NAMPA, Idaho — Northwest Nazarene volleyball returns to Johnson Sports Center for its final week of the regular season, welcoming No. 21 Simon Fraser on Thursday, Nov. 12, at 7 p.m. before hosting Western Washington on Saturday, Nov. 14, at 5 p.m. The Saturday matchup will serve as Senior Night, as the Nighthawks recognize seven seniors ahead of their final regular-season match.
NNU enters the week at 13-10 overall and 7-9 in GNAC play, looking to close the regular season on a strong note against two conference opponents.
Nighthawks' Season So Far
The Nighthawks are coming off a challenging weekend against a pair of nationally ranked opponents. NNU fell to No. 25 Seattle Pacific in three sets on Thursday, before dropping a three-set decision to No. 17 Central Washington on Saturday.
Despite the results, the weekend featured a major milestone for senior outside hitter Abby Black, who reached 1,000 career kills. Black continues to lead the Nighthawks offensively, totaling 338 kills this season at 3.84 kills per set. She also has 255 digs, 38 blocks and 22 service aces.
NNU has received contributions from across its lineup throughout the season. Hailey Cheney leads the team with a .337 hitting percentage and has recorded 165 kills and 92 blocks. Maddy Hellem has added 156 kills, while middle blocker Jenna Holm has contributed 82 blocks.
The Nighthawks have also relied on a pair of setters to guide the offense. Morgan Wilding leads the team with 493 assists, averaging 6.32 per set, while Addison Lynn has added 280 assists and 109 digs. Defensively, Kayci Spray leads NNU with 369 digs, averaging 4.19 per set.
Senior Night
Saturday's match will mark the final regular-season home appearance for seven NNU seniors: Addison Lynn, Hailey Cheney, Abby Black, Morgan Wilding, McKay Kasper, Maddy Hellem and Beatriz Muller Praun.
Lynn, a setter from Sedro-Woolley, Wash., is majoring in Business and has recorded 280 assists and 109 digs this season. She has earned GNAC All-Academic recognition in each of the past two seasons.
Cheney, a middle blocker from Kellogg, Idaho, is pursuing a degree in Nursing. She has been a key presence at the net with 165 kills, a .337 hitting percentage and 92 blocks this season. Cheney earned All-GNAC Honorable Mention recognition in 2025 and has been named GNAC All-Academic in three consecutive seasons.
Black, an outside hitter from Wenatchee, Wash., is a Business major and one of NNU's leading offensive threats. Along with reaching the 1,000-career-kill milestone this season, she earned First Team All-GNAC honors in 2025 and All-GNAC Honorable Mention recognition in 2024. She has also collected academic honors at both the conference and district levels.
Wilding, a setter from Redding, Calif., is majoring in Business Administration. She leads the Nighthawks with 493 assists this season and ranked second in the GNAC in assists in 2025 after recording 806. Wilding has earned GNAC All-Academic recognition in each of the past three seasons and was also named CSC Academic All-District in 2025.
Kasper, a middle blocker from Lakewood, Colo., is pursuing a master's degree in Education. Before joining the Nighthawks, she competed at Coker University and Montana State University Billings.
Hellem, an outside hitter and defensive specialist from Albany, Ore., is a Business major. She has recorded 156 kills and 32 blocks this season after contributing 197 kills and 123 digs in 2025. Hellem was also named GNAC All-Academic in 2026.
Muller Praun, an outside hitter from São Paulo, Brazil, transferred to NNU after two seasons at South Florida State College. She was named to the 2024-25 FSCAA All-Academic Team in Volleyball and inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society.
Simon Fraser
Simon Fraser enters the week at 16-6 overall and 13-3 in GNAC play, currently ranked No. 21 nationally. The Red Leafs are coming off a strong weekend, sweeping Montana State Billings before earning a win over No. 25 Seattle Pacific.
Simon Fraser has been one of the conference's most productive offensive teams, hitting .261 as a team and averaging 13.32 kills per set. Brooklyn Robinson leads the Red Leafs with 221 kills, while Megan Hawkins has added 217 and Katarina Damnjanovic has recorded 213. Nina Kovacevic has been particularly efficient, hitting .398 with 178 kills.
Setter Ella McVittie directs the offense with 580 assists, averaging 9.21 per set. Defensively, Macyn Unger leads the team with 357 digs, while Logan Remington has recorded 79 blocks.
NNU holds a 14-20 record against Simon Fraser in the Division II era. The Red Leafs won the most recent meeting on Sept. 12 in Burnaby, taking the match in three sets. The Nighthawks battled back from an early deficit in the opening set and came within a point before Simon Fraser closed it out, 25-23, then took the next two sets, 25-17 and 25-17.
Western Washington
Western Washington comes to Nampa with a 12-10 overall record and a 9-7 mark in GNAC play. The Vikings fell to No. 25 Seattle Pacific in three sets last Thursday before responding with a four-set win over Montana State Billings on Saturday.
Outside hitter Delaney Speer leads the Vikings with 347 kills, averaging 4.08 per set, while also contributing 284 digs and 29 blocks. Jasmine Terry has added 187 kills and 71 blocks, and Aly Skagen has recorded 178 kills. At the net, Emily Vossenkuhl leads the team with 110 blocks, averaging 1.29 per set.
Maya Quitiquit leads the Vikings with 445 assists, while Finnley Claeys anchors the back row with 352 digs. Western Washington averages 17.14 digs per set and 2.29 blocks per set.
NNU holds a 6-44 record against Western Washington in the Division II era. The Vikings have won the last 17 meetings, including a five-set match earlier this season on Sept. 10 in Bellingham. The Nighthawks took the opening set 25-23 and rallied to win the fourth 25-23, but Western Washington claimed the deciding set 15-8 for the 3-2 victory.
The Nighthawks will look to close their regular season with a strong showing at home, beginning Thursday against Simon Fraser before celebrating their seven seniors on Saturday against Western Washington.
