NAMPA, Idaho — The Northwest Nazarene volleyball team battled through three competitive sets Saturday afternoon, sweeping Saint Martin's 3-0 (25-20, 26-24, 26-24) to earn another Great Northwest Athletic Conference victory. The Nighthawks improved to 13-7 overall and 7-6 in GNAC play, using timely serving, strong blocking and late-set execution to secure the straight-set win at home.
NNU opened the first set by trading points with the Saints before beginning to establish control.
Kayci Spray recorded an early service ace, and a block from
Morgan Wilding and
Hailey Cheney helped the Nighthawks build a 4-2 advantage.
Whitleigh Walsh connected with
Abby Black for a kill, and Cheney added another point as NNU maintained its lead through the opening stretch.
Saint Martin's stayed within reach, capitalizing on a series of NNU errors to pull within 14-13. The Nighthawks responded with consecutive kills from Cheney and Walsh to push the lead back to three. Cheney then delivered back-to-back service aces, extending the advantage to 19-15 and putting pressure on the Saints. After Saint Martin's trimmed the margin,
Madison Cheney contributed a kill off a Wilding assist, and Spray took over from the service line. She recorded another ace before adding a kill to put NNU at set point, then closed out the opener with her third service ace of the set for a 25-20 victory.
Saint Martin's came out aggressively in the second set, taking advantage of early NNU errors and strong net play to build a 6-0 lead. The Nighthawks responded with a point off a Saint Martin's ball-handling error before Spray connected with
Maddy Hellem for a kill. Hellem added another kill off a
Morgan Wilding assist as NNU began chipping away at the deficit.
The Nighthawks continued to battle back, with
Hailey Cheney and
Jenna Holm contributing kills as NNU worked to close the gap. Black connected with Walsh for a kill, and Wilding helped set up
Madison Cheney for another point. Spray then delivered a kill to pull NNU within one at 13-12 before a block from
Madison Cheney and
Hailey Cheney tied the set at 13-13. The teams traded points from there, with NNU eventually taking a 16-15 lead after a Saint Martin's attack error.
NNU found its rhythm late in the set. Walsh capitalized on another Saint Martin's error, and Black recorded a kill off a Wilding assist to extend the Nighthawks' lead to 18-15. Saint Martin's continued to push back, but NNU answered with timely plays from Cheney, Holm and Wilding to keep the set tight. A kill from Holm gave the Nighthawks a 21-19 advantage, and a block from Holm and Hellem pushed the lead to 22-19.
The Saints refused to go away, scoring consecutive points to pull within one at 22-21. Spray responded with a kill, but Saint Martin's eventually tied the set at 23-23.
Madison Cheney delivered a crucial kill off a Wilding assist to put NNU at set point. The Saints answered again to force extra points at 24-24, but Hellem finished a kill off Wilding's assist before Walsh connected with Black for the decisive point. The Nighthawks claimed the set 26-24 to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
Looking to complete the sweep, NNU faced another tight battle in the third set. The teams traded points early, with Walsh connecting with Black for a kill and Wilding contributing at the net. Saint Martin's kept pace, tying the set at 5-5 and again at 6-6 as both teams worked to establish control.
NNU began to create separation after a 7-7 tie. Black contributed a service ace, and a block from
Jenna Holm pushed the Nighthawks ahead 10-7. Garten and Hellem connected for another kill, while Wilding set up
Madison Cheney for a point to extend the lead to 12-9. A block from Hellem and Wilding made it 13-10, and Black added another kill to help NNU maintain its advantage.
Saint Martin's continued to challenge, pulling even at 14-14 before NNU answered with a kill from Black and a service ace from Wilding to move ahead 16-14. Black stayed active offensively, adding another kill as the Nighthawks stretched their lead to 17-15. The Saints responded with a four-point run, however, using a kill and a service ace from Garten to take a 20-17 lead.
The Nighthawks fought back down the stretch. Holm finished a kill off a Wilding assist, and Spray added another point to bring NNU within two. Wilding helped set up
Lexi Douthit for a kill, while a block from Cheney and Wilding pulled the Nighthawks within one at 21-20. After Saint Martin's briefly extended its advantage, NNU answered with another point from Black and a Saint Martin's attack error to tie the set at 22-22.
The teams continued to trade points, with Black connecting on a kill to even the score at 23-23. Wilding helped NNU reach set point at 24-23, but Saint Martin's tied it once more. The Nighthawks held firm in the closing moments, with Black delivering a kill off a Walsh assist to give NNU a 25-24 edge before finishing the match with another kill to secure the 26-24 set victory and complete the sweep.
Northwest Nazarene will return to the road Thursday, Oct. 29, traveling to face Montana State Billings at 7 p.m. MT in another GNAC matchup.
