Box Score

        Box score, play-by-play

SEATTLE – This time, the fifth game wasn't enough for the Seattle Pacific Falcons.
 
Simon Fraser, which already had come from five points down late in Game 3 to pull out that one, rang up the last seven points of the decisive Game 5 on Saturday to beat SPU in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference volleyball match.
 
Scores in Brougham Pavilion were 25-13, 22-25, 28-26, 19-25, 15-8.

Seattle Pacific previously had gone to five games twice this season, winning both.
 
Senior outside hitter Madi Cavell (Keizer, Ore.) had a double-double of 15 kills and 13 digs for the Falcons (9-5, 3-3 GNAC), who just one week ago were one of the last three unbeaten teams in the conference, but came up short in all three matches this week. Cavell's double-double was her fiffh of the sesaon and 19th of her career.
 
Senior opposite Jessica Miller (Fife, Wash. / Fife HS) slammed a season-high 14 kills and came up with nine digs. Sophomore middle blocker Maddi Hommes (Lynden, Wash. / Lynden HS) had a career-high seven block assists. Senior libero Brianna Leenders (Gresham, Ore.) had 20 digs.
 
"We got outplayed. We had way too many hitting errors (37), and we have to defend better," SPU head coach Chris Johnson said. "After the second set, we were playing well, and we were playing well in the third set, and gave it away. We played well in Game 4, at least defensively. But we weren't able to close."
 
After six matches in the past 12 days to start GNAC play and 14 matches overall since opening the season on Sept. 4, the Falcons get a breather of sorts this coming week. Their only match is next Saturday at Montana State Billings at 6:00 p.m. Pacific time. They'll be facing a Yellowjackets squad that knocked off Western Washington in five games on Saturday night.
 
"The biggest thing is just our mentality," Johnson said, "and just a lot of little technical things, and responsibilities, and just people doing their jobs better.
 
"Not to make excuses, but it will be nice to have some time to practice those things," he added. "This (recent) schedule is brutal."
 
The teams went back and forth on the first 16 points of Game 5, leaving it deadlocked at 8-8. The Clan (9-4, 3-2 GNAC) got sideout and a 9-8 lead on a well-placed tip by Mackenzie Dunham. Then, they just kept going with three consecutive blocks, a service ace, a kill, and then a block on match point.
 
Simon Fraser, which also won in five games at Billings on Thursday night, scored the first three points of Saturday's opening game, never trailed, and was never tied. The Clan then had a 17-13 lead in Game 2 before SPU stormed back with a 9-3 run to go in front, 22-20.
 
Still up 23-22, the Falcons won it on a combined block by Hommes and Miller, and a service ace from Leenders.
 
Seattle Pacific had control for most of Game 3, building a 20-15 lead. Simon Fraser finally forged in front, 24-23, but the Falcons fought off that game point plus two more before the Clan, up 27-26, converted with a block.
 
A 7-0 run in Game 4 snapped a 5-5 tie and put SPU in command at 12-5.
 
The Falcons hit a season-low .082 for the match, with two games below .000. Simon Fraser finished at .212, including .424 in Game 1 and .375 (seven kills, just one error) in Game 5.
 

NCAA WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
Saturday, September 27, 2014
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.
 
Simon Fraser 3, Seattle Pacific 2
 
Game scores – 25-13, 22-25, 28-26, 19-25, 15-8.
 
Service aces – SFU 3 (Helen Yan 2), SPU 5 (Kendall Carver 2).
Kills – SFU 62 (Kelsey Robinson 17, Devon May 17), SPU 51 (Madi Cavell 15, Jessica Miller 14).
Assists – SFU 56 (Brooklynn Gould-Bradbury 28), SPU 47 (Sara Biondi 41).
Digs – SFU 69 (Alison McKay 26), SPU 59 (Brianna Leenders 20).
Block assists / solo – SFU 26 / 1 solo (Mackenzie Dunham 7 / 0 solo), SPU 24 / 1 solo (Maddi Hommes 7 / 0 solo, Biondi 6 / 1 solo).
Hitting (kills-errors-attacks) – SFU 62-27-165--.212 (Robinson 17-7-36--.278), SPU 51-37-170--.082 (Hommes 6-2-18—222, Luisa McInnis 2-0-9--.222).
Attendance – 231.
 
Records – Seattle Pacific 9-5, 3-3 GNAC. Simon Fraser 9-4, 3-2 GNAC.
 
Next match – Seattle Pacific at Montana State Billings, Saturday, Oct. 4, 6:00 p.m. PDT.