BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Seattle Pacific Falcons gave themselves an opportunity – a few of them, in fact.
 
But Western Washington yanked them all away.
 
SPU had leads late in both the first and third sets on Friday night, only to see the Vikings come from behind to win both and sweep the volleyball match between the two long-time rivals.
 
Scores in Carver Gymnasium were 26-24, 25-20, 25-22 in what was the first of three matches between the two teams this weekend.
 
SPU (7-4) had leads of 23-19 and 24-22 in Set 1. Western scored the final four points to take it.
 
In Set 3, it was 20-15 for the Falcons before the Vikings put 10 of the final 12 on the board.
 
"We're a really young group, and we looked really mature at times," head coach Abbie Wright said. "I thought we moved the ball around and got some great touches on defense. I thought there was a  lot of really great play. We kind of broke down in some key moments, but such is life, and we have to work through those things.
 
"We're playing a good team that knows how to win – that's the big difference."
 
 

Redshirt freshman opposite Maddie Pruden and freshman middle blocker Hannah Hair each slammed 12 kills for SPU, and both had solid hitting percentages -- .476 for Pruden with just two errors on 21 attacks, and .385 for Hair, with only two errors on 26 attacks.
 
Western Washington (4-0) had a 16-12 lead in the opening set before Seattle Pacific started on an 11-3 tear. Tied at 19-19, the Falcons got three points off WWU miscues and one off a kill by senior outside hitter Maddie Batiste to go up by four. The Vikings closed within one at 23-22, then a kill by Hair gave SPU double set point at 24-22.
 
But from there, a pair of Western kills and two Falcons errors put the final four points on the Vikings' side of the board.
 
A five-point burst at the outset of Set 2 gave Western Washington command, and Seattle Pacific never came closer than three. The Vikings hit .379 in that set, with 12 kills and just on error on 29 swings.
 
WWU seemed ready to put it away early in the third set, with leads of 4-0 and 6-2. The Falcons climbed back in, going from 8-5 behind to 12-9 ahead. They eventually built it to 20-15, the last of those points coming on a crosscourt kill by Hair.
 
The Vikings ran off the next four, closing to 20-19. A kill by Hair off a WWU blocker, and a Western attack that went wide gave SPU a 22-19 advantage.
 
That would be all, however, as Western Washington notched the final six points.
 
"If we can tighten up some of those points, we're right in it," Wright said. "I think we win the first game being ahead, and I think we win the third game being ahead. I felt we were really scrappy, we played hard, and we had some really good looks at the net. … It's just getting used to playing powerful volleyball, and they're a great team to do it against."
 
BY THE NUMBERS
-- Hannah Hair had five total blocks to go along with her 12 kills. That gives her 62 for the season, an average of 1.51 per set.
-- The Falcons hit .143 for the match, including .237 in the opening set. Western Washington finished at .240.
-- Redshirt freshman outside hitter Lindsay Rosenthal came up with 10 digs, pushing her past 100 for her career. She now has 102.
 
UP NEXT
SPU and Western Washington will go at it twice more on Saturday, this time in Brougham Pavilion. The first match begins at noon; the second follow 40 minutes after the conclusion of the first.
 
In another scheduling note, the doubleheader between the Falcons and Saint Martin's scheduled for next Saturday, May 1 in Brougham, has been canceled. The Saints announced on Friday that they are canceling the remainder of their spring schedule.
 
 
NCAA VOLLEYBALL
Friday, April 23, 2021
Carver Gymnasium / Bellingham, Wash.
 
Western Washington 3, Seattle Pacific 1
 
Game scores – 26-24, 25-20, 25-22.
 
Service aces – SPU 3 (3 players with 1), WWU 4 (4 players with 1).
Kills – SPU 42 (Hair 12, Pruden 12), WWU 46 (Heilborn 11).
Assists – SPU 41 (Lambert 39), WWU 41 (Aleaga 37).
Digs – SPU 54 (Antoniak 13, Dawson 11, Rosenthal 10), WWU 52 (Heilborn 19).
Block assists / solo – SPU 8 / 1 solo (Hair 4 / 1 solo), WWU 12 / 1 solo (Roetcisoender and Fairchild 3 / 0 solo).
Hitting (kills-errors-attacks) – SPU 42-24-126—143 (Pruden 12-2-21—476), WWU 46-16-125—240 (Fairchild 9-1-16—500, Heilborn 11-1-24—417).
 
 
Team records
Seattle Pacific 7-4, Western Washington 4-0.
 
Next match
Western Washington at Seattle Pacific (doubleheader)
Saturday, Noon / 3:00 p.m.
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle