MONMOUTH, Ore. – It wasn't just one big scoring run that took down the Seattle Pacific Falcons.
 
Rather, it was one at the end of each set.
 
The Western Oregon Wolves went on a 7-1 surge to finish the first set, 6-0 to close the second, and 4-0 to wrap up the third, polishing off a stunning 3-0 sweep of SPU in Thursday night's Great Northwest Athletic Conference volleyball match.
 
Scores inside the New P.E. Building were 25-17, 25-21, 25-22.
 
That was the first conference victory of the season for the Wolves (3-15,1-10) and snapped an overall 13-match losing streak. It also ended their nine-match losing streak against Seattle Pacific.
 
The Falcons (11-8, 7-5 GNAC) were hoping to keep their momentum going after beating Alaska Anchorage and Alaska Fairbanks last week in Brougham Pavilion. But except a pair of three-point spurts in the first set, and runs of 4-0 early and 5-0 midway through the third, extended strings of points were tough to come by on Thursday.

"They got a lot of balls up and played really scrappy. We just couldn't get into a rhythm all night," Falcons head coach Abbie Wright said. "It was kind of a frustrating match, but props to them. They really showed some heart and played well. … They made some plays and we didn't respond. We just have to respond and play well."
  
 

Sophomore middle blocker Hannah Hair led SPU with nine kills, four blocks, and an error-free .450 hitting performance (9 kills on 20 attacks).
 
Western Oregon, which was swept by SPU in Seattle on Oct. 2, led for almost the entirety of the Set 1. The Falcons were still within range, down just 18-16 when the Wolves put the next three on the board for 21-16. A service error cut it to 21-17, then WOU ran off the last four to close out the set.
 
 

Again in the second, Seattle Pacific trailed most of the way. But tied at 19-19, senior outside hitter Maddie Batiste hammered back-to-back kills for a two-point advantage. Western Oregon came out of a timeout and proceeded to score the next six points to win it 25-21 and take a two-set lead.
 
The Falcons had the upper hand for most of the third set. Up 14-13, they ran off five straight, three on kills by Batiste, to make it 19-13.
 
WOU responded with five straight points of its own, closing to 19-18. SPU extended it back to 21-19, and was still up 22-21 when the Wolves tallied the final four points. That capped a 12-3 run to finish the match.

"We have to move along and learn from it," Wright said. "I think we'll get some good lessons from it. We just have to stay disciplined and read the other side and not be taken aback by really good play."

BY THE NUMBERS
-- Western Oregon's last win against SPU was a four-setter on Oct. 22, 2016 in Monmouth.
-- Both teams had 36 kills, and no one from either side made it to double-digits. While Hannah Hair had nine for the Falcons, Isabel Hurliman recorded nine for the Wolves.
-- Seattle Pacific finished at .128 hitting (36 kills-21 errors-111 attacks). Western Oregon was 96 points higher at .224, thanks in part to seven fewer attack errors (36-14-98).
-- Hair's four blocks pushed her total to 85 for the season. She had 90 during last spring's abbreviated schedule.
-- Junior setter Austin Ibale had three assists, pushing her past 200 for her career. She is now at 202.
-- Freshman setter Emily Tulino, who missed last week's two matches with an injury, was back in action and had a team-leading 17 assists.
 
UP NEXT
SPU plays at Saint Martin's on Saturday in Lacey. First serve is at 5:15 p.m. The Saints got past Montana State Billings in four sets on Thursday, 25-19, 19-25, 28-26, 25-21.
 
 
NCAA WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021
New P.E. Building / Monmouth, Ore.
 
Western Oregon 3, Seattle Pacific 0
 
Game scores – 25-17, 25-21, 25-22.
 
Service aces – SPU 2 (Wilks 1, Dawson 1), WOU 5 (5 players with 1).
Kills – SPU 36 (Hair 9), WOU 36 (Hurliman 9).
Assists – SPU 35 (Tulino 17, Lambert 15), WOU 34 (O'Neil 18).
Digs – SPU 44 (Rosenthal 11, Batiste 11), WOU 53 (Matlock 12).
Block assists / solo – SPU 12 / 1 solo (Hair 4 / 0 solo), WOU 10 / 0 solo (MacLellan 3 / 0 solo).
Hitting (kills-errors-attacks) – SPU 36-21-111—128 (Hair 9-0-20—450), WOU 36-14-98—224 (MacLellan 4-0-7—571).
Attendance – 138.
 
Records – Seattle Pacific 11-8, 7-5 GNAC.  Western Oregon 3-15, 1-10 GNAC.
 
 
Next match
Seattle Pacific at Saint Martin's
Saturday, 5:15 p.m.
Marcus Pavilion / Lacey, Wash.