SEATTLE – Behind 6-0 in the deciding fifth set, it could have been all but over for the Seattle Pacific Falcons.
 
It wasn't.
 
Behind 10-6, it could have been all but over.
 
It wasn't.
 
In fact, by the time Thursday night's volleyball epic against Central Washington finally was over, the Falcons weren't behind at all.
 
They were in front.
 
Sydney Perry hammered 11 kills, Allison Wilks had a career-high 10 blocks, and SPU came back from both of those deep deficits to defeat the Wildcats in Brougham Pavilion, 3-2.
 
Scores of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference contest were 15-25, 25-23, 25-16, 22-25, 16-14.
 
That gave the Falcons (9-11, 7-5 GNAC) a sweep of the season series. It also went five sets in Ellensburg on Sept. 24, with Seattle Pacific prevailing, 20-25, 25-17, 25-21, 17-25, 15-11. Thursday's victory was a program-record seventh straight against Central.
 
"It was very back and forth, very stressful all the way around," head coach Jason Rhine said. "This is a fun conference – every team is good. We would have loved to get one or two last week (in Alaska), but we're thankful to get this one."
 




BEEN THIS ROUTE BEFORE
The Falcons have gone to five sets seven times this season. This is the third time they've pulled out the 'W'. In some of the others, they fell into early holes, and while they eventually started playing better, weren't able to climb all the way back.
 
Rhine was confident his players had that comeback capability in them on Thursday, even after Central Washington scored the first six points.
 
 

"I was thinking, 'We've been here before, and you know, we've come back multiple times,'" he said (one of which was in Ellensburg when SPU was down 8-5 at the changeover, then scored 10 of the final 13 points to win it). "This time, we were able to do it a little earlier and get close to even, so we could battle back and forth to the very end of the set."
 
Once the Falcons got untracked in Thursday's fifth, the came within 6-4 on a combined block by Wilks and Maddie Pruden, a Central attack error, a combined  block by Pruden and Hannah Hair, and a Hair dunk kill. They eventually cut it 7-6 before the Wildcats made it 8-6 at the changeover, then tacked on two more points for a 10-6 cushion.
 
 

Again, SPU rang up four straight to tie it at 10-10, with two Central attack errors sandwiched around a block by Hair and Erin Smith and a Smith kill. Again, Central answered with two straight for a 12-10 lead.
 
The Falcons finally forged in front, 13-12, saw the Wildcats tie it on a kill, then got a kill from Smith for a match point at 14-13. Central Washington saved it with a kill by Emma Daoud-Hebert.
 
A service error gave SPU another try at match point, 15-14. Ashley Antoniak smacked it over, and Central's Hannah Stires dug it up. But before any of her teammates could get to it, the ball dropped to the floor, clinching it for the Falcons.
 
DETERMINED DEFENSE
Throughout the evening, both teams kept balls alive that looked like sure kills for the other side. SPU and Central each finished with 74 digs. (That was a season high for the Falcons.)
 
 

Seattle Pacific also a season-high 35 total blocks, good for 18 points. Hair had eight total (including a solo); Smith and Pruden wound up with five each, Antoniak had four, and Perry had three.
 
"The key was matching their defensive intensity, Rhine said. "They're one of the best defensive teams in the GNAC, and they did a great job at libero and a great job at middle back keeping balls alive that we though were great swings on our side. But we were also able to do the same kind of thing back to them, starting with their block. Following up with a lot of defensive efforts in this match gave us a chance to pull it out."
 
BY THE NUMBERS
-- The all-time SPU-Central Washington series is now tied at 42-42.
-- The Falcons previously won six in a row against the Wildcats (1998-2000). Central Washington won seven in a row in the series from 2013-16.
-- Allison Wilks' previous career high for block assists (and total blocks) was seven, which she had four times, most recently on Sept. 29 in a 3-1 home win against Western Oregon.
-- With all of the solid defense displayed on Thursday, high hitting percentages were hard to come by. SPU finished at .125 (52 kills-30 errors-176 attacks); Central was at 153 (62-34-183).
-- Seattle Pacific had four players in double-digit digs, led by 18 for libero Abigail Cunningham..
-- Setters Emily Tulino and Lindsey Lambert both double-doubled: 20 assists and 15 digs for Tulino; 18 assists and 16 digs for Lambert.
-- Hannah Hair, in addition to her eight blocks, had 10 kills and hit a team-leading .240 (10-4-25).
 
UP NEXT
Northwest Nazarene comes to Brougham Pavilion on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. The Falcons won in Nampa last month, 20-25, 25-14, 25-19, 25-23. On Thursday, the Nighthawks swept at Montana State Billings, 25-17, 25-17, 25-15.
 
 
NCAA WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
Thursday, Oct. 20, 2022
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.
 
Seattle Pacific 3, Central Washington 2
 
Game scores – 15-25, 25-23, 25-16, 22-25, 16-14.
 
Service aces – CWU 5 (Kaufman 2, Thorne 2), SPU 5 (5 players with 1),
Kills – CWU 62 (Thorne 14), SPU 52 (Perry 11, Hair 10).
Assists – CWU 60 (Andaya 30), SPU 46 (Tulino 20, Lambert 18).
Digs – CWU 74 (Stires 26), SPU 74 (Cunningham 18, Lambert 16, Tulino 15, Antoniak 11).
Block assists / solo – CWU 24 / 2 solo (Daoud-Hebert 8 / 1 solo), SPU 34 / 1 solo (Wilks 10 / 0 solo, Hair 7 / 1 solo).
Hitting (kills-error-attacks) – CWU 62-34-183—153 (Thorne 14-2-34—353), SPU 52-30-176—125 (Hair 10-4-25—240).
Attendance – 14.
 
 
Records
Seattle Pacific 9-11, 7-5 GNAC.
Central Washington 12-8, 7-5 GNAC.
 
Next match
Northwest Nazarene at Seattle Pacific
Saturday, 2:00 p.m.
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.