EUGENE, Ore. – For the first time in 14 matches, the Northwest Christian University volleyball team has defeated Southern Oregon University, sweeping the Raiders in convincing fashion on Saturday night, 25-19, 25-23, 25-19. NCU also extended a school-record winning streak to six matches with the victory.
NCU rarely trailed in the match and was never behind by more than three points at any time. When they did, it was an efficient attack and a stifling defense that kept any moment from getting out of hand. Regarding the upset, head coach Mike Gaffaney said, “To tell you the truth, I don’t consider it an upset. We are a team that everyone else in the conference has a spotlight on right now and deservedly so. We are playing at a level that as a coach you want to sit back and enjoy. I have the best seat in the house.”
Chelsea McGowan got the ball rolling for the Beacons in the first set, having a hand in all three NCU blocks as the team forced the Raiders to hit just .083 with 11 kills and eight attacking errors. Four service aces by four different players also played a part as the team took set one.
It was six more serving aces in a tightly contested second set, including four from Chandler Gabrio, which helped NCU survive a 13-kill/2-error performance by the Raiders. NCU jumped out to an early 8-3 lead and were cruising along with a 16-14 edge.
Then, back-to-back kills from Paulla Pinheiro and Tyana Andrews and an NCU error gave the Raiders their first lead of the set. SOU later closed in on tying the match at one set apiece with a 23-21 lead. NCU, however, would go on to score four straight points including consecutive aces by Gabrio to close out the set.
The Beacons saved their best offense for last as the team hit .407 in the third and final set as they scored 15 of their 25 points on kills. Senior Janel Fetters (pictured) had six kills without an error along with two aces and served match point as NCU closed things out on a 9-4 run.
With 12 total service aces, a 7-4 blocking advantage, and a .270 efficiency on offense, it was another well-rounded win for the Beacons. “Everytime we would get down by a point or two, we would use our offensive prowess to pick us back up,” said Gaffaney. “We are firing on all cylinders right now, whether it’s attacking the ball, serving, or blocking. We are doing all these things consistently every time we play and it speaks volumes for the leadership that we have on the court.”
NCU (7-2, 2-0 CCC) was led for the second straight night by senior setter Cori Wallace, who finished with 33 assists. Coach Gaffaney said, “Cori is our leader out there. She is our quarterback. The momentum shifted enough during the match that whenever it wasn’t in our favor, it was Cori that brought us back.”
Fetters finished the night with a double-double, collecting 13 kills and ten digs as she hit .385 from the floor. She added three aces, as did Maren Mansfield who contributed eight kills. McGowan dominated the net with five blocks (two solo) and four kills while Taylor Richardson added six kills.
Gabrio, currently leading the CCC and ranked in the top-ten in the nation for hitting percentage, hit a strong .294 with seven kills, two blocks and a career-high five service aces.
Southern Oregon (4-5, 1-1 CCC) was led by Liz Madden, finishing the night with a team-high nine kills. Emma Gasman had a strong performance in the middle with seven kills and just one attack error, hitting a game-high .545. Lindsay Verboort added 22 assists while Renee Yomtob recorded a match-high 11 digs.
Currently sitting in first-place in the CCC, the Beacons are off to their best start in school history and have now won six consecutive matches for the first time ever. NCU will look to carry the momentum into their first conference road trip next weekend. They will meet Warner Pacific (2-8, 0-2) on Friday night before facing fellow conference-leader Concordia (7-2, 2-0) on Saturday. Both matches are scheduled for 7:00 pm tip-offs.
Southern Oregon will travel to face arch-rival Oregon Tech (7-7, 1-1) on Friday night, also at 7:00 pm.