NAMPA, Idaho – The NNU volleyball team competed in their final game of the 2025 season on Saturday the 22nd. For their final match up of the season they went head to head with #14 Western Washington. In the four set match the Vikings were able to walk away with the 3-1 win with set scores of 18-25, 16-25, 25-19, and 14-25.
Western Washington built an early lead, but the Nighthawks kept pace with kills from Abby Black, Hailey Cheney, and Maddy Hellem to stay within reach. A service ace from Cheney and another kill from Black helped NNU cut the margin to 13–14 before the Vikings answered with a run of their own. NNU continued to battle, however, the Vikings capitalized down the stretch and closed out the frame 25–18.
The Vikings opened the second set strong, but the Nighthawks answered early with a kill from Abby Black and steady setting from Morgan Wilding to stay tight at 5–5. WWU then created separation behind multiple service aces and a series of NNU attack errors, pushing the Vikings ahead 11–5 and forcing two Nighthawk timeouts. NNU fought to stay in it, earning points from Madi Smith, Cheney, and an ace from Wilding to close the gap to 14–20. Despite the push, Western Washington finished the set, 25–16.
The Nighthawks came out firing in the third set, with Maddy Hellem and Abby Black leading the offense through multiple kills and service aces to overtake the lead. NNU continued to apply pressure, capitalizing on Western Washington errors and strong offensive plays from Black and Cheney to extend their lead. The Vikings attempted a late comeback, using kills from Devyn Oestreich and Emily Vossenkuhl to chip away at the lead, but the Nighthawks held steady. The Nighthawks closed out the set ahead, 25–19.
The Vikings closed out the final set with a dominant performance. They recorded 13 kills to the Nighthawks 9 with a .225 hitting percentage. They also tacked on 5 blocks and 3 service aces to assist them in maintaining a comfortable lead throughout the set. Despite the efforts put in by the NNU team the Vikings walked away with the 25-14 set win and the 3-1 match victory.
Abby Black led her team with a commanding 13 kills. Kayci Spray recorded 21 digs followed by Black who had 16, and Lailauni Cortes who had 11.
The Nighthawks finish their season 5-12 in GNAC play and 6-18 overall.
