Complete Box Score

SEATTLE (Oct. 27) – Rachel Biornstad smashed a career-high 25 kills to lead five Falcons in double figures, and Seattle Pacific came back from deficits of 1-0 and 2-1 to defeat Western Washington in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference volleyball match Thursday night at Brougham Pavilion.

The Falcons (12-2 GNAC, 18-5), who are ranked No. 18 in NCAA II, moved into sole possession of second place in the GNAC ahead of idle Seattle University by outlasting Western Washington (8-5, 12-9) 27-30, 30-28, 27-30, 30-27, 15-10. The win also set up a showdown with 12th-ranked Central Washington (12-1, 18-3), which holds a slim lead for first place.

It was also the seventh straight win overall for the Falcons, who suffered their last loss to these same Vikings on Oct. 1 in Bellingham.

The Falcons, who matched their all-time high for GNAC victories, won their 11th straight home conference match, but this was by far the toughest, after nine straight sweeps. After dropping Game 1, SPU was in jeopardy of falling behind two games to none as Western overcame a 23-20 deficit to pull ahead 28-26.

But Biornstad (So., 6-0, Kent, Wa./Kentlake) came to the rescue for SPU, who scored four straight points to even the match. Biornstad played a huge role, scoring three of the final four points, including the final two, on a pair of kills and a block assist. She led all players in kills (25), hitting percentage (.535) and blocks (five).

The Vikings re-captured the momentum in Game 3, but had to fend off another fierce Falcon rally. WWU led 29-23, but SPU fought off four straight game points before Tiana Roma gave WWU the 30-27 win with one of her team-high 19 kills.

The Falcons trailed 22-19 in the fourth frame but scored six unanswered points to pull ahead 25-22 and forced a fifth and decisive game on a kill by Biornstad. The Falcons fell behind 3-1 early in the fifth but went on a 4-1 run midway through to pull ahead 9-6 and closed the match with two straight kills by Biornstad.

Chelsey Myers (Sr., 5-10, Minden, Nv./Douglas) added 17 kills, 13 digs and three blocks in the victory. Alyssa Given (So., 5-10, Salinas, Ca./Notre Dame) chipped in 16 kills on a team-record 81 attacks to go along with 15 digs. Angie Wodrich (So., 5-10, Richland, Wa./) had 12 kills, 22 digs and three blocks. Whitney Dibble (Jr., 6-1, Reno, Nv./Galena) tallied 11 kills and four blocks.

SPU’s Torii Mount (Fr., 5-2, Gresham, Or.) set a new team record with 41 digs. Seattle Pacific bested its team-record total by two with 134 digs in the match. Setter Jenna Von Moos (Jr., 5-10, Stanwood, Wa.) was credited with 76 assists, the third highest single-match total in team history.

The Vikings also had five players in double figures led by Roma’s 19 kills. Siri Wuotila added 15 kills and 21 digs in the loss. Sarah Primrose and Lindsey Signer finished with 13 kills each, and Jaime Anderson added 10.

The Falcons out-hit the Vikings .217 to .182 in the match and enjoyed a 10-7 advantage in blocks.

The Falcons have a chance to move into a tie for first place when they host league leader Central Washington in a GNAC match Saturday at 7:00 p.m.

Seattle Pacific def. Western Washington 27-30, 30-28, 27-30, 30-27, 15-10
Western Washington (8-5, 12-9) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Roma,Tiana 19-0-3; Wuotila,Siri 15-2-0; Signer,Lindsey 13-1-4; Primrose,Sarah 13-0-4; Anderson,Jaime 10-0-0; Urdahl,Kristen 4-0-1; Schneider,Courtney 0-2-0; Totals 74-5-7.0. (Assists) - Urdahl,Kristen 65. (Dig leaders) - Schneider,Courtney 45; Petersen,Jamie 23; Wuotila,Siri 21; Urdahl,Kristen 15; Robinson,Katie 12; Primrose,Sarah 8
Seattle Pacific (12-2, 18-5) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Biornstad,Rachel 25-0-5; Myers,Chelsey 17-1-3; Given,Alyssa 16-1-2; Wodrich,Angie 12-0-3; Dibble,Whitney 11-1-4; Von Moos,Jenna 4-1-1; Totals 85-4-10.0. (Assists) - Von Moos,Jenna 76. (Dig leaders) - Mount,Torii 41; Wodrich,Angie 22; Butac,Tiffany 20; Given,Alyssa 15; Myers,Chelsey 13; Von Moos,Jenna 13
Site: Seattle Pacific (Royal Brougham). Date: Oct 27, 2005. Attend: 246. Time: 2:27. Referees: Allan Chin, Debbie Beckwith.