LACEY, WA - Well, that's a nice way to bust a slump.

Coming off two disappointing losses, the SFU Clan volleyball team (14-4, 7-3) responded in a big way on Saturday afternoon, torching the Saint Martin's Saints (6-8, 2-8) to the tune of a 3-0 sweep.

Final set scores read 25-12, 25-16, and 25-13.

"We wanted to focus on our side of the net today and we did that," said SFU head coach Gina Schmidt. "We passed the ball well, got into a solid offensive rhythm early, and were able to maintain it for the whole match."

Indeed they were – the Clan got huge games out of sophomore middle Tessa May (14 kills on a game-high 0.619 hitting percentage) and redshirt freshman outside hitter Kirsten Pinkney (13, 0.385). SFU also got some very impressive showings out of veteran outside hitters Devon May (nine kills, 11 digs), Christine Howlett (nine kills) and setter Tamara Nipp (44 assists, five digs, game-high four blocks).

The opening frame was close until about the midway point, and then the Clan hit the afterburners. Already up 9-7, SFU orchestrated a 9-2 run, featuring five kills from five different players, to open up a big lead. At that point, SFU's defense forced Saint Martin's into a run of attacking errors, and soon enough, Tessa May had polished off the stanza with a kill.

The second set was close for much longer than the first, with the Clan leading just 19-16 well into it. However, a Pinkney smash put a comeback in jeopardy before a pair of Madison Power kills and a couple of Saints errors put it out of reach for good. With a Katie Dolguikh ace clinching it, the Clan closed the second set on a 6-0 run

The final set read more like the first – up 16-12, SFU unleashed a dominant 11-1 stretch to take the set and match. Pinkney and Howlett were particularly impressive over that final run, combining for six kills between them.

"We really controlled ourselves well and did what we had to do to win," mused Schmidt. "We will need that same level of execution as we prepare for the second half of conference play." 

The Clan are definitely going to need that execution next week, as the Alaska Anchorage Seawolves (19-1, 9-0) will be their next foe. Heading up to Anchorage, AK, SFU and the Seawolves will clash this Thusday, October 20, with the first serve set for 8:00 pm.