Box Score

EUGENE, Ore. – The Northwest Christian University women's volleyball team got the 2011 season off on the right foot on Monday night, jumping out of the gates with a 3-1 win over Simpson University, 25-21, 19-25, 25-16, 25-23. It is the first season-opening victory for the Beacons since 2008 when they also bested the Red Hawks.

Head Coach Mike Gaffaney said, “It's always great to start the season off with a victory. We continue to work on perfecting our system and eliminating errors. For the most part, we did that well tonight.”

Sophomore Cori Wallace had 34 assists and 17 digs for the Beacons, while sophomore Dana Clark added 21 digs. Senior Danielle Nance collected nine kills and two blocks, but it was sophomore Maren Mansfield who stole the show with 15 kills and twelve digs.

“Maren had a great night,” said Gaffaney. “We had a conversation with Maren before the match tonight and we talked about this being her breakout year. She is jumping higher and hitting harder and we are going to continue to rely on her this season.”

The Beacons, who are now 6-1 all-time against Simpson, will be back in action on Tuesday night, traveling to Rocklin to take on William Jessup University. NCU split a pair of games with the Warriors last season.