NAMPA, Idaho – Northwest Nazarene volleyball closed out their season-opening home tournament with a dominating 25-11, 25-16, 25-7 sweep of Emory & Henry.
How It Happened
NNU came out of the gates swinging, jumping out to a 10-3 lead after an ace from
Helen Sullivan followed by a kill from her sister Natalie. The Nighthawks did not let up, finishing the set on a 6-1 run.
Emory & Henry put up their best effort in set two, falling behind early by nine but going on a bit of a run midway through the frame to bring them within six, 20-14. A kill from
Olivia Wright stopped the run, though, and the Nighthawks would go on to take five of the last seven points to take the set 25-16.
Set three was much like set one, as the Nighthawks opened with five straight points, including two
Caroline McMahon aces, and eventually flew out to a 13-2 lead. The Wasps would score a couple times over the next few points to make it 14-5, but the Nighthawks closed the match on an 11-2 streak to punctuate the dominating victory.
Nighthawks Notes
- The Nighthawks finish the tournament with a 3-1 record, earning sweeps of Rollins, Azusa Pacific, and Emory & Henry but falling in five sets to Texas A&M International
- The Nighthawks are off to their best start to a season since 2017 when they opened the year with 16-straight victories
- From start to finish, tonight's match lasted just 51 minutes
- NNU had a dominant opening set, hitting .421 as a team and forcing the side out in 90% of the chances
- Overall, the Nighthawks hit .338 as a team and notched 14 aces, the third-highest mark in the program's rally-scoring history
- Natalie Sullivan tallied 11 kills and a .346 attack percentage, while Olivia Wright was incredibly efficient with a .533 attack percentage on eight kills and zero errors
- Gabi Haws got the start at setter and performed well, registering 24 assists, 10 digs, three blocks, and four kills on seven attempts for a .571 attack percentage
Next Up
The Nighthawks will head to the Bay Area for another early-season tournament next weekend, playing four games in three days against Academy of Art, Holy Names, Dominican, and Fresno Pacific.
