BURNABY, B.C. — Northwest Nazarene battled No. 23 Simon Fraser on Saturday afternoon in its second GNAC match of the season, but the Nighthawks fell to the Red Leafs in three sets, 25-23, 25-17, 25-17.
The Nighthawks opened the match with a back-and-forth first set, as they battled to keep pace with the Red Leafs. After Simon Fraser took an early lead, NNU answered with kills from
Abby Black and
Hailey Cheney to stay within reach.
The Red Leafs built a 14-6 lead before
Whitleigh Walsh sparked a Nighthawks run with three consecutive service aces, bringing NNU within three at 14-11. Simon Fraser responded, but NNU continued to battle with kills from
Jenna Holm,
Lily Kinloch and Cheney, eventually tying the set at 18-18.
The two teams traded points down the stretch, with NNU tying the set at 22-22 following a service ace from Black.
Kayci Spray delivered a kill to give the Nighthawks set point at 24-23, but Simon Fraser closed out the opening frame with a service ace from Louise Ho, taking the set 25-23.
Simon Fraser carried its momentum into the second set, taking an early 5-2 lead before the Nighthawks answered with kills from Cheney and Black. The Red Leafs continued to hold the advantage, extending their lead to 9-5 before NNU responded with a kill from
Maddy Hellem and a block from Hellem and Cheney to make it 9-6.
Simon Fraser built its lead to 15-8, but NNU continued to battle with kills from
Lily Kinloch and
Jenna Holm. The Nighthawks cut the deficit to 15-11 before the Red Leafs answered and pushed ahead 20-12.
NNU found momentum late in the set as Black delivered back-to-back service aces before
Madison Cheney added a kill, bringing the Nighthawks within four at 20-16. Simon Fraser responded with a kill from Katarina Damnjanovic and closed out the set 25-17 with a service ace from Ho.
The Nighthawks battled early in the third set, trading points with Simon Fraser before the Red Leafs took a 6-4 lead. NNU answered with a kill from Hellem, but Simon Fraser continued to build its advantage, taking a 9-7 lead before extending it to 15-8 behind a pair of service aces.
NNU continued to fight, with kills from Black, Holm and
Madison Cheney helping the Nighthawks cut the deficit to 16-12. Simon Fraser responded with a kill from Damnjanovic and pushed its lead to 20-16.
The Nighthawks battled late with kills from Holm and Cheney, but the Red Leafs maintained control and reached set point at 24-17. Simon Fraser closed out the third set 25-17 with a kill from Megan Hawkins.
After a long stretch on the road, the Nighthawks will return home next week for their home opener on Thursday, Sept. 17, against Alaska Fairbanks. First serve is set for 7 p.m. at the Johnson Sports Center.
