 Sophomore Katrina Johnson gives her all in the most recent volleyball match. [Click to enlarge]
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Western volleyball put up a fight in a 3-1 (30-17, 29-31, 30-28, 30-19) loss to No. 15 nationally-ranked Seattle Pacific in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) match last Saturday-Oct. 14-in the New P.E. Building.
After dropping game one, the Wolves bounced back and worked through a see-saw of 16 ties and five lead changes to take game two 31-29. The back-and-forth action continued into game three as SPU took a 21-15 lead only to have the Wolves make a run to cut that lead to 21-20. It remained close all the way to SPU's 30-28 clinching, and that close loss coupled of a leading top hitter for Western-sophomore Laura Sakala-early in game four, sucked the momentum out of the Wolves as SPU pulled away with the match.
Despite being outkilled 68-55 and upped in assists 61-49, the rest of the match was pretty even statistically for the Wolves, who trailed in digs by just six and in blocks by only .5.
Alyssa Given, a junior transfer from Notre Dame, led SPU on the individual tip, and boasted 30 kills and a .379 hitting percentage for the match. Senior Jenna Von Moos set up Given all night with 57 assists.
The Wolves' balanced attack was led by junior Shakira Jenkins and her sister, senior Keyanna Jenkins. The pair had 15 and 10 kills, respectively. Junior Lisa Tedder led the team with 23 assists and 15 digs while freshman Amy Herron added 20 and 12 in those same categories.
With the win, SPU improved to 20-2 overall and 12-0 in GNAC play, holding its first-place position. The Wolves are now 6-15 overall, and in sixth place in the conference with 4-7.
This match was the Wolves' first contest back at the New P.E. Building since Sept. 28. During the two-week stretch on the road, the Wolves defeated Alaska Anchorage, but fell to Alaska Fairbanks and Seattle.
Now, the Wolves finish the season with three of their final five matches at home, including tomorrow night, Thursday, Oct. 19, when they will face off against Central Washington, another nationally ranked opponent. The first serve is scheduled for 7 p.m.
