Box score, play-by-play
PHOTO GALLERY
SEATTLE – The chances were there – the attacks, the digs, the kills, the service aces.
But just when they needed them the most in their Great Northwest Athletic Conference volleyball match against Montana State Billings on Saturday night, the points weren't there for the Seattle Pacific Falcons.
SPU had six tries at match point in the fourth game, but the Yellowjackets fought off all of them and came back to pull out a five-game victory in Brougham Pavilion.
Devon Crotteau had a double-double of 24 kills and 22 digs as Billings prevailed, 25-22, 19-25, 21-25, 31-29, 15-12, handing the Falcons their first conference loss of the season.
“Crotteau is a great hitter – we knew it was coming, but we still couldn't stop her,” SPU coach Chris Johnson said. “We had more kills (72-64), more attacks (216-207), more blocks (23-17), more digs (99-96) and more aces (7-2). But we had critical errors at critical times.”
Seattle Pacific had a four-match winning streak snapped and fell to 4-1 in the GNAC, 10-7 overall. The Yellowjackets climbed to 4-3 in the conference, 10-8 overall.
The Falcons fell short in spite of three double-double performances.
Junior outside hitter Sarah Risser (Santa Barbara, Calif.) had a career-high 31 digs to go along with 19 kills. Sophomore outside hitter Lindsey Wodrich (Richland, Wash./Richland HS) had 16 kills and 18 digs. And freshman setter Shelby Swanson (Kennewick, Wash./Kamiakin HS) posted her first career double-double, finishing with 29 assists and 14 digs. Both of those totals were career bests.
Sophomore outside hitter Amber Johnson (Mount Vernon, Wash./Mount Vernon HS) added 14 kills, just one short of her career high. She also tied her career high with eight of SPU's 23 blocks. Sophomore libero Anna Herold had a team-leading 26 digs.
Seattle Pacific had a 24-21 lead in Game 4 with a chance to serve it out. But Billings scored four straight points to take a 25-24 edge. A kill by sophomore outside hitter Paige Hoffman (Encinitas, Calif.) tied it at 25-25. The Yellowjackets got another chance, but a Risser knotted it at 26.
The Falcons then had leads of 27-26, 28-27 and 29-28, only to see Montana State Billings pull even each time. The Jackets got the last three points to force a deciding Game 5.
Seattle Pacific built an early lead, and a tip by Swanson made it 11-8. That's when Billings started a 6-0 run to take a 14-11 advantage. The Falcons got one of those points back on a kill by Johnson, making it 14-12. But the 24th and final kill for Crotteau, who wound up at a solid .281 hitting for the night, clinched the match for the Yellowjackets.
Montana State Billings hit .198 as a team, while SPU finished at just .176.
Johnson, whose team swept Western Washington on Wednesday night in Brougham, was looking at Saturday's loss as just a temporary setback.
“There are some things we can take away from this and learn from it,” he said. “We're still in first place in the conference, but we know we have to keep getting better.”
The Falcons return to action next Thursday at Central Washington at 7 p.m. They'll be back home next Saturday night at 7 against Northwest Nazarene on Dig Pink Night to help support the fight against breast cancer.
NCAA Volleyball
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Brougham Pavilion/Seattle, Wash.
Montana State Billings 3, Seattle Pacific 2
Game scores -- 25-22, 19-25, 21-25, 31-29, 15-12.
Service aces -- SPU: Lindsey Wodrich 3, Sarah Risser 2, Angie Pricco 2. MSUB: Two players with 1.
Kills -- SPU: Risser 19, Wodrich 16, Amber Johnson 14. MSUB: Devon Crotteau 24, Jen Boe 12, Jody Lutz 12.
Blocks-- SPU: Johnso 8, Paige Hoffman 6, Wodrich 4. MSUB: Melissa Porter 5.
Assists -- SPU: Cortney Weedman 30, Shelby Swanson 29. MSUB: Hillary Morrison 47.
Digs -- SPU: Risser 31, Anna Herold 26, Wodrich 18, Swanson 14. MSUB: Jill Trabing 23, Crotteau 22, Boe 20.
Attendance-- 236.
Records
Seattle Pacific 10-7, 4-1 GNAC.
Montana State Billings 10-8, 4-3 GNAC.
Next match -- Seattle Pacific at Central Washington, Thursday, Oct. 8, Nicholson Pavilion (Ellensburg), 7 p.m.
