Oct. 30, 2014 Box Score
NAMPA, Id. - Western Washington University had a seven-match winning streak snapped as it was swept 25-14, 25-15, 25-23, by Northwest Nazarene University in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference volleyball match on Thursday, Oct. 30, between two nationally ranked teams at the Johnson Sports Center on the NNU campus.
The Vikings, rated No.9 in this week's American Volleyball Coaches Association NCAA Division II Coaches Top 25 Poll, fell to 17-5 overall and 10-3 in GNAC play. Their seven-match victory string was the longest by a conference team this fall.
Northwest Nazarene, ranked No. 15 nationally and No.1 in the West Region, improved to 20-2 overall with its seventh straight victory and leads the GNAC at 13-1. It is the first 20-win season in school history for the Crusaders, who won their 11th straight home match and are 8-0 at the JSC this year.
The victory snapped a 10-match series losing streak for the Crusaders, who had not beaten WWU since the 2009 season. The Vikings entered with a 33-5 series advantage.
WWU, which had a .007 hitting percentage, was led by the match-high 11 kills of outside hitter Rachel Roeder (Jr., Sammamish/Issaquah). Middle blocker Kayla Erickson (Sr., Gig Harbor/Peninsula) had eight kills and four blocks, and libero Samantha Hutchinson (Sr., University Place/Curtis), the national leader in digs, had a match-high 31.
Kendra Bodine paced a balanced NNU effort with nine kills and three blocks, Michelle Terpstra had six kills, 30 assists, 11 digs and one block and Elayna Rice added seven kills, 14 digs and three blocks. Taylor VanValey had five kills and a match-high eight blocks, Madi Farrell had five kills and six blocks, and Andrea Terpstra six kills and five blocks.
NNU never trailed in winning the first two sets. The Crusaders used a 9-2 run to break open the first game and scored five of the first six points in game two.
Neither team led by more than four points in the third set. Trailing 23-19, the Vikings battled back to within one, 24-23 before Rice ended the match with a kill.
WWU is at No.26 Central Washington on Saturday, Nov. 1 (7 p.m.) for a GNAC counter.
