Box score (PDF)
 
LACEY, Wash. – After a rough night in Bellingham last Saturday, Seattle Pacific volleyball coach Abbie Wright said the next match for the Falcons would be a test of how they could respond to that.
 
The test came Tuesday night at Saint Martin's.
 
The Falcons aced it – literally.
 
Maddie Batiste smacked 13 kills, Gabby Oddo had 12,and SPU dropped in 12 service aces to sweep past the Saints. Scores of the Great Northwest Athletic Conferemce contest in Marcus Pavilion were 25-14, 25-20, 25-23.
 
Seattle Pacific (6-11, 3-6 GNAC) was coming off a three-game loss at No. 2-ranked Western Washington, 25-14, 25-8, 25-7. The Falcons had just 13 kills in the entire match.
 
On Tuesday, they had 14 in the first game alone.
 
"We responded really well," Wright said. "We warmed up really well, had good momentum and I think it just carried over from there and set the tone for the match."
 




Junior opposite / outside hitter Batiste hit .286 for the night, added seven digs, and delivered two of those dozen aces. Senior outside Oddo also had two aces.
 
Down 7-6 in the first game, Seattle Pacific went on a 7-2 run to go in front for good. A 6-0 burst, the last five of those with Oddo on the serve, expanded a 15-11 lead to 21-11.
 
But Saint Martin's (0-18, 0-9 GNAC) adjusted and sprinted to a 6-1 lead in Game 2. The Falcons eventually climbed back into a 12-12 tie, scored six of the next eight, and stayed in front the rest of the way for a two-game lead.
 
The Saints were on top for most of the third game, and eventually built a 20-16 advantage. They were still up 22-20 when Oddo got a kill, freshman setter Lindsey Lambert served an ace, then senior Jaeden Hooker and freshman Delaney Dunham combined on a block for a 23-22 lead.
 
Saint Martin's got even at 23-23. An Oddo kill gave SPU a try at match point. Dunham and Batiste converted it by combining on a block.
 
 

"I told them in the third game when we were down by one that it all comes down to trust – how well can you trust your teammates, and trust that you can do your own role and they'll do their role, and it'll all kind of click," Wright said. "Coming from behind in the second and third games, it shows that we're able to shift into a let's-get-it-done mentality and shift into a confidence mode, not just hoping to make plays, but being confident that we can make the plays."
 
BY THE NUMBERS
-- SPU beat the Saints for the 35^th straight time, a streak that started in 2002.
-- The Falcons hit .208 for the night with 38 kills and 17 errors on 101 attacks. They were particularly on-target in Game 1 with a .393 percentage (14-3-28). Saint Martin's finished at .036 and did not hit above.100 in any of the three games. Its highest mark was .074 (7-5-27) in Game 2.
-- Junior middle blocker Gabi Stegemoller had an error-free match, with six kills and no errors on 10 attacks for a .600 percentage.
-- Of SPU's 12 service aces, Lindsey Lambert led the way with three.
-- Gabby Oddo's two aces put her at 97 for her career.
-- Maddie Batiste moved past 300 career kills. Her 13 on Tuesday gives her 302.
-- Delaney Dunham didn't see action until late in Game 3 – but had block assists on two of the final three points to help clinch the match.
 
UP NEXT
A string of four straight road matches winds up on Saturday when the Falcons visit Montana State Billings. The first serve in Alterowitz Gymnasium is at 1:00 p.m. Pacific time.
 
 
NCAA WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2019
Marcus Pavilion / Lacey, Wash.
 
Seattle Pacific 3, Saint Martin's 0
 
Game scores – 25-14, 25-20, 25-23.
 
Service aces – SPU 12 (Lambert 3), StM 6 (Carter 3).
Kills – SPU 38 (Batiste 13, Oddo 12), StM 22 (Kamaka 11).
Assists – SPU 34 (Lambert 22), StM 20 (Bartlett 10).
Digs – SPU 40 (Donohoe 12), StM 41 (Also 9).
Block assists / solo – SPU 8 / 0 solo (Hooker 2 / 0 solo, Dunham 2 / 0 solo), StM 6 / 1 solo (Duvall 1 / 1 solo).
Hitting (kills-errors-attacks) – SPU 38-17-101—208 (Stegemoller 6-0-10—600), StM 22-19-84—036 (Kamaka 11-3-22—364).
Attendance – 94.
 
Records
Seattle Pacific 6-11, 3-6 GNAC.   Saint Martin's 0-18, 0-9 GNAC.
 
Next match
Seattle Pacific at Montana State Billings
Saturday, Oct. 19    1:00 p.m. PDT
Alterowitz Gymnasium / Billings, Mont.