NAMPA, Idaho – Northwest Nazarene took Seattle Pacific to five sets Thursday night, fighting back after dropping the second and third sets before forcing a deciding frame. The Nighthawks opened the match with a 25-22 win, fell 14-25 and 15-25 in the next two sets, then answered with a 25-23 fourth-set victory. SPU ultimately took the fifth set 15-10 to win the match 3-2. NNU moves to 9-5 overall and 3-4 in GNAC
play.
NNU jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the opening set behind kills from
Lily Kinloch and
Jenna Holm. After SPU tied the set at 3-3, the Nighthawks answered with a 5-0 run, getting kills from
Abby Black and back-to-back kills from
Maddy Hellem to take an 8-5 lead.
Madison Cheney and
Hailey Cheney kept the offense moving as NNU stretched its lead to 16-10. The Falcons worked their way back, cutting the NNU lead to one at 18-17, but the Nighthawks responded with a
Madison Cheney kill and a block from Cheney and
Hailey Cheney. NNU closed the set with kills from
Hailey Cheney and a pair of SPU errors before Hailey put away the final point for a 25-22 win.
SPU came out with the early advantage in the second set, taking a 3-0 lead before NNU began to settle in. The Nighthawks pulled within 8-4, but the Falcons continued to create separation. NNU put together a short run late, with kills from Black and
Madison Cheney helping cut the deficit to 19-12, but SPU answered and closed the set 25-14 to even the match.
The Falcons carried that momentum into the third, taking an early lead and forcing NNU to play catch-up.
Hailey Cheney opened the Nighthawks' scoring with a kill, while
Madison Cheney and Hellem added kills as NNU battled through the middle of the set. SPU continued to hold the advantage, eventually reaching set point and taking the frame 25-15 to move ahead 2-1.
With the match on the line in the fourth, NNU responded quickly. Black opened the scoring with a kill, then added another as the Nighthawks built an early lead. NNU continued to find success at the net, with
Madison Cheney and
Hailey Cheney contributing kills to keep the Falcons from pulling away. Black continued to come up with big swings throughout the set, helping NNU maintain its lead into the final points. SPU fought back to make it close, but the Nighthawks held on for the 25-23 win, forcing a fifth set.
The deciding set stayed close early, with NNU trading points with the Falcons. Black and
Madison Cheney provided kills, while
Maddy Hellem added another to keep the Nighthawks within reach. Black also delivered a service ace as NNU reached eight points, but SPU gained separation late and closed out the set 15-10.
The match also marked a milestone for
Kayci Spray, who recorded her 1,000th career dig during the five-set battle.
The Nighthawks stay at home this week, hosting the Montana State Billings Yellowjackets on Saturday, Oct. 3, at 1 p.m. in the Johnson Sports Center.
