Box Score



NAMPA, Idaho — It wasn't easy, but then Crusader head coach Doug English knows no match in conference play ever is easy.

Despite jumping up two sets to none, the Northwest Nazarene volleyball team needed to dig deep in a five-set battle to fend off Seattle Pacific and top the visiting Falcons, 25-18, 27-25, 21-25, 21-25, 15-6 on Thursday in Great Northwest Athletic Conference action at the Johnson Sports Center.
 

"I think we were serving well, which made them a little more predictable, which allowed us to block really well," Coach English said of the Crusaders victories in the opening two sets, which saw NNU score 9.5 points thanks to blocks.

"We kind of got away from that a little bit in sets three and four," NNU's coach added as the Falcons evened the match.

"Then in set five we did the same thing."

The Crusaders dominated the fifth and final set led by Cami Heninger, who had four kills and a block in the finale.

Setter Hailey Cook and libero Shayli Siegfreid led the way in the match for NNU (10-2 overall, 3-2 GNAC), each turning in career-highs as Cook dished out 62 assists — and added 18 digs — while Siegfreid made 37 digs.

Offensively, Mari Thomas led the way with 19 kills while adding in 25 assists.

Five of those kills came in the opener for NNU, which got a kill each from Thomas, Heninger and Madi Farrell in a late 9-2 charge. A run that also saw the Crusaders scored a pair of points on blocks as NNU finished with 5.5 blocks in the first set.
 

It was more of the same in the second as a Heninger and Farrell tandem block put the Crusaders on top 22-16, but the Falcons (5-8, 1-4) hung around and stretched the set a few extra points before a Kendra Bodine kill gave NNU a two-set lead.

The Falcons turned it around in the third set, snapping a 19-19 tie and holding on for their first win of the night, then SPU jumped up 21-14 in the fourth and weathered a Crusader comeback to even the match.

Once into the fifth set, though, NNU came alive as a Bodine kill snapped a 4-4 tie and ignited a decisive 7-0 charge that led the Crusaders to the win.

"The kids showed some resiliency and some confidence in what we do and what we practice every day," English said of the final set. "To come out and play great in the fifth, it was awesome."

Bodine added 15 kills and 17 digs in the win, while Farrell had 17 kills and eight blocks, and Heninger added 15 kills and five blocks for NNU, which is back in action Saturday hosting St. Martin's at 7 p.m.