LACEY, Wash. — Northwest Nazarene put together a strong road performance Friday, sweeping Saint Martin's 3-0 (25-22, 25-22, 25-12) to pick up its second GNAC victory of the season. The Nighthawks improve to 8-4 overall and 2-3 in conference play with the win.
NNU set the tone early, jumping out to a 3-1 lead in the opening set behind a pair of service aces from
Hailey Cheney. The Nighthawks continued to apply pressure at the service line and at the net, building a 6-2 advantage before Saint Martin's settled in.
The Saints battled back throughout the set, eventually tying the score at 19-19 and again at 20-20. With the opening frame hanging in the balance, the Nighthawks found another gear. Cheney came through with a key point to put NNU ahead 23-22,
Abby Black followed with a kill to give the Nighthawks set point, and Cheney finished it off with a kill from
Lily Kinloch as NNU took the first set 25-22.
NNU carried that momentum into the second set, opening with a 2-0 lead behind a Walsh ace and a Black kill. The Saints again answered, but Cheney continued to make an impact, recording another kill and service ace as the Nighthawks built a 6-2 advantage.
Saint Martin's gradually chipped away at the lead and took an 11-10 advantage, but NNU responded with three straight points from Cheney and
Maddy Hellem to regain control. The Nighthawks maintained the lead through the late stages of the set, with Saint Martin's getting within two at 22-20. NNU held firm, earning set point at 24-22 before Walsh closed out the frame with her second ace of the night, giving the Nighthawks another 25-22 win and a 2-0 match lead.
The third set was all NNU from the start. Cheney helped spark a dominant 7-0 opening run with a service ace, a kill and a pair of blocks from the Nighthawks' defense. Saint Martin's finally got on the board, but NNU quickly pushed its lead to 10-1.
The Saints put together a brief 5-0 run to cut the deficit to 10-6, but the Nighthawks answered immediately.
Morgan Wilding, Hellem and Cheney helped NNU build its lead back up, and the Nighthawks eventually surged ahead 18-7.
From there, NNU completely took control. Walsh delivered another service ace, while the Nighthawks' block helped produce four straight points to push the advantage to 24-9. Saint Martin's fought off three match points, but Black finished the night with a kill from Wilding to seal a 25-12 victory and the 3-0 sweep.
Cheney was a major factor throughout the match, making an impact both offensively and from the service line, while Black consistently came through with kills in key moments. Walsh also provided a spark with three service aces, including the set-clinching ace in the second. NNU's blocking presence was particularly strong in the third set as the Nighthawks pulled away for the decisive victory.
The Nighthawks remain on the road Saturday, traveling to Western Oregon for a 7 p.m. Pacific matchup against the Wolves on Sept. 26.
