NAMPA, Idaho – Northwest Nazarene volleyball flew past Azusa Pacific in a 3-0 sweep by scores of 25-21, 25-21, and 27-25 before falling to Texas A&M International in five sets in the nightcap on Friday.
How it Happened – Game One
The first set started with the Cougars jumping ahead on a 4-0 run. The Nighthawks responded well with a 5-0 run of their own to reclaim the lead. The rest of the first set was close, with NNU never more than 3 points ahead. With both teams tied at 21, the Nighthawks went on a 4-0 run to win the first set.
The second began with APU leading 4-3, but the Nighthawks went on a 6-0 run to claim the lead and never gave it up again.
Set three was neck at neck in its entirety. Neither team had more than a 3-point run throughout the entire match. Near the end, the Nighthawks were up 24-22, but then the momentum shifted to the Cougars as they went on a 3-0 run to take the lead, making the score 25-24.
NNU coach
Doug English called a time out to get the momentum back and it worked, as the Nighthawks came out of the timeout with a 3-0 run of their own to win the final set 27-25 and take the match
Nighthawks Notes – Game One
How it Happened – Game Two
Every set was close between NNU and Texas A&M International, with plenty of back-and-forth action and no huge runs by either side.
The Nighthawks were able to close well in the first two sets, pulling away late for wins of 25-21 and 25-22 to go up 2-0 and looked to be on their way to their third-straight sweep to open the season.
However, the Dust Devils had other plans as they rallied to take incredibly close sets three and four, each by scores of 25-23, before coming out on top in the fifth and final frame 15-13.
Nighthawks Notes – Game Two
- Olivia Wright continued her impressive start in a Nighthawks uniform, setting a new NNU rally-scoring record for kills in a match with 32
- Wright also hit .424 and added two blocks
- Natalie Sullivan was also in double digits in kills with 18 to go along with 15 digs
- Miya Koch led the team with a career-high 30 digs, while Mckenzie Lee also notched a career-best with 67 assists
Up Next
The Nighthawks will wrap up their season-opening tournament with one more match, hosting Emory & Henry on Saturday night at 7:00 p.m. in the Johnson Sports Center.
