MONMOUTH, OR - The SFU Clan volleyball team (11-2, 4-1) got right back in the win column on Thursday night, claiming a 3-1 win over the Western Oregon Wolves in convincing fashion.

The Clan were led on offense by Emma Jennings' 13 kills, but also got huge kill counts from freshman outside hitter Kirsten Pinkney (12) and sophomore middle Tessa May (11). Tamara Nipp was an all-around force for SFU, picking up five kills, 47 assists, 16 digs, and five blocks, while libero Alison McKay notched a game-high 35 digs and eight assists.

The Clan dropped the first set 25-14 after falling into an 11-3 hole right off the bat. SFU were done in by their own errors in the opening frame, surrendering 11 points on mistakes, compared to just three from the Wolves.

The second stanza saw SFU tighten up significantly, but the Wolves responded in kind, as the two sides scrapped to a 22-22 draw.  Then, some excellent defensive positioning from the Clan forced two straight attacking errors from Western Oregon before Devon May put the set to bed with a kill. That second stanza featured a much more balanced offence from the Clan, as Jennings, Christine Howlett, Pinkney, and Nipp all recorded multiple kills.

"Western Oregon had scouted us very well, and their blocking schemes shut us down in the first set," recounted SFU head coach Gina Schmidt. "In the second set, we did a better job of finding the one on one match-ups and terminating the ball. Kirsten came in and gave us a spark offensively. The production from our outsides gradually opened things up for our middles as the match went on."

The Clan rolled through the final two sets, winning them by identical 25-19 scores. The third frame was knotted up 15-15 before SFU broke away with a 6-0 run that was powered by a pair of kills apiece from Jennings and Tessa May. Similarly, the final stanza was deadlocked a 16-16 before the Clan ripped off a 6-0 stretch to put the game to bed – Jennings, Nipp, and Nicole Chevrier notched kills there, while Katie Dolguikh dropped an ace.

The Clan will now make the short trek to Portland, OR, where they will face the Concordia (Oregon) Cavaliers (7-6, 3-2). The GNAC foes will do battle on Saturday, October 1, with the first serve scheduled for 2:00 pm.