EUGENE, Ore. – The Northwest Christian University volleyball team swept visiting Warner Pacific 26-24, 25-21, 25-15 on Friday night. The victory improves the Beacons' home record to 7-1 on the season.
 
NCU (13-4, 8-4 CCC) has been on an offensive tear lately, hitting over .300 for the second consecutive match. They ended the match with a 48-40 kill advantage, swinging for a collective .303 on the night. Kasey Campbell and Keri Schwarz both surpassed double digits in kills. Campbell had a match-high 14 on .314 hitting, while Schwarz ended with ten kills and zero errors, resulting in a .417 attack percentage.
 
Megan Van Marter, coming off a huge game against OIT, was also perfect with eight kills on 10 attempts. Coach Kelly Pitre stressed the importance of limiting errors on the offense side, and her players surpassed expectations. " Our two middles Megan and Keri were perfect on the night. Everybody stayed under five errors, which is a team goal of ours."
 
Both teams came strong in the first set, each hitting over .325. The Beacons were able to close out the set on top thanks in part to three service aces with no errors. After sealing the first, Northwest Christian led the remainder of the match. Their attack grew stronger throughout the match, as did their work on the block. NCU combined for three blocks in the first two sets before adding six more in the third. Natalie Downes and Van Marter combined for five in the set, including two on back-to-back plays as the Beacons pulled away
 
The backrow continues to be the catalyst for the Beacons. Haley Damian and Maci Beierle, each earning their third weekly CCC honors this week, delivered huge performances. Damian had 14 digs on the night, while Beierle lead all players with 35 assists, to go along with her eight digs and five kills. Claire Salness and Kayla Olson also had 15 and 14 digs respectively. "Our littles had great touches all night." Pitre said. "They're the starting point of our offense. It was a great night at the net for us, and we were able to do that because of our back row. Their passing keeps us in system and lets our hitters play their game."
 
Seniors Schwarz and Beierle spoke on what they feel has led to the success of their team as NCU avenged an earlier loss to Warner Pacific on the road. Schwarz said, "We get 100% effort from each and every person on the team. We really thrive off each other. There's nothing more encouraging than looking at your bench during the match and knowing that your team is behind you no matter what." Beierle added, "The special thing about our team is how well we work together. The coaches did a fantastic job of bringing in girls during the offseason that aren't just great volleyball players, but great people and students as well. They have incredible work ethic and energy, and that makes us all better."
 
Warner Pacific  (4-7, 4-7) had great offensive performances from a number of their players as well. Janessa Mast turned in the only double-double on the court with ten kills and a game-best 16 digs. Melissa Ljuca had ten kills of her own along with four digs. Kealia Rosa compiled 34 assists on the night with five digs. Meghan Turner was the other Knight to surpass trn digs on the night, finishing with 15.
 
Both teams return to the court on Saturday for CCC matchups. The Beacons host Multnomah at 1:00 p.m., while Warner Pacific heads to Salem to take on the No. 12 Corban Warriors at 5 p.m.