On Thursday night, the SFU volleyball team played a strong game against Northwest Nazarene University, winning in three sets. The Clan pulled away from the Nighthawks in all three sets after some tight play in the first two sets. The win puts the Clan one game above .500, and the team will be looking to keep the momentum going so they can make the postseason.
In the first set, SFU faced their only adversity of the night, going down 11–8 early. However, a 10–2 run allowed the Clan to get the set back under wrap and they cruised to a 25–19 win. Betsie de Beer had five kills in the set, and was a catalyst for the mini-comeback.
The second set started off close as well, but again, a run by SFU would allow the team to cruise to a set win. This time, a 9–2 run was what seperated the Clan from their opponent, during which de Beer had three kills. SFU would go on to win the set 25–16.
There was never a question of who would win during the third and final set, as SFU got off to a hot start and didn’t falter down the stretch to their victory. They won 25–17.
“I thought we did a good job of staying focused and executing our game plan,” said head coach Gina Schmidt after the game, via an email interview. “NNU ran a different offensive system than the first time we played them but our block and defense did a nice job of neutralizing their hitters.”
The Clan now have nine games left on the season, and currently sit fifth in the GNAC with a 6–5 conference record. As to how the team can still meet their goal of making the postseason, Schmidt kept it simple: “Win games. When it comes to qualifying for the NCAA tournament, winning percentage is one of the most important factors for the regional and national selection committees. We got contributions from everyone last night and we will continue to need the help of every player on our roster to reach our goals.”
What’s next:
SFU will next host Central Washington University on Saturday, October 13 at 7 p.m. The Wildcats are currently 8–3 in the GNAC, good for second place in the conference.
Peak player of the game: Betsie de Beer
De Beer had a fantastic evening, leading the Clan with 15 kills and 16 points. “Betsie did an excellent job of moving the ball around tonight. She took advantage of what the NNU defense was giving her and found ways to score,” said Schmidt on her performance.
