Saint Martin’s wraps up volleyball preseason in Northwest Nazarene tournament  

The Saints volleyball team competed in Northwest Nazarene University’s (NNU) Hampton Inn & Suites Nighthawks Classic, hosted by NNU last weekend at the Johnson Sports Center at Nampa, ID. The Lacey ladies won one out of four games in the tournament, their last preseason tournament before the start of the 2024 Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) volleyball regular sesaon.  

Displaying grit and resilience, SMU volleyball battled through the distance in the first three games, losing their opener 2-3 against Colorado School of Mines on Thursday, Sept. 12, in a frustrating reverse sweep. They came up short in another five-setter, falling to Westminster University the following day. They finally got their first win on Saturday in another grueling five sets over Biola. Then in the final fixture an undefeated Point Loma Nazarene blanked SMU. 

With their preseason over, the Saints opened their conference games by hosting Northwest Nazarene in the GNAC on September 19 at Marcus Pavilion. The last time they faced each other, the Saints defeated the Nighthawks for just the second time since record-keeping began in 2000. 

Saint Martin’s 2, Colorado School of Mines 3: Saints blow two-set lead in tournament opener 

The Saints kicked off their Nampa tournament run with a defeat in five sets against Colorado School of Mines. It was a frustrating gentleman’s sweep, 2-3 (25-20, 25-22, 19-25, 16-25, 8-15) on September 12.  

SMU clinched the first two sets coming off kills from Emmy Hansen, Emily Garten, and Jennifer Soha, but they just could not close a third set. The Saints put up a 0.359 attack percentage to run riot in the opening set and sustained their flow up to the second set on the verge of sweeping the Orediggers. 

Unfortunately, the tides swung the other way in the third set, as Morgan McChesney and Jenna Mclaughlin kept the Miners off the ropes and got one set back. That momentum continued in the fourth set as the women from Golden, CO, forced the decider. The frustrated Saints couldn’t catch a break as Colorado’s Naomi Roslo took over with four crucial kills to seal the game.  

The box scores reflect how close the match was, with the huge gaps being how error-prone the Saints were (35 errors vs. 21 by the Lady Orediggers) and points off blocks (3 points vs. 15 for the Orediggers). 

Westminster 3, Saint Martin’s 2: Saints lose another five-setter 

The Northwest Nazarene tournament continued on Friday the 13th as the Saints still could not win three sets, blowing a 2-1 lead against Salt Lake City, UT based Westminster University, 2-3 (15-25, 25-22, 25-22, 18-25, 11-15).  

Hansen, Garten, and Soha led the Saints again in the attacking department, with Hansen hitting 13 kills, Garten adding 10 kills and 15 excellent digs, while Soha also contributed 10 kills. 

Kamara White also shone in this game for the Saints as the setter contributed on both ends of the court, tallying 18 assists from 15 excellent sets and 20 digs on the defensive end. 

Saint Martin’s 3, Biola 2: Saints finally in the win column in another five-set thriller 

After playing three consecutive matches going the distance, the Saints finally won their first match in the Northwest Nazarene tournament, outlasting Biola University, 3-2 (25-17, 25-20, 17-25, 22-25, 15-9) in a see-saw affair on Saturday morning. 

Setter Tiffany Lam had a standout performance with 21 assists from sets, while Soha organized a huge block party with nine points off blocks, the most of any player in this game. Hansen also had10 kills and 5 blocks, while Zoey Crimin contributed 12 kills.  

The Saints got off to a good start, with a 2-0 lead thanks to an impressive first set from Kingsley Mason and Garten. The momentum flowed into the second set on the back of inspired performances from Madison Thomas and Crimin. 

Biola kept it close as the Eagles got one set back via runs led by Hannah Guzzetti and Kendall Vandertuig. They then forced another deciding set after a close 25-22 fourth set. 

With the Saints in another familiar situation, they never wasted the chance and finally got the win in the do-or-die set, getting points from Hansen and Soha. An error from a Biola player sealed the win for the Saints. 

This win over the ladies from La Mirada, CA, is just the second preseason win for the Lady Saints, and their first win since their straight sets victory over Hawaii Pacific in the Hawaii Hilo tournament the previous week.  

Point Loma Nazarene 3, Saint Martin’s 0: Saints close out preseason with loss in straight sets 

The Saints ended their Northwest Nazarene tournament campaign Saturday afternoon with a 3-0 (14-25, 23-25, 21-25) defeat to a hot-streak, undefeated Point Loma Nazarene team which only lost one set the whole tournament. 

The Saints, fresh from three consecutive five-setters, were blown out during the opening set as they were held to a 0.059% attack percentage. Despite this rough start, they managed to keep it close in the second set up to the point where they led 20-15. Yet a demoralizing 7-0 run from the Sea Lions wiped out their chances. 

Feeling outgassed, the Saints were held again in their attack in the third set, as they only tallied a 0.025% on attack.