Seattle Pacific University Athletics

BELLINGHAM, Wash. – This one could have been over after the second set. It could have been over late in the third set.
 
But on Thursday night in one of the toughest gyms to win a volleyball match …
 
… the Seattle Pacific Falcons refused to lose.
 
 

Sydney Perry had 14 kills, Hannah Hair had 13 kills and seven blocks, and SPU rallied from 2-0 down in sets and 23-17 down in Set 3 to beat Western Washington in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference contest on Thursday, 3-2.
 
Scores in Carver Gymnasium were 19-25, 20-25, 25-23, 25-21, 15-12.
 
It was SPU's first win in Bellingham – and first regular season win – against the Vikings since Oct. 24, 2013. The last time the Falcons beat Western in any contest was May 14, 2021 in Seattle when teams played independent schedules during the spring after the fall 2020 season was canceled by the pandemic shutdown.
 
"They've had our number pretty well, both here and even at our place, and it's not an easy place to play," coach Jason Rhine said. "Some teams have broken streaks that have lasted years and years because of how strong this program is year after year and how good the crowd is, and the band was here.
 
"I just told our players to approach it like players do when they get a chance to play in a big-time environment, whether it's college or pros. It's fun to play in a place that's louder and more exciting and brings a lot of energy. That brings out the best in our team when you're having fun and playing hard and just enjoying the competitive environment that Western provides.".
 




 

Allison Wilks had an error-free hitting night with seven kills on 16 attacks and added four block assists. Senior setter Emily Tulino earned a career-high 41 assists. Christina Lopez came up with 21 digs, and Erin Smith added nine kills.
 
Just two points away from defeat in the third set, the Falcons ran off the last eight points to stay alive, with sophomore setter Sophia Chambers on the serve for the final seven of those, clinching the set with a service ace.
 
SPU then trailed for nearly all of the fourth set up to when it was 21-19 for Western Washington. Then, they put together a 6-0 scoring run, with senior defensive specialist Abigail Cunningham on the serve for the last five points.
 
Now, having been just two points away from losing the match, here were the Falcons going into a deciding Set 5.
 
Seattle Pacific scored the first two points, and never trailed. It was tied once at 4-4. A Vikings service error gave the Falcons a 5-4 lead and gave the serve to Lopez. She promptly delivered an ace, Perry hammered a kill, and a WWU attack dribbled wide off the net cord, putting SPU up 8-4 as the teams changed sides.
 
Another pair of Vikings errors made it 10-4.The Falcons expanded it to 13-7, and now, instead of being two points from defeat as they were in the third set, they were two points away from victory.
 
Western Washington wasn't done, running off five straight to climb within 13-12. When action resumed following Seattle Pacific's last timeout, a WWU service error made it 14-12 and gave the Falcons a try at match point.
 
Wilks converted it on a serve that went toward the far side of the court and deflected off a Vikings player for an ace and the win.
 
 

"At the end of Set 5, I was like, 'Can something just break our way so we can pull this out?'" Rhine said, noting that the Falcons have played several close sets this season that have ultimately have not gone their way. "There are going to be a lot of those plays that break both ways in every match, but we'll take it.
 
"We've been unfortunate to fall in some close ones so far, Some of the most fun ones are when you win a close match that's back and forth, and both teams are doing some good things."
 
The Falcons got off to a sluggish start, falling behind 19-9 in the opening set. They eventually got untracked, but that was simply too much of a deficit to make up against Western.
 
SPU then led for most of the second set and built a 20-13 advantage. But the Vikings then went on a 12-0 run to close out the set.
 
"It was a real roller coaster. Some of the biggest leads we got, I thought we were in a safe spot," Rhine said. "But you're never quite safe in this league. They had a good server up (Caroline Hansen for the double-digit run in Set 2) that gave us some trouble. But we were able to return the favor in Set 3 when I thought we were in a tough spot. We were able to go on a run or two, and that kind of reset the match."
 
2-0 COMEBACKS DON'T HAPPEN OFTEN
Every season has a few five-settters, and every team wins some and loses some.
 
But not every five-setter involves a comeback from down 2 sets to 0.
 
The last time that happened for the Falcons was Sept. 2, 2022, at the Cal State Los Angeles Invitational. Facing Biola, SPU dropped the first two sets, 25-22, 28-26. Then, Biola was up 24-22 in the third set – double-match point against the Falcons. At that juncture, the Eagles needed just one point to win it, and Seattle Pacific needed at least 44.
 
Biola didn't get that one point, and the Falcons did get their 44, winning that third set, 26-24, taking the fourth, 25-16, and then closing it out in the fifth, 15-11.
 
On Thursday, when Western was up two sets and 23-17 in the third, the Vikings needed two points and the Falcons needed at least 48 points: eight to pull out the third, 25 in the fourth, 15 in the fifth.
 
As it turned out, Western never did get a match point opportunity. SPU got just one, and converted it on Wilks' service ace.
 
BY THE NUMBERS
-- The Falcons topped .200 hitting for the third time this season, finishing at .209. That included a .400 mark in the fourth set (14 kills-2 errors-30 attacks).
-- They limited Western Washington to .170 hitting.
-- On numerous occasions, what looked like sure points for Western Washington were dug up by SPU defenders. The Falcons had 70 digs, with four players in double digits: 21 for Christina Lopez, and 10 each for Abigail Cunningham, Sophia Chambers, and Emily Tulino.
-- Tulino recorded her fourth double-double of the season and the 28th of her career.
-- Cunningham also delivered three service aces.
 
UP NEXT
Seattle Pacific returns to action on Saturday at Simon Fraser at 5:00 p.m. The Red Leafs beat Montana State Billings on Thursday, 3-1 (25-11, 22-25, 25-18,25-14).
 
 
NCAA WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024
Carver Gymnasium / Bellingham, Wash.
 
Seattle Pacific 3, Western Washington 2
 
Set scores – 19-25, 25-20, 25-23, 25-21, 15-12.
 
Service aces – SPU 8 (Cunningham 3), WWU 7 (Hansen 2, Holland 2).
Kills – SPU 55 (Perry 14, Hair 13), WWU 66 (Oestreich 14).
Assists – SPU 53 (Tulino 41), WWU 57 (Hansen 26).
Digs – SPU 70 (Lopez 21, Cunningham 10, Chambers 10, Tulino 10), WWU 70 (Oestreich 21).
Block assists / solo – SPU 20 / 0 solo (Hair 7 / 0 solo), WWU 18 / 1 solo (Tri 5 / 0 solo, Vossenkuhl 4 / 1 solo).
Hitting (kills-errors-attacks) – SPU 55-22-158—209 (Wilks 7-0-16--438, Perry 14-1-31—419), WWU 66-35-182—170 (J. Grant 12-4-27—296).
Attendance – 486.
 
 
Records
Seattle Pacific 2-12, 2-4 GNAC.
Western Washington 5-7, 4-2 GNAC.

UP NEXT
Seattle Pacific returns to action on Saturday at Simon Fraser at 5:00 p.m.


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