EUGENE, Ore. – With one weekend remaining in the regular season, Warner Pacific claimed a crucial victory over Northwest Christian University on Saturday afternoon in three sets, 25-21, 25-16, 25-20.
 
The Knights (10-11, 8-10 CCC) jumped back into a tie with NCU for sixth place in the Cascade Collegiate Conference and also completed a season sweep which gives them the tie-breaker. The Beacons (10-14, 8-10) now need to finish one game better than WPC in order to claim the final playoff spot.
 
Warner Pacific led in every facet of the match, hitting .193 to just .101 for the Beacons while holding a 7-3 edge in aces, a 10-6 lead in blocks and a 73-72 advantage in digs.
 
As has been the case for most of the season, the dueling Janessa's controlled the match for the Knights. Janessa White hit .244, collecting 15 kills, two aces and five blocks. Janessa Mast contributed 11 kills and 12 digs. M'Kailah Redden owned the net on Saturday, getting eight kills and a match-high six blocks. Brandy Velasquez posted a team-high 19 digs.
 
For the Beacons, Taylor Burnett made the most of her final home game, securing a double-double with 13 kills and 16 digs. Cassidy Winters added ten kills and hit a match-best .368. Keri Schwarz led NCU with four blocks and Sydney Rothenbush had another solid effort on the back line with 23 digs, the fifth-highest total in school history for a three-set match. Maci Beierle also contributed a double-double with 28 assists and 16 digs.
 
NCU hits the road for the final weekend of the regular season, playing at Southern Oregon on Friday night and at Oregon Tech on Saturday. Warner Pacific heads home for the final weekend where they will host Northwest on Friday and Evergreen on Saturday. 


Story courtesy of NCU Sports Information