ELLENSBURG, Wash. – Northwest Nazarene battled against No. 21-ranked Central Washington on Saturday, but the Wildcats came away with a three-set victory. The loss moves the Nighthawks to 10-6 overall and 4-5 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play.
Central Washington took the first two sets before NNU looked to respond in the third, putting together a strong start and keeping the Wildcats within reach throughout much of the set.
Northwest Nazarene came out with renewed energy in the third set, taking an early 2-0 lead behind a kill and service ace from
Hailey Cheney. The Nighthawks continued to challenge Central Washington at the net, with
Jenna Holm and
Lily Kinloch combining for a block before Holm added a kill to help NNU build a 5-2 advantage.
Abby Black and
Kayci Spray also contributed kills as the Nighthawks maintained their lead through the opening points.
Central Washington responded to close the gap, but NNU continued to find answers.
Maddy Hellem and
Lexi Douthit added kills, while Black helped keep the Nighthawks in front as the teams traded points. After the Wildcats pulled within one at 10-9, NNU strung together three consecutive points, including kills from Black and Holm, to extend its advantage to 13-9.
The Wildcats battled back once again, eventually tying the set at 19-19. Cheney answered with a kill to keep the Nighthawks even with Central Washington, and Black added another point to tie the score at 21-21. However, the Wildcats gained the edge late, scoring four of the final five points to close out the set 25-22 and secure a three-set victory.
The Nighthawks will now head to Alaska to take on Alaska Anchorage on Thursday, Oct. 15, at 7 p.m. Alaska time as they continue conference play.
