BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Northwest Nazarene volleyball came up short on the road on Thursday night, falling at Western Washington in four sets.
NNU falls to 11-14 on the season and 7-10 in GNAC action.
The Vikings came out strong on their home court, taking a 15-8 lead in the opening set. NNU cut the deficit to four at 17-13, but WWU pulled away again to take a 25-17 victory.
WWU started well again in set two with the first four points. NNU would slowly claw back and even the score at 16, though, with a kill from
Maren Dent. The teams would be tied again at 19 after a
Londyn Giles kill, but the Vikings closed the frame on a 6-1 run to take it 25-20.
Set three was much closer throughout, starting with the Nighthawks and Vikings battling to a 12-all tie. NNU would take the lead from there and hold a one- or two-point advantage until three-straight points put the Nighthawks up 21-17 after a Dent kill. WWU cut the deficit to 24-22 late, but a Viking service error handed the frame to the Nighthawks.
WWU would bounce back in the fourth set, though, using a 9-2 run in the middle of the frame to go up 18-10. The Vikings rode that momentum to a 25-17 victory to take the match 3-1.
Caroline McMahon had 14 digs in the match, moving within one dig of seventh place all-time in GNAC history in the category.
Londyn Giles led the offense with 13 kills and added 16 digs for a double-double.
Miya Koch was also in double digits in kills with 11.
Gabi Moore recorded 34 assists and two aces, while
Sarah Lyons led the team with five blocks.
The Nighthawks will wrap up their 2023 campaign on Saturday in Canada, taking on Simon Fraser at 5:00 p.m. Pacific.
