NAMPA, Idaho – For five Northwest Nazarene seniors, their volleyball careers didn't end as they had hoped but they were still thankful for their time on the court.

The Nighthawks lost 25-16, 25-7, 23-25, 25-15 to No. 6 Western Washington on Saturday in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference match.

For Kayla Sale, Megan Nelson, Lexi Ward, Jessica Brennis and Taylor Jones, though, it was still a memory-creating night.

"It was really fun for us to be on the court together those first two sets," Nelson said. "Just to get to go out together. The first couple of years were tough and they weren't ideal, but this year was the closest and most supportive team and this was such a good season to end on."

On Saturday, Nelson had 30 assists and 12 digs, Brooke Foster had 22 kills and 13 digs, Abbey Blum had eight kills and 10 digs and Sale had 19 digs.

Despite the loss, the Nighthawks (13-14 overall, 9-11 GNAC) improved on last year's win total by more than double.

"We all connected this year," Jones said. "We all got along on and off the court and that really helped bring us together even when we weren't playing well."

The Nighthawks won six games last year, but rebounded to win 13 this year. The wins and losses, though, won't be what this team is remembered for.

"People are going to remember how much they cared about each other," NNU coach Doug English said. "They wanted to create a loving environment and they accomplished that. I think with our bench and everyone cheering for each other and just the seniors loving everybody is one of the legacies they will leave."

That legacy is certainly one they had carefully thought out, planned and executed.

"We wanted to be really inclusive to the freshmen and leave a legacy of love," Brennis said. "Today we talked about how it's senior night and all about the seniors, but we wanted to make sure the underclassmen felt loved. That was what we hoped our impact would be – that it is all about the people."

For Ward, her career was a roller coaster because of injuries. On Saturday, she was overcome by emotion that it was all over.

"I'm just so grateful of all my friends I got to play with," she said. "They are my best friends. Volleyball is not forever, but my friends are. Our coaches are awesome too. They are really focused on transforming us as people."

Sale, meanwhile, played the most out of any of the five seniors, finishing with the sixth-most sets played in program history (395) since the school went Division II in 2001.

And she summed up her time spent at NNU in a meaningful way.

"It's been the most incredible thing ever," she said. "For a long time, I didn't know why I came here and then when I came here my relationship with God grew so much and I got such amazing friends and experiences.

"That doesn't even touch what NNU has meant to me."

Or what these seniors have meant to the volleyball program.