SFU volleyball ends the season with three loses
By Bryan Scott
The Simon Fraser volleyball team finished up their 2012 season last week. They played against the Douglas College Royals, the Montana State Billings Yellowjackets, and the Seattle Pacific University Falcons.
The Clan hosted the Royals for their final home game of the season to start the week off. This match went the distance, and was a battle from start to finish. The Clan won the first set 25–18. SFU was down 16–14, but fought back by taking 11 of the next 13 points to win the set. The next set belonged to the Royals; they opened up a six point early on and didn’t look back, tying the game at one set each with a 25–21 victory. The third set was back-and-forth until the end; the Clan were up 25–24 when Jessica Young finished the play for the Clan to give them the win. The Royals woke up for the fourth set, once again opening up a substantial lead early on and carrying it throughout the set. The Clan got within two points, but ultimately lost the set 25–23 setting up a fifth and final set for the match. The Royals took advantage of their momentum from the previous win, and took a 7–0 lead to start the final set. The Clan could not overcome this deficit. They lost the set 15–13 and dropped the match 3–2.
The Clan hit the road after the loss for their last two games of the season. First they were in Billings, Montana to battle the Yellowjackets. The first set was going well, as the Clan had a 13–11 lead halfway through. However, the Yellowjackets went on a 14–3 run to close out the set 25–16. The next set saw SFU dominated 25–12. The Clan did not give upw they were up 17–12 in the third set, but they did not hold onto the lead. They were swept 3–0 in the match, with the 25–20 loss in the final set. Young led the team in kills with eight, and Tamara Nipp helped out, adding 24 assists in the losing effort.
The Clan had one last chance to win their second conference game of the season when they arrived in Seattle, Washington. Their opponents from Seattle Pacific were not prepared to let the Clan win easily. The first set was of epic proportions. The Clan started out well with an early four-point lead. With help from Young and Keirsten Mend (11 kills each), the Clan built up a 17–12 lead. They had a chance to close out the set with a 24–21, but the Falcons tied the game at 26. After that, the teams traded points until the score was tied at 29. The Falcons won the next two points to take the set 31–29. The Clan did not put up much of a fight in the second set, losing 25–18. They lost their final set of the season 25–22, ending a long season for SFU.
With the losses, the Clan finishes the season 4–22 overall and 1–18 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference.
