Box score, play-by-play (HTML)
 
SEATTLE – At the end of the night, the Seattle Pacific Falcons simply didn't have any more that they could have left on the floor.
 
Gabby Oddo had 21 kills, Hannah Lautenbach slammed 20, but No. 8-ranked Western Washington scored the final three points of the fifth and deciding game to beat SPU in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference volleyball match on Thursday.
 
Scores in Brougham Pavilion were 21-25, 25-20, 25-21, 15-25, 15-13. It was the 11th time this season the Falcons have gone five games, having won six of those matches.
 
"We're proud of the way we played. It's just a bummer when the result doesn't go your way when you're doing everything you possibly can do to win the match," head coach Abbie Wright said. "Someday, we'll be on the other end of this result – just not tonight."
 
This was the second straight season the Falcons (12-13, 7-10 GNAC) have taken the nationally ranked Vikings to five games in Seattle. Western (22-3, 16-1 GNAC) pulled out last season's contest and did the same this time, coming from 13-12 down in Game 5 to rack up its 15th straight victory and remain atop the standings.
 
Sophomore outside hitter Oddo had 10 digs to go along with her 21 kills for her sixth double-double of the season and 19th of her career.
 
Senior middle blocker Lautenbach tied her career high for kills, added a career-high 26 digs in logging her 13th double-double of the season and 24th of her career.

 



Down 2 games to 1, Seattle Pacific dominated Game 4 to square the match at two games apiece. The Falcons scored the first four points, ballooned it all the way up to 15-4, and never let the Vikings get closer than seven.
 
Western Washington built an 8-5 lead as the teams changed sides in the fifth game.
 
It grew to 11-7 before SPU went on a 5-0 run, the last four of those with Lautenbach serving, to take a 12-11 lead. Lautenbach and Oddo had one kill apiece, Shaun Crespi had back-to-back kills, and Lautenbach then capped it with a service ace.
 
After Western tied it at 12-12, another Oddo kill gave the Falcons a 13-12 edge. Abby Phelps then factored into the final three points for the Vikings, with a kill, a combined block with Joslyn Bopray, and finally a kill on match point.

 

"Western Washington is a phenomenal team. They raise your level of play," Wright said. "We're grateful to have people like that in our conference to make us better."
 
Statistically, Seattle Pacific had the advantage – sometimes by a considerable margin in just about every category: 14 more kills (76-62), 20 points in hitting percentage (.265 to .245), 14 more digs (106-92) and three more points on blocks (10-7).
 
But Western ultimately had the advantage that counted most at the end of Game 5.
 
"This match is such a testament to being about the process, and let the results fall where they may," Wright said. "This kind of thing keeps you hungry and keeps you growing and doing better. Our kids will show up to practice tomorrow with the same work ethic we've had all year. This is the level we've got to play at every night."
 
BY THE NUMBERS
 

--The Falcons had career highs in bunches: 68 assists for junior setter Symone Tran (previous 58, twice), 15 kills and .625 hitting for freshman middle blocker Gabi Stegemoller (previous 9 and .562), and 35 digs from junior libero Amanda Ganete (previous 31).
 
"Symone ran our offense really well – that's the best I've seen her play," Wright said. "She effectively did our game plan, and she was coachable in the things I told her to do. She got our hitters open and did a really good job.
 
-- Stegemoller had another error-free match, this one with a career-high 24 attacks.
 
"Gabi works so hard. She's a student of the game and so coachable," Wright said. "So I'm glad she got rewarded with some good numbers tonight."
 
--SPU's .265 hitting percentage included .419 in Game 1 (20 kills-2 errors-43 attacks), .359 in Game 4 (15-1-39), and even a respectable .231 in Game 5 (11-5-26). But Western was even better in that final game at .360 (10-1-25).
 
UP NEXT
Seattle Pacific concludes the home portion of its schedule on Saturday at 4:00 p.m. against Simon Fraser. That will be Senior Day, with Colleen Hannigan, Sophie Kuehl, and Hannah Lautenbach to be honored in a pre-match ceremony.
 
 
NCAA WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
Thursday, Nov. 9, 2017
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.
 
(No. 8) Western Washington 3, Seattle Pacific 2
 
Game scores – 21-25, 25-20, 25-21, 15-25, 15-13.
 
Service aces – WWU 4 (Arielle Turner 2), SPU 5 (Hannah Lautenbach 2, Amanda Ganete 2).
Kills – WWU 62 (Phelps 19), SPU 76 (Gabby Oddo 21, Hannah Lautenbach 20).
Assists – WWU 58 (Brette Boesel 52), SPU 73 (Symone Tran 68).
Digs – WWU 92 (Aubrey Buckner 28), SPU 105 (Amanda Ganete 35, Lautenbach 26).
Block assists / solo – WWU 14 / 0 solo (Phelps and Joslyn Bopray both 4 / 0 solo), SPU 20 / 0 solo (Shaun Crespi 7 / 0 solo).
Hitting (kills-errors-attacks) – WWU 62-15-192--.245 (Michaela Hall 14-4-32--.312), SPU 76-22-204--.265 (Gabi Stegemoller 15-0-24--..625).
Attendance – 182.
 
Records – Seattle Pacific 12-13, 7-10 GNAC.   Western Washington 22-3, 16-1 GNAC.
 
 
Next match
Simon Fraser at Seattle Pacific
Saturday, 4:00 p.m.
Brougham Pavilion