Going the distance, Seattle Pacific University’s women’s volleyball team won back to back matches in Oregon, which puts them in the middle of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference at the No. 6 spot.
Despite the Falcons No. 6 spot, the team is one win away from jumping up to No. 4 due to Simon Fraser’s and Alaska’s tied 7-5 conference record. Last week, after a tough match against Alaska Anchorage University the week before, the Falcons were victorious on the road as they played Concordia-Portland University and Western Oregon University on their respective home turfs.
“We do well with adversity and when things are a bit hectic,” Abbie Wright, head coach of the volleyball team, said.
“After every loss we’ve had fantastic practices and tend to really come out well. I think it’s always a challenge on the road, but this particular road trip our team really managed well.”
On Thursday, Oct. 11, the Falcons played Concordia in a tight 4 set match, but the Falcons slipped away with the win. The scores were 25-21, 25-19, 24-26, and 29-27; SPU won the first two sets, Concordia won the third, but SPU took the match in the fourth set.
With a close scoring four sets, there was also some great shows of sportsmanship. Senior Hailey Gaines had another strong game racking in 17 kills and four blocks. Not too far behind her was Junior Gabby Oddo with 15 kills and three blocks.
“This week we talked a lot about the ability to stay keyed in longer than the other team,” Wright said. “It’s just all about who can focus a bit more and make a few less mistakes. Cutting down errors has been a big thing we’ve been talking about.”
The Falcons started a winning streak by following up Thursday’s match with another win on Saturday, Oct. 13, at Western Oregon University.
Keeping up the momentum from Thursday’s game, the Falcons defeated the Wolves. The scores were 26-24, 25-15, and 25-18. The Falcons sealed the deal in a bustling three sets.
“Both were challenging in their own way. At Concordia we had to come back from a 10-1 deficit in the fourth game, so that’s a mental tax, but I was proud of the way girls stepped up in big moments to make some challenging and nerve-racking plays,” Wright said.
Once again SPU showed some strong numbers with Oddo leading with 13 kills followed by Hailey Gaines with eight kills.
It was a strong week for the Falcons, but they will be on the road again playing Saint Martin’s University on Oct. 16 and Montana State Billings on Oct. 20. SPU hopes to have another successful week in order to move up the rankings in the GNAC.
