BELLINGHAM, Wash. - The Northwest Nazarene volleyball team opened conference play Thursday night in Bellingham, Washington, taking on the Western Washington Vikings. The Nighthawks battled through a back-and-forth match that went the distance, but ultimately fell to the Vikings 3-2. NNU took the opening set before Western Washington responded by winning the next two. The Nighthawks forced a fifth set with a strong fourth-set finish, but the Vikings closed out the match in the final frame.
The Vikings held an early lead throughout much of the opening set, pulling ahead 9-6 and later extending their advantage to 17-11. The Nighthawks continued to battle, with kills from
Maddy Hellem,
Hailey Cheney and
Abby Black helping keep NNU within reach. A kill from
Lily Kinloch and a WWU attack error brought the Nighthawks within three at 17-14. Western Washington answered, but NNU kept chipping away as Black recorded back-to-back kills to make it 20-18.
After trailing 23-20, NNU rallied behind a kill from Maleah Andrews and a WWU attack error to cut the deficit to one. Hellem then tied the set at 23-23 with a kill, and another Vikings attack error gave the Nighthawks set point. Hellem delivered once again, recording the set-winning kill to secure the 25-23 victory and put NNU ahead 1-0 in the match.
The Vikings came out strong in the second set, building an early 6-3 lead before the Nighthawks began to settle in. Kills from
Jenna Holm,
Maddy Hellem and
Abby Black helped NNU stay within reach, but the Vikings continued to extend their advantage. WWU pushed ahead 14-8 before NNU answered with a kill from
Lily Kinloch and a block from
Abby Black and
Jenna Holm to cut the deficit to six.
The Vikings maintained control through the middle of the set, taking a 21-10 lead. NNU continued to battle as Hellem,
Hailey Cheney and
Whitleigh Walsh contributed kills, helping the Nighthawks close the gap to 22-13. NNU kept fighting through the final points, with Black adding another kill and a block from Kinloch and Cheney bringing the score to 23-14. Western Washington ultimately closed out the set 25-15, tying the match at 1-1.
Western Washington took control early in the third set, building a 6-3 lead before NNU answered with kills from
Jenna Holm,
Madison Cheney and
Hailey Cheney. The Vikings then created separation with a 13-7 advantage, but the Nighthawks responded with a kill from
Lily Kinloch and a service ace from
Hailey Cheney to cut the deficit to 13-10. WWU regained momentum and pushed its lead to 18-10 before NNU began another late rally, with kills from
Abby Black, Holm and
Madison Cheney helping bring the Nighthawks within five at 19-14.
NNU continued to battle down the stretch, but Western Washington maintained its advantage and reached set point at 24-17. The Nighthawks fought off the first set point with a block from Black and Cheney, followed by another Cheney service ace to make it 24-19. WWU ultimately closed out the set 25-19, taking a 2-1 lead in the match.
The Nighthawks stayed within striking distance throughout the fourth set, trading points with Western Washington early before the Vikings built a 10-6 advantage. NNU answered with kills from
Maddy Hellem,
Whitleigh Walsh and
Abby Black, eventually pulling even at 16-16. The teams continued to battle point-for-point, with kills from Black,
Hailey Cheney and Hellem helping NNU keep pace as the set reached 21-21.
NNU then took its first lead of the set at 23-22 following a WWU attack error, and Hellem delivered a kill to put the Nighthawks at set point, 24-22. Western Washington answered with a kill to make it 24-23, but NNU closed out the set 25-23 to force a fifth set.
The fifth set opened with both teams trading points, but Western Washington gradually created separation, taking a 5-3 lead before extending it to 13-5. NNU fought back with a pair of kills from
Abby Black and a service ace from
Kayci Spray to cut the deficit to 13-8. The Vikings answered with two more points to reach match point at 15-8 and ultimately closed out the set 15-8, earning the 3-2 victory.
The Nighthawks will look to bounce back on Saturday, September 12, when they take on No. 23 Simon Fraser in Burnaby, British Columbia. First serve is set for 2 p.m. Pacific time as NNU continues its opening weekend of GNAC play.
Â
