Box score, play-by-play (HTML)
 
SEATTLE – No longer are the Seattle Pacific Falcons content just to compete with tough teams. They're convinced they can go for the win.
 
The win ultimately didn't happen on Thursday night. But SPU still took undefeated and nationally ranked Northwest Nazarene to the brink.
 
Hannah Lautenbach had a double-double with 12 kills and a career-high 23 digs, and Gabby Oddo also had 12 kills, but NNU jumped ahead early in the deciding game to beat the Falcons in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference volleyball match.
 
Scores in Brougham Pavilion were 25-17, 19-25, 22-25, 25-19, 15-8.
 
The 12th-ranked Crusaders (15-0, 7-0 GNAC) built a 6-2 lead in the deciding game, and never let the Falcons (9-6, 4-3 GNAC) get closer than three points, the last time at 10-7. From there, NNU put three more in a row on the board, making it 13-7 and effectively clinching it. The Crusaders played error-free in Game 5 (7 kills on 15 attacks).
 
"I'm proud of our girls – they're seeing that they can play at a high level," Wright said. "Win or lose, I think we're getting the mentality that, 'Hey, not only can we hang with great teams, we have a chance.' They're starting to believe in their ability and in their ability to be confident throughout the match."
 




After dropping the opener, the Falcons raced to a 9-3 advantage in Game 2, Northwest Nazarene eventually got as close as two at 17-15, but SPU pushed it back out to a five-point lead at 20-15 and took it in from there.
 
The Crusaders got a fast start coming out of the intermission, scoring the first three points of Game 3, and going ahead, 9-4. But SPU fought back, tying it at 17-17, then snapping a 20-20 tie with two straight points, and closing it out for a 2 games-to-1 lead.
 
NNU led for most of the fourth game, forcing Game 5 – a situation that Falcons have become quite familiar with, having played seven (and winning six) prior to Thursday. Tied at 2-2, the Crusaders tallied four in a row, were up 8-4 at the changeover, and stayed comfortably ahead the rest of the way.
 
"They're a great team, coached really well, and they're going to find a way to win," Wright said "Who makes plays at the right time is what it came down to. Each match, I'm seeing huge amounts of growth, and tonight was growth that, 'You're playing at an elite level.'
 
"The other thing," Wright added, "is we have really good kids who come in and play hard every day in practice. All those kids who didn't get in tonight are practicing hard, and they're showing us a great look at what's to come. We have girls coming in every day and competing hard and are doing a great job."
 
The Falcons were on their game defensively, coming up with 92 digs and 17 total blocks (24 block assists, five solos). On numerous occasions, they kept balls alive that seemed like sure NNU points (as did the Crusaders on the other side, with 90 digs and 10 blocks of their own.).
 
"We read the game probably the best I've ever seen us read the game," Wright said.
 
BY THE NUMBERS
-- Sophomore Nicole Tchabanov had a career-high 10 total blocks (8 assist / 2 solo). That beat her previous best of seven, set just last Thursday at Montana State Billings.
-- Hannah Lautenbach's 23 digs beat her previous career high of 21, set last year at Northwest Nazarene. Thursday's double was the 20th of her career, fifth in a row, and ninth this season.
-- Junior setter Symone Tran made it seven straight double-doubles, earning this one with 36 assists and 22 digs.
-- The Falcons had five players in double-digit digs, with Amanda Ganete (14), Mallie Donohoe (13) and Sophie Kuehl (10) joining Lautenbach and Tran.
-- Junior middle blocker Shaun Crespi tied her career high with three solo blocks. She had seven total.
 
UP NEXT
SPU plays host to Central Washington on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. The Wildcats were upset in five games at Saint Martin's on Thursday.
 
 
NCAA WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
Thursday, Oct. 5, 2017
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.
 
(No. 12) Northwest Nazarene 3, Seattle Pacific 2
 
Game scores – 25-17, 19-25, 22-25, 25-19, 15-8.
 
Service aces – NNU 4 (4 players with 1), SPU 4 (4 players with 1).
Kills – NNU 58 (Kendra Bodine 20), SPU 48 (Gabby Oddo 12, Hannah Lautenbach 12).
Assists – NNU 54 (Hailey Cook 49), SPU 48 (Symone Tran 36).
Digs – NNU 90 (Shayli Siegfreid 30), SPU 92 (Lautenbach 23, Tran 22).
Block assists / solo – NNU 20 / 0 solo (Madi Farrell 7 / 0 solo), SPU 24 / 5 solo (Nicole Tchabanov 8 / 2 solo).
Hitting (kills-errors-attacks) – NNU 58-30-192--.146 (Farrell 15-3-35--.343), SPU 48-30-181--.099 (Tran 3-0-8--.375, Oddo 12-3-43--.209).
Attendance – 208.
 
Records – Seattle Pacific 9-6, 4-3 GNAC. Northwest Nazarene 15-0, 7-0 GNAC.
 
 
Next match
Central Washington at Seattle Pacific
Saturday, 7:00 p.m.
Brougham Pavilion