Dropping the first set was just a signal for the Simon Fraser University Clan on how tough a challenge was before them.
The SFU women’s volleyball team brushed off a first-set loss on Saturday and pulled out a 3-1 victory over the Northwest Nazarene Nighthawks in Great Northwest Athletic Conference action on Burnaby Mountain.
All four sets were extremely close, with Idaho-based Nazarene eking out a 23-25 decision in the opener, after erasing a 22-19 deficit. SFU replied by evening the score with a 25-22 decision, with their own come-from behind effort. Nazarene was ahead 22-20 but the hosts struck for five straight points to make it 1-1. SFU garnered the momentum off a 17-17 stalemate in the third set with an 8-3 run, resulting in a 25-20 win. They clinched it with a 25-23 decision to improve to 5-5 overall and 1-1 in conference play.
An outside hitter, Betsie de Beer delivered 16 kills, eight digs, four assisted blocks and a .333 hitting percentage for the Clan. Over the past five games, the fourth-year starter has averaged 14.4 kills per game, lifting her to 16th in the GNAC for hitting percentage at .235, and 11th in kills per set at 3.11.
Kirsten Pinkney chipped in with 15 kills, while Nicole Chevrier had eight kills and Tamara Clark buried seven and added nine digs.
Burnaby’s Bianca Te led all players with 23 digs and Julia Tays had 47 assists and five digs. Tays’ tally was the fifth consecutive game with 40-or-more assists, putting her second in the GNAC with an average of 10.45 assists per set.
SFU is on the road for the next two weeks. The team will return home for Socktoberfest on Oct. 10 and 12. SFU Branded socks will be given away at the games.
