October 9, 2008
SEATTLE -- The Seattle Pacific Falcons know they need to close out games. But on Thursday night, it was the Western Oregon Wolves who did it instead.
The Wolves scored 11 of 12 points during a stretch of Game 4, going from 12-5 down to 16-13 up, and went on to their 11th straight victory, a four-gamer against Seattle Pacific at Brougham Pavilion.
Scores were 26-24, 22-25, 25-23, 25-20.
Seattle Pacific (3-13, 1-6 in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference) had leads in every game, including 24-22 in the opener, 22-20 in Game 3 and the 12-5 advantage in Game 4. But the Falcons dropped their fourth straight match. Western Oregon improved to 13-1, 6-0 in the GNAC.
“Sooner or later, we have to stop doing that,” Falcons coach Chris Johnson said. “You look at our stats and there are so many close games. We're doing things well. We had the lead in all four games. But we're blowing our leads.”
Seattle Pacific had a chance to serve out the first game, up 24-22. But Western Oregon rallied with the last four points.
The Falcons came from behind to win Game 2. Tied at 22-22, junior Cortney Weedman (Scottsdale, Ariz.) served two straight aces, then Seattle Pacific got the clinching point when freshman Lindsey Wodrich (Richland, Wash.) and junior Jessica Bettencourt (South Lake Tahoe, Calif.) combined on a block that went off a Wolves player.
SPU led for most of Game 3, including 12-8. Then, tied at 17-17, Robin De Jong (Goleta, Calif.) served up three straight points for a 20-17 advantage. The Falcons later had a 22-20 edge. Then it was the Wolves who came up with four straight points to go in front and eventually clinch it for a 2-1 lead.
Western Oregon, after falling into a 12-5 hole in Game 4, got within 13-10 before Kayla Mainer served up six straight points for a 16-13 lead. The Wolves never trailed again.
Wodrich led SPU with 19 kills, and junior Nikki Finley (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) added 13. Weedman had 28 assists, and sophomore Joelle Perez (Vancouver, Wash.) came up with 24. Freshman Anna Herold (Bothell, Wash., Shorecrest HS) had 25 digs. Weedman also had three service aces.
Western Oregon was led by the 22 kills of Stacey Bennett. Kayla Mainer had 12. Danielle English had 32 of the Wolves' 89 digs. Amy Herron set up 27 assists.
“We can't let our opponents do that to us,” Johnson said. “We have to learn how to finish games.”
NCAA Women's Volleyball
Thursday, October 9, 2008
At Brougham Pavilion, Seattle, Wash.
Western Oregon 3, Seattle Pacific 1
Scores - 26-24, 22-25, 25-23, 25-20.
Service aces - SPU: Cortney Weedman 3, Lindsey Wodrich 2, Anna Herold 2. WOU: Kayla Mainer 1, Danielle English 1.
Kills - SPU: Lindsey Wodrich 19, Nikki Finley 13. WOU: Stacey Bennett 22, Mainer 12.
Blocks - SPU: Robin De Jong 4, Wodrich 4, Jessica Bettencourt 4. WOU: Jorden Burrows 5, Lisa Martini 4, Laura Sakala 4.
Assists - SPU: Weedman 28, Joelle Perez 24. WOU: Amy Herron 27, Burrows 18.
Digs - SPU: Anna Herold 25, Wodrich 15. WOU: Danielle English 32, Bennett 13.
Attendance - 217.
Records -
Seattle Pacific 3-13, 1-6 GNAC.
Western Oregon at 13-1, 6-0 GNAC.
