SAN DIEGO, California – The Nighthawks competed in their final match at the San Diego Invite on September 6, facing off against Emporia State in a hard-fought four-set contest. Despite a strong start, NNU fell to the Hornets with set scores of 28-26, 22-25, 17-25, and 19-25.
Set one saw intense back-and-forth action. Emporia State jumped out to an early lead, but the Nighthawks stayed close. A kill by Hailey Cheney brought NNU within one, and an ESU error tied the score at 18-18. The teams continued to trade points into extras, with key kills from Lily Kinloch (2) and Abby Black helping NNU secure a thrilling 28-26 win in the opening set.
In set two, the Hornets came out firing, riding the momentum of a dominant front row. ESU surged to a 9-0 lead before NNU got on the board. A Kinloch kill made it 13-7 and sparked a push, with a big block and kill from Morgan Wilding narrowing the gap to three. Although the Nighthawks stayed within striking distance, Emporia State closed it out 25-22 to even the match.
The final two sets followed a similar pattern. ESU maintained control, capitalizing on strong offensive play and minimizing errors. The Hornets took set three 25-17 and sealed the match with a 25-19 win in the fourth.
Despite the loss, the Nighthawks saw standout performances on the front line. Hailey Cheney tallied 10 kills, while Lily Kinloch led the team with 14.
The Nighthawks return to Nampa next week for their first home matches of the season. The Hampton Inn Nighthawks Classic will be hosted at the Johnson Sports Center starting September 11. NNU opens the tournament with a match against the Colorado School of Mines on Thursday, September 11 at 7 p.m.
