Box Score

        Box score, play-by=play (HTML)
 
SEATTLE – Symone Tran practically ran out of the gym to chase down a ball in the far back corner. But she got it … and Seattle Pacific ultimately got the point.
 
Shaun Crespi made a reactionary lunge at a ball along the net. Somehow, she got it over … and Seattle Pacific once again got the point.
 
Simply put, the only volleyballs the Falcons wanted to see on the floor were those that they put down onto Central Washington's side.
 
Colleen Hannigan had a double-double of 16 kills and a career-high 20 digs, Hannah Lautenbach and Tran also double-doubled, and SPU turned the tables on the Wildcats with a five-game Great Northwest Athletic Conference victory on Thursday night.
 
Scores in Brougham Pavilion were 25-19, 23-25, 25-21, 18-25, 15-7.
 
Thursday's result reversed the outcome of the Oct. 1 match in Ellensburg, which Central won in five. This was the eighth time this season the Falcons have gone the distance – the last five of which went the other way.
 




"Oh my gosh, it's so nice. It's definitely great to break that curse and just working through that fifth set," Hannigan said. "Everything starts aching, and it's just a mentality thing to push through all the pain and just want it – want it more than the other team"
 
The 16 kills for junior outside hitter Hannigan (Brentwood, Calif.) tied her career high, and the 20 digs beat her old mark of 15, Both were set in a five-gamer loss to Hawaii Hilo on Sept. 9. It was the second double-double of her season and career.
 
"That was so impressive," SPU coach Chris Johnson said. "Not just the career-high kills and digs, but the way she did it at the net. She was taking smart swings. She hit .220, only 10 percent errors (five on a career-high 50 attacks) … for an outside hitter against a good defense, that's fantastic."
 
Junior opposite Lautenbach (Portland, Ore.)  had 14 kills and 19 digs for her seventh double-double of the fall and 11th of her career. Sophomore setter Tran (Portland, Ore.) racked up 53 assists and 18 digs. It was her 13th double-double of the year, 26th of her career and ninth in the last 10 matches.

 

Senior outside hitter Lexi Biondi (Albuquerque, N.M.) had 14 kills and three block assists. Sophomore middle blocker Shaun Crespi (Camarillo, Calif.) delivered11 kills, nine block assists, and hit a team-leading .343. Sophomore libero Amanda Ganete (Hillsboro, Ore.) came up with a team-high 22 digs. The Falcons had 100 digs altogether.

 

"I just really liked the way we played all night," Johnson said. "We stayed aggressive and composed, we passed well, and played outstanding defense. We had five people in double-digit digs, five people with three blocks or more. … We knew going into it we had done a great job defensively the last time we played them.
 
"It was just a solid match from us."
 
The Falcons will play host to Northwest Nazarene on Saturday at 7:00 p.m.
 
Seattle Pacific (9-12, 5-8 GNAC) was down 5-3 in Game 5 when Crespi put down a quick kill in the middle. That cut the deficit to 5-4 and gave the serve to Lautenbach.
 
Another eight straight points followed, capping a 9-0 run for a 12-5 lead. Central Washington (12-9, 8-5 GNAC) never got closer than six, at 13-7. Another Crespi kill set up match point, and a Wildcats attack error clinched it.
 
In fact, SPU thrived on scoring runs throughout the night:
 
-- Down 19-18 in Game 1, the Falcons closed it out with seven in a row, the last six of those with Sophie Kuehl serving.
-- Down 8-1 in Game 3, they climbed back in, but still trailed,18-14. A 6-0 surge, the last five with Hannigan on the serve, put Seattle Pacific in front for good. The tying point to make it 18-18 came on a Biondi kill after Tran sprinted to keep the ball alive in the far corner.
-- Then came the 9-0 run in Game 5 that effectively sealed the deal. It was in the middle of those nine points when Crespi dug the ball off the net – and over it – as Central subsequently was called for a double hit, giving the Falcons an 8-5 lead at the changeover.
 
"Especially in that third set, that was a major comeback," Johnson said. "That was impressive the way they finished the set. That doesn't happen unless you have some serving runs and play great defense."


NCAA WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
Thursday, Oct. 27, 2016
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.
 
Seattle Pacific 3, Central Washington 2
 
Game scores – 25-19, 23-25, 25-21, 18-25, 15-7.
 
Service aces – CWU 3 (Kyla Morgan 3), SPU 2 (Sophie Kuehl 2).
Kills – CWU 50 (Shelby Mauritson 12), SPU 62 (Colleen Hannigan 16, Hannah Lautenbach 14, Lexi Biondi 14, Shaun Crespi 11).
Assists – CWU 47 (Gaby Aihara 27), SPU 58 (Symone Tran 53).
Digs – CWU 82 (Morgan 27), SPU 100 (Amanda Ganete 22, Hannigan 20).
Block assists / solo – CWU 32 / 0 solo (Erin Little 8 / 0 solo), SPU 24 / 0 solo (Crespi 9 / 0 solo).
Hitting (kills-errors-attacks) – CWU 50-30-194—.103 (Sabrina Wheelhouse 9-1-20—.400), SPU 62-34-189—.148 (Crespi 11-3-23—.348).
Attendance – 122.
 
Records – Seattle Pacific 9-12, 5-8 GNAC. Central Washington 12-9, 8-5 GNAC.
 
 
Next match
Northwest Nazarene at Seattle Pacific
Saturday, 7:00 p.m.
Brougham Pavilion