SEASIDE, Calif. – The Northwest Nazarene volleyball team continued play at the Otter Invitational on Friday, earning a pair of victories to move to 3-0 on the season. The Nighthawks opened the day with a 3-1 win over Dominican (Calif.) before returning to the court later in the day to take down Cal State Monterey Bay 3-1.
Abby Black led the way offensively against Dominican, recording a career-high 31 kills in a single match.
Game One
Northwest Nazarene opened its day at the Otter Invitational with a strong start, taking the opening set 25-14 over Dominican (Calif.). The Nighthawks quickly established control, jumping out to a 7-1 lead behind kills from
Abby Black and
Hailey Cheney, along with a Cheney service ace.
Dominican worked its way back into the set, narrowing the deficit to 13-11 before NNU responded with a 6-1 run to take a 19-12 advantage. Black continued to make an impact offensively during the run, while
Jenna Holm and
Addison Lynn also contributed kills. NNU then closed the set on a 6-0 run, with Black delivering back-to-back service aces to seal the 25-14 victory and give the Nighthawks a 1-0 lead in the match.
Dominican answered back in the second set, edging Northwest Nazarene 25-23 to even the match at 1-1. The Penguins came out quickly, building a 7-2 advantage before the Nighthawks began to chip away at the deficit. NNU found its rhythm midway through the set, using a 7-1 run to turn an 8-5 deficit into an 11-8 lead.
Abby Black provided a spark during the stretch with back-to-back kills, while
Hailey Cheney added two service aces early in the set. The two teams battled through a back-and-forth finish, with the score tied at 15-15, 16-16, 17-17 and 22-22. NNU took a 23-22 lead on an attack error, but Dominican answered with three straight points to close out the set 25-23 and even the match.
Northwest Nazarene regained control in the third set, defeating Dominican (Calif.) 25-11 to take a 2-1 lead in the match. The Nighthawks built an early advantage, moving from a 4-3 lead to 9-4 behind a pair of service aces from
Hailey Cheney, a kill from
Jenna Holm and a kill from
Abby Black. NNU continued its strong start, with
Morgan Wilding adding a service ace before back-to-back kills from Black pushed the Nighthawks ahead 14-5.
Dominican answered with four consecutive points to cut the deficit to 14-9, but NNU quickly regained momentum. The Nighthawks scored six straight points to extend their lead to 20-9, with Black recording two kills and two service aces during the stretch. After Dominican scored to make it 20-10, NNU answered with three of the next four points, including a kill from
Tatum Swapp and a pair of kills from
Hailey Cheney. Cheney's final kill of the set gave the Nighthawks a 25-11 victory and put NNU one set away from taking the match.
Northwest Nazarene closed out the match with a 25-19 victory in the fourth set, defeating Dominican (Calif.) to win the match 3-1. The Penguins opened the set with a 3-1 lead before NNU responded to tie the score at 3-3. The teams continued to trade points, with Dominican holding a 9-6 advantage before the Nighthawks began to chip away. NNU eventually pulled even at 11-11 following a service error from Dominican.
The set remained tight through the middle stages, with the teams tied at 14-14 and 15-15. After Dominican moved ahead 16-15, NNU answered with three consecutive points, including a service ace from
Lexi Douthit and a kill from
Tatum Swapp, to take an 18-16 lead.
The Nighthawks maintained their advantage from there.
Hailey Cheney and
Abby Black each added kills as NNU extended its lead to 21-18, before a Dominican service error made it 22-19. NNU then scored the final three points of the match, with
Lily Kinloch recording a kill before a Dominican attack error and bad set closed out the 25-19 win. The victory gave NNU a 3-1 match win and its second set victory of the day.
Game Two
NNU battled back and forth with Cal State Monterey Bay throughout the opening set, with neither team able to pull away early. The Nighthawks built a 15-11 lead before the Otters rallied to take a 17-15 advantage. NNU responded with a 4-0 run to regain the lead at 18-17, but the teams continued to trade points down the stretch. Tied at 22-22, NNU scored three of the final four points, including a pair of CSUMB errors, to take the opening set 25-22.
CSUMB came out strong in the second set, building a 14-9 lead before NNU began to chip away. The Nighthawks used a 4-0 run, including two service aces from
Whitleigh Walsh, to pull within one at 14-13. The Otters regained control and extended their lead to 21-17, but NNU continued to battle. The Nighthawks fought off set point twice and tied the set at 24-24, eventually forcing extra points. CSUMB answered with the final two points to take the set 27-25, evening the match at one set apiece.
The third set was a back-and-forth battle from the start, with CSUMB taking an early 3-0 lead before NNU fought its way back into the set. The Nighthawks built a 15-11 advantage and continued to hold off the Otters, extending the lead to 19-12. CSUMB responded with a late surge, cutting the deficit to just one point at 23-22. NNU remained composed down the stretch, scoring two of the final three points, including a set-clinching kill from
Abby Black, to take the set 25-23 and a 2-1 lead in the match.
NNU came out firing in the fourth set, jumping ahead 5-0 and forcing CSUMB to play from behind early. The Otters battled back and eventually took a 14-12 lead, but the Nighthawks responded with a strong run to regain control. NNU pulled even at 15-15 before scoring six of the next nine points to take a 21-18 advantage. The Nighthawks closed the set in dominant fashion, scoring the final four points, including back-to-back service aces from
Addison Lynn, to win 25-18 and secure the 3-1 match victory.
Up Next
The Nighthawks will close out the Otter Invitational tomorrow when they take on CSU San Marcos at 12 p.m. Pacific Time. NNU will look to finish the tournament with another strong performance as it continues its 2026 campaign.
