Oct. 8, 2011
Box Score
SEATTLE, Wash. - Western Washington University took nationally ranked Seattle Pacific University to a fifth set before falling, 21-25, 25-17, 25-14, 21-25, 15-10, on Saturday in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference volleyball match at Royal Brougham Pavilion.
The Vikings fell to 9-4 overall and are tied for second place in the conference at 7-2 with Alaska Anchorage (11-6), which fell in four sets at Northwest Nazarene on Saturday.
Seattle Pacific, ranked No.20 in this week's American Volleyball Coaches Association/NCAA Division II Top 25 Poll, improved to 12-4 and took over the GNAC lead at 7-1. The win was the 13th straight at home for the Falcons.
Western led 8-7 in the fifth set before the Falcons rallied to score eight of the last 10 points. Cailin Fellows had three kills during that stretch to finish with a match-high 20.
"I'm excited about how we came back and fought at the end," said WWU coach Diane Flick (12th year). "We show what we can do in spots, now it's just a matter of doing it more consistently. It really is a matter of two or three points here and there, and we'll get there."
WWU outside hitter Marlayna Geary (Jr., Tacoma/Bellarmine) had her sixth double-double in the last seven matches with a team-high 17 kills and 22 digs.
Kayla Erickson (R-Fr., Gig Harbor/Peninsula) had 14 kills on .393 hitting and five blocks for the Vikings. Emily Jepsen (Sr., Kennewick/Kamiakin) added 10 kills, and libero Samantha Hutchinson (R-Fr., University Place/Curtis) had 27 digs.
Lindsey Wodrich had a double-double for SPU with 12 kills and 11 digs. Paige Hoffman had nine blocks and Anna Herald 30 digs, both match highs.
WWU returns home to host Western Oregon on Thursday (7 p.m.) and Saint Martin's on Saturday (7 p.m.) in GNAC counters at Sam Carver Gymnasium.
