Box score, play-by-play (HTML)
 
SEATTLE – Talk about a storybook finish.
 
Senior Hannah Lautenbach had 14 kills, the last of which set up match point, and fellow senior Sophie Kuehl delivered three service aces, with the final one clinching the match, as Seattle Pacific defeated Simon Fraser in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference contest on Senior Day in Brougham Pavilion.
 
Scores were 25-22, 19-25, 25-16, 25-20.
 
The Falcons (13-13, 8-10 GNAC) halted a three-match losing streak and swept the season series from the Clan (13-13, 10-8).
 
Sophomore outside hitter Gabby Oddo led SPU with 17 kills, and made it a second straight double-double by coming up with 18 digs. Junior setter Symone Tran racked up 50 assists, bringing her within six of 3,000 for her career, and added 26 digs for her 16th double-double of the year. Lautenbach also double-doubled, with 14 digs to go along with her 14 kills. Outside hitter Colleen Hannigan, who was part of the Senior Day ceremonies with Kuehl and Lautenbach, added seven kills and three block assists.
 
Down 15-10 in Game 4, Seattle Pacific went on a 15-5 run to end the match. That included the last five points to snap a 20-20 tie: A kill by Lautenbach, two Simon Fraser attack errors, another kill by Lautenbach, and finally, a service ace by Kuehl that clipped the cord on the way over and dropped to the floor.
 
"Our perseverance in the fourth game, and turning it around halfway through, staying resilient and finding a way to win – that was really special for our seniors to see the team pull together," head coach Abbie Wright said. "After we tied it up (at 16-16), I saw that quiet confidence coming back. I was really proud of us pulling together and doing the little things."

 

Lautenbach moved into SPU's all-time career top 10 for points. She had two block assists to go along with her 14 kills, giving her 15 points for the day. She now has 1,119, moving her past Nancy Best's 1,111. Best was one of the founding players of the Seattle Pacific program in 1986, and she played all four years, graduating in 1989.
 
The opening game had 14 ties, the last at 18-18. The Falcons took command with four straight points, on back-to-back kills by freshman Gabi Stegemoller, a Tran service ace, and a combined block by Stegemoller and Lautenbach. The Clan got within two at 24-22 before Oddo finished it off with a kill.
 
Simon Fraser took charge of Game 2 with a 5-0 burst to break a 4-4 tie, and stayed in front the rest of the way, keeping the momentum with three runs of four point each.
 
SPU bolted to an 11-5 lead in Game 3, never letting the Clan get closer than three.
 
The fourth game was going Simon's way with a 15-10 advantage. But the Falcons got eight of the next nine points, six of those with Tran on the serve, to go up 18-16. It was tied three more times, at 18, 19, and 20, but Seattle Pacific never fell behind again.
 
BY THE NUMBERS
-- The Falcons hit .155 for the match, with 52 kills and 22 errors on 193 attacks. Simon Fraser finished at .141 (55-26-205).
-- For the second match in a row, the Falcons had a season-high digs total. It was 105 in Thursday's game loss to Western Washington, and 108 on Saturday. Junior libero Amanda Ganete had 29, one of five players in double digits.
-- Sophomore middle blocker Nicole Tchabanov had a team-leading six block assists in her first extensive action since coming back from in injury. Tchabanov missed five straight matches from mid October through early November, then returned for one set at Central Washington last Thursday. Saturday's total gave her 86 for the season, one behind Lautenbach.
-- With two matches left, Lautenbach is 21 digs away from reaching 1,000 for her career.
 
UP NEXT
Seattle Pacific wraps up the season on the road next week, visiting Western Oregon in Monmouth on Thursday, and Concordia in Portland on Saturday. First serve for both is at 7:00 p.m.
 
 
NCAA WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
Saturday, Nov. 11, 2017
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.
 
Seattle Pacific 3, Simon Fraser 1
 
Game scores – 25-22, 19-25, 25-16, 25-20.
 
Service aces – Simon 3 (Betsie de Beer 2), SPU 6 (Sophie Kuehl 3).
Kills – Simon 55 (Kirsten Pinkney 15), SPU 52 (Gabby Oddo 17, Hannah Lautenbach 14).
Assists – Simon 49 (Julia Tays 33), SPU 52 (Symone Tran 50).
Digs – Simon 108 (Jayme Bratsburg 30), SPU 108 (Amanda Ganete 29, Symone Tran 26).
Block assists / solo – Simon 12 / 0 solo (Madison Power 4 / 0 solo), SPU 22 / 1 solo (Nicole Tchabanov 6 / 0 solo).
Hitting (kills-errors-attacks) – Simon 55-26 205--.141 (Tessa May 11-5-33--.182), SPU 52-22-193--.155 (Oddo 17-6-53-.208).
Attendance – 187.
 
Records – Seattle Pacific 13-13, 8-10 GNAC.   Simon Fraser 13-13, 10-8 GNAC.
 
 
Next match
Seattle Pacific at Western Oregon
Thursday, Nov. 16     7:00 p.m.
New P.E. Building / Monmouth, Ore.