roberts service ace en route to a quick lead in the match.

In the second set, the Crusaders forged small leads and looked prepared to take a commanding advantage in the match when an Elayna Rice kill gave NNU three set points, up 24-21.

But the Yellowjackets (11-13, 6-9) fought back into the match with five straight points to grab the set, 26-24.

Unfazed, NNU came out swinging in the third set as Taylor VanValey had a pair of early kills and added another in a 5-2 opening surge.

The Jackets battled back and grabbed a 12-11 edge on a Krista Norris kill, but three straight kills from Kaitlyn Tuholski sparked an 8-0 NNU run that led to the third-set win.

Rice, Tuholski and Andrea Terpstra then spearheaded a 7-0 charge in the fourth set, combining for five kills in the run, putting NNU up 11-5 and well in control and on its way to a four-set win.

Rice led the way with 16 kills and 15 digs for NNU, which can wrap up the league crown – and the program's first trip to nationals since 2007 – with a win Saturday afternoon at Seattle Pacific.

"Elayna hit great tonight," English said, adding, "Kaitlyn came off the bench and provided a nice spark to our offense in games three and four."

VanValey added 11 kills and Michelle Terpstra dished out 45 assists in the Crusaders victory, which set a program record for GNAC wins in a season. Roberts helped out with 23 digs to lead the Crusader defense, which also got 12 digs from Linnea Phillips and 10 digs from Tuholski, who also had eight kills in the win.