Seaside, Calif. - Northwest Nazarene wrapped up its California trip with a thrilling five-set victory over Cal State San Marcos on Friday at the Otter Invitational. The Nighthawks battled back after dropping the second and third sets, winning the fourth and fifth sets to claim a 3-2 victory and finish the weekend 4-0, marking NNU's best start to a season since 2023.
Northwest Nazarene battled CSU San Marcos through a tightly contested opening set, with neither team able to pull away for long. The Cougars held an early 4-2 advantage, but the Nighthawks responded with a 5-1 run to take a 7-6 lead. From there, the teams continued to trade points, with NNU eventually building a 17-15 advantage.
CSUSM answered to tie the set at 17-17, and the back-and-forth battle continued into the closing points. With the score tied 22-22, NNU got a kill from
Lily Kinloch and a service ace from
Addison Lynn to take a 24-22 lead. After CSUSM trimmed the deficit to one,
Abby Black delivered the final blow with a kill from
Kayci Spray, giving the Nighthawks a 25-23 victory in the opening set.
CSU San Marcos came out strong in the second set, jumping to an early 3-0 lead before Northwest Nazarene answered with a 6-5 advantage. The teams continued to trade points throughout the middle portion of the set, with NNU pulling even at 10-10 and later taking a 16-13 lead.
The Cougars responded with a run of their own, reclaiming the lead at 16-15 before extending it to 20-17. NNU stayed within striking distance, cutting the deficit to 20-18 on a kill from
Abby Black, but CSUSM continued to hold the advantage down the stretch.
A kill from
Lily Kinloch brought the Nighthawks within two at 24-22, but San Marcos closed out the set at 25-22, evening the match at one set apiece.
CSU San Marcos took control early in the third set, opening with a 3-1 lead before Northwest Nazarene answered to tie the set at 3-3. The Cougars then built a 9-4 advantage, forcing the Nighthawks to play from behind.
NNU battled back behind kills from
Abby Black and
Hailey Cheney, along with a service ace from Cheney, cutting the deficit to 11-9. The Nighthawks continued to chip away, eventually pulling within two at 16-14 following an ace from
Lexi Douthit.
San Marcos responded with a 5-2 run to push its lead to 21-16. NNU briefly closed the gap to 21-18 on a kill from Cheney, but the Cougars scored the final four points of the set to secure a 25-18 victory and take a 2-1 lead in the match.
Northwest Nazarene responded with a strong start to the fourth set, jumping out to a 5-2 lead behind kills from
Lily Kinloch and
Hailey Cheney. The Nighthawks continued to maintain control, extending their advantage to 11-7 and later 14-10.
CSU San Marcos fought back to tie the set at 14-14, but NNU quickly regained momentum. A service ace from
Whitleigh Walsh and a kill from Kinloch helped the Nighthawks rebuild their lead, with NNU taking a 17-16 advantage.
The Nighthawks then closed the set with a decisive 8-4 run. Kinloch continued to deliver at the net, while
Abby Black added a service ace and a pair of late kills to help NNU reach set point at 24-20. A San Marcos service error gave the Nighthawks a 25-20 victory, forcing a fifth set with the match tied at 2-2.
With the match tied at 2-2, Northwest Nazarene and CSU San Marcos battled through a dramatic fifth set. The Nighthawks grabbed an early 2-0 lead, but the Cougars responded to take a 5-2 advantage. NNU battled back behind kills from
Abby Black and
Lily Kinloch, pulling even at 5-5.
San Marcos regained control and stretched its lead to 12-7, putting NNU in a difficult position. The Nighthawks refused to go quietly, however, as
Tatum Swapp sparked the comeback with three consecutive kills, cutting the deficit to 12-10. Another Swapp kill, followed by a kill from
Hailey Cheney, helped NNU pull within one at 13-12.
After CSUSM took a 14-13 lead, NNU answered with a kill from Blair Keith to tie the set at 14-14. The Cougars reached match point at 15-14, but a service error kept the Nighthawks alive. Cheney then delivered a service ace to give NNU a 16-15 lead before a San Marcos bad set ended the match.
NNU completed the comeback with a 17-15 fifth-set victory, earning a thrilling 3-2 win over CSU San Marcos.
The victory caps a perfect weekend for Northwest Nazarene, with the Nighthawks finishing the Otter Invitational 4-0 and off to their best start since 2023. NNU will now travel to Arcata, California, on September 3 to face Cal Poly Humboldt at 4 p.m. Pacific time as the Nighthawks compete in the Redwood Coast Volleyball Classic.
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