Box Score

MONMOUTH, Ore. – Coming off a big win, you always worry about a letdown. Add in a 400-plus mile trip west and it only makes it tougher to bounce back.

The Crusader volleyball team overcame any big-match letdown and a long road trip to Western Oregon and stretched its win streak to eight straight matches with a determined effort to fend off a feisty Wolves squad, 25-17, 34-32, 28-26 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play Saturday night.

"We are thankful to get a victory on the road," said NNU head volleyball coach Doug English, whose team swept No. 11 Central Washington in Nampa on Thursday night. "Western Oregon is a good serving team which made it very difficult to run an offensive."

Serving didn't affect NNU early as a Madi Farrell kill gave the Crusaders (9-1 overall, 2-0 GNAC) an 18-11 lead in the first set, and they cruised to an early lead in the match.

But things changed quickly in the second set as the Wolves (2-9, 0-3) led 20-15 before a late surge by NNU that saw Michelle Terpstra and Kaitlyn Tuholski pounded down kills and Farrell and Tuholski teamed up for a block during a 6-1 run.

Taylor VanValey capped the Crusader charge with a kill, tying the set 21-21, and it stayed a nip-and-tuck affair until a WOU serving error followed by an Andrea Terpstra kill finished off the marathon-set win.

"We tried to settle down and play clean volleyball, which we did and were able to come back," English said.

NNU rode that momentum to a seemingly commanding 16-8 lead on a Michelle Terpstra kill in the third set, but the Wolves played determined as well, rallying and earning a set point, up 25-24.

"Set three we started great then made some errors and let them back in it," NNU's coach said.

A Farrell kill fended off that point, then a hitting error by WOU followed by an Andy Terpstra kill finally finished off the hard-fought Crusader win.

Andy Terpstra and Farrell each pounded down nine kills and Elayna Rice added eight kills for the Crusaders in the win, while Michelle Terpstra added 35 assists and 15 digs, Taylor Roberts made 21 digs and Tuholski had 13 digs for NNU, which is back in action Monday at St. Martin's.