Knights Outlast NCU, Keep Playoff Hopes Alive 10/30/2015 10:11:00 PM PORTLAND, Ore. - A thrilling match ended with a Warner Pacific victory tonight in Portland, as the Knights outlasted Northwest Christian for a five-set win. The Basics • Score: Warner Pacific 3, Northwest Christian 2 (25-20, 23-25, 25-18, 26-28, 15-11) • Records: WPC (10-13, 7-10 CCC), NCU (13-11, 6-11 CCC) • Location: C.C. Perry Gym, Portland, Ore. • The Short Story: Warner Pacific defeated Northwest Christian in five hard-fought sets to keep the Knights in post-season contention with three matches left to play. WP limited the Beacons to a .169 hitting percentage while posting .260 themselves, but needed every one of their seven service aces and season high 13 total blocks to secure the result. How it Happened • The evenly matched teams went back-and-forth from the start, and NCU took a slim 16-15 lead in the first set. • A 4-0 run at that point from WP was the difference, and it was powered by two aces from Nicole Lisoski and two kills from Grace Rivers. • NCU took control of set two midway through, using two Kayla Ping kills and two errors from WPC to take a13-9 lead. • The Knights fought off set point three times, but dropped the frame 25-22 after Kendall Marshall put home the winner. • Set three was Warner Pacific's most decisive win thanks to an 8-1 burst that gave the home team an 18-11 advantage that would not be relinquished. • After jumping out to a 16-11 lead in set four, the Knights had a mind to claim the match but the Beacons scored five straight to tie the score. • Northwest Christian survived three match points, then forced a 5th set when Chandler Gabrio scored a kill to make the score 28-26. • The deciding set belonged to Warner Pacific, but not before some drama. NCU enjoyed an early 4-2 lead but WP surged back with four straight due in part to three NCU errors. • WP scored 5 of the next 7 points to take an 11-6 lead, but NCU came right back to tie the score behind the serving of Marsha Poischbeg. • The next serve from Poischbeg went wide, then the Knights scored three in a row punctuated by a match winning block from Nicole Kincaide and Janessa White.