EUGENE, Ore. – A little life was breathed back into the Northwest Christian University volleyball team on Saturday, ending a three-match conference losing streak with a thrilling five-set victory over Northwest University, 25-23, 23-25, 18-25, 25-19, 16-14. Junior Kayla Ping led the way with 23 kills, the most by a Beacon in nearly four years.
 
Set one established the tone that would ring throughout the 2 hour and 21 minute match as the teams battled through nine ties and a pair of lead changes with neither team ever leading by more than four points. A slow start for the Beacons gave NU the early advantage, building a 9-5 lead on an Olivia Vandlac kill. NCU stormed back with four straight to tie the set at 9-9. The Beacons took back an 11-10 lead and wouldn't trail the rest of the match, despite the Eagles best efforts.
 
A 16-13 NCU advantage turned into a 16-16 tie. Then a 21-17 lead for the hosts evaporated into a 22-22 tie. After trading kills the teams were tied at 23, but NCU responded with a Chelsea McGowan kill and Haley Damian service aces to close the set.
 
Northwest became the pace setters in set two, establishing a 4-1 lead and never looking back. The Beacons fought to catch up the entire way, tying the game only once. After posting eight attack errors in the first set, NU had just four in the second to maintain their lead throughout.
 
After coming back from the break, NU used the momentum they had gathered through a tough second set and carried it into an early 9-2 lead in set three. The Eagles led by as many as eight points holding the Beacons to a .000 attacking percentage as they strolled to the victory.
 
The Beacons, however, responded like never before. The lackluster play in the third set steeled the resolve of NCU moving forward and they launched themselves out to a 7-1 lead in the fourth set. This time it was NCU that would lead wire-to-wire. Ping emerged as the Beacons primary target, taking 19 swings for six kills without an error in the set.
 
The fifth set played out like any good fifth set should, with plenty of drama. No team led by more than three points and any time the Beacons tried to distance themselves, the Eagles pulled them right back. Having already been tied on four points, a McGowan kill and NU attack error gave the Beacons a 12-10 lead. Then it was the Eagles' turn as Amanda Waterman connected on three consecutive kills to put the visitors ahead, 13-12.
 
A service error by NU tied things up but then Waterman quickly set Northwest up with the first match-point with another kill and a 14-13 lead. The Beacons then decided to quiet the well-traveled Eagle visitors section coming out of a time out. The "Go Eagles!" chant had been drowned out by the Beacon student section's own "Go BEACONS!" mantra during the short recess, and the players took their turn next, using a McGowan kill, Sydney Rothenbush ace and an Eagle attack error to record three straight points and claim the 16-14 win.
 
"All week long we were focusing on being a 'we-focused' team and the girls demonstrated that tonight," said Head Coach Kelly Rosin. "They fought, they never let up, and when times got tough they pulled each other together to finish the battle and we came out with a win tonight because of it.
 
The Beacons (4-7, 2-6 CCC) were led by Ping, finishing with 23 kills, the third most ever for a player in an NCU jersey and the most since Janel Fetters tied the school record with 27 on October 1, 2010. She hit .246 with just seven errors despite getting 65 attempts on the night, fourth-most in NCU history for a single-match.
 
"What a way to rise above for Kayla tonight," said Rosin. "To hit a .246 with all those attempts was remarkable. Kayla is a six-rotation player with great leadership for us. She keeps everyone on the same page and is fighting to make this the best season possible for her team."
 
It was a record-setting night for both seniors for the Blue and Gold. McGowan finished the night with a career-high 16 kills, leading the team with four blocks and a .265 hitting percentage. Alyssa Dorr registered a double-double, setting career-highs with 51 assists and 21 digs. She was just six assists shy of tying Cori Wallace's NCU record. She also collected her 916th career assists, moving into third place in the Beacon's record book.
 
Defensively, NCU out-passed the Eagles 95-77 in the match, led by a career-high 28 from Rothenbush who got the call to play the Libero slot on Saturday. Rothenbush also led NCU with four aces on the night, including a pair of laser beams that hit the tape before falling in for a point. Ping added a 15 digs to her already impressive afternoon and Haley Damian chipped in 14.
 
Northwest (9-9, 2-5) was led by Hannon Hanson, collecting 15 kills while hitting .312. She had gone 6-for-7 without an error during the Eagles' dominant third set. Waterman finished with 11 kills while Rae Ann Haisting added nine kills and a match-high five blocks (two solo). Leia Roy led all players with 32 digs and Brooke Riddle posted a team-leading 25 assists.
 
NCU will close out the first half of the CCC schedule next Friday night, traveling to Salem to take on Corban University at 7 p.m. Northwest begins their weekend at home on Friday night at 7 p.m. against No. 14 Southern Oregon University.