SEATTLE – Why settle for just one sweep of a top-caliber volleyball team? Why not make it two?
That's what the Seattle Falcons polished off Saturday afternoon.
Just two days after a straight-set victory against first-place Simon Fraser, SPU did the same thing against perennial power Western Washington. Led by 17 kills from
Megan Omlid and 10 each from
Amaya Evans and
Maiya Lester, the Falcons took down the Vikings inside Brougham Pavilion, 3-0.
Scores of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference contest were 25-15, 25-23, 26-24.
That completed the first half of the conference schedule. At 12-5 overall and 7-2 in GNAC play, Seattle Pacific is deadlocked with Central Washington (11-4, 7-2) heading into next week's start of the second half. Simon Fraser (11-4, 8-1) is one match ahead of both teams.
Three times previously (2010, 2011 and 2013), the Falcons have defeated Simon and Western in the same week, twice at home and once on the road. The most recent time was Oct. 24 and 26, 2013 when they won 3-1 at each school. In none of those three previous instances did they win both matches in straight-set sweeps.
FROM COACH JASON RHINE
"We're excited about where we ended up this first time through conference," Rhine said, "and we're excited to turn around and do it again. It's not going to be easy. There'll be different challenges. We're traveling again the next two weeks, and every weekend is tough in the GNAC."
Rhine couldn't have been happier with the way the Falcons battled back from 17-9 and 19-13 down in Saturday's second set.
"We know Western serves tough, and we told our players it was possible that they could go on a (scoring) run, and not to freak out if they did," he said. "We said we don't have to get all (the points) back at one time; just stay calm."
SPU's solid production from throughout the front row stood out to Rhine.
"We thought physically, we had some good matchups," he said. "I was impressed especially with Maiya (Lester) and Amaya (Evans) and Audra (Rose) being able to take a lot of swings and hit at a high percentage. Across the board, I thought we did a good job of finding some of those in transition and finding ways to score."
HOW IT HAPPENED
--The Falcons got out quickly, going on a 7-1 run to take a 9-3 lead in the opening set.
--Western Washington (7-8, 4-5 GNAC) never came closer than four, the last time at 16-12.
--A 5-0 SPU scoring run stretched it out to 21-12.
--The Vikings took command of the second set with a 7-0 scoring run, turning a 6-5 deficit into a 12-6 leadl Delaney Speer delivered two aces as part of that surge.
--Down 19-13, the Falcons started climbing back into it. At 20-16, Omlid served back-to-back aces, then Lester pounded a kill to make it 20-19.
--WWU pushed it back out to 22-19. Then at 23-22, Seattle Pacific tied it on a block by Lester and junior middle
Brooke Williams.
--A kill by Lester gave the Falcons set point at 24-23. Then Williams came up with solo block to clinch it.
--SPU had leads of 15-11 and 19-16 in Set 3. Western Washington came back with a 5-1 run to take a 21-20 edge.
--A kill by Omlid tied it at 22-22, and while WWU challenged it, the video review showed that her attack did land inbounds. Then two more kills by Omlid put the Falcons up, 24-22.
--The Vikings fought off both match points to tie it at 24-24.
--Omlid's 17th and final kill of the day gave SPU another match point at 25-24. This time, after a tense rally, Rose, playing near the middle of the net, slammed the ball toward the left side for the clincher.
FROM OUTSIDE HITTER MAIYA LESTER
"These two matches (Thursday against Simon Fraser and Saturday vs. Western) were something we were really looking forward to," Lester said. "We know quite a few of the people (on those teams), and we really wanted to beat them."
She said one of the keys was making sure that everyone on the court knew what the teammates around them were thinking.
"Our communication and trust between players really has peaked, and I think it will continue to," Lester said. "When we're out there, we're talking a lot on serve receive, with our setter, and we're talking about what works. When I go up to swing, I know people are covering, so I'm not afraid to hit as hard as I can because if it gets blocked, I know someone behind me is picking it up."
As for the second-set comeback, "It was just a case of steeling our nerves and staying mentally tough. We knew the game wasn't over; there was a lot of game left to play and we knew we could come back and take it. It came down to continuing to fight and not giving up on each other or on ourselves."
FROM THE BOX SCORE
--The Falcons hit .315 for the match (50 kills-10 errors-127 attacks). That was its fifth match of the season in the .300s. Saturday's final mark included .275 in the first set, .350 in the second and .319 in the third.
--Western checked in at .209 for the day.
Peyton Ensign
--Sophomore setter
Peyton Ensign recorded a career-high in assists for the second straight match, totaling 40. Her previous best was 34 on Thursday against Simon Fraser.
--Evans had an error-free hitting day with 10 kills on 24 attacks for a .417 percentage.
--Omlid hit .359 for the day (17-3-39). She made it a double-double – her fourth of the season and 22nd of her career – with 13 digs.
--Lester hit .321 (10-1-28), and Rose was at .278 (8-3-18).
--Williams finished with six total blocks (one solo).
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
--The Falcons kept Delany Speer in check with just nine kills. The senior outside hitter came in with 216 kills, third-highest total in the GNAC, and a conference-leading 3.86 per set. She had just nine on Saturday. In last year's two matches vs. Seattle Pacific, she had 17 and 20.
--Senior libero
Christina Lopez had two more service aces, pushing her team-leading total to 25.
UP NEXT
The Falcons open the second half of their conference schedule on the road, visiting
Saint Martin's on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. That match will be at
Evergreen State's Costantino Recreation Center in Olympia, as the Saints' Marcus Pavilion is still undergoing some remodeling. SPU beat Saint Martin's on Sept. 19 in Seattle, 3-0.
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