Box Score BILLINGS, Mont. – Behind a match-high 16 kills by Elayna Rice, No. 11 Northwest Nazarene defeated host Montana State Billings in four sets Thursday evening in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference match at Alterowitz Gym.
 
After dropping the first set 25-17, MSUB responded with a strong come-from-behind 26-24 win in the second frame to even the match. NNU emerged from the break and established momentum however, taking home the final two sets 25-20 and 25-19 for the win.
 
Taylor VanValey also had double figures in kills (11) for NNU, which improved to 22-2 on the season and 15-1 in GNAC play. Four Crusaders finished with double-digit digs, with libero Taylor Roberts pacing the squad with 23. Rice (15), Linnea Phillips (12) and Kaitlyn Tuholski (10) were also in that category.
 
For MSUB (11-13, 6-9 GNAC), freshman Alaina Gentili led the way with 16 kills and Krista Norris finished with 11. Junior setter Kyndal Williams turned in 45 assists, and freshman libero Haley Wells had a team-best 21 digs. Norris finished with a double-double, as she also upped 13 balls for the 'Jackets.
 
"I thought Krista stepped up big for us tonight," said MSUB head coach Lisa Axel. "She was taking some monster swings and providing a ton of energy for us. She had a double-double on the night, and played great defense as well."
 
MSUB finished with 12 team blocks on the match, and Gentili had five block assists while Ashlynn Ward had four. The 'Jackets shot .168 as a team, but NNU finished with a strong mark of .237 in hitting percentage.
 
"Our game plan was to go out and play to win, not to play careful," Axel said regarding facing a top-ranked opponent. "We had to take chances, and a team like NNU doesn't make a lot of mistakes. We tried to take some big swings, but we swung into the block a lot tonight. NNU played some great defense, and balls we thought would be down kept coming back."
 
A service ace by Tuholski wrapped up the first set for NNU, as the Crusaders finished strong after leading 18-10 for the 25-17 win.
 
The 'Jackets kept up to open the second set, as the teams played evenly to the score of 7-6 in favor of NNU. A service error several points later by the Crusaders kept the game even as the score moved to 10-10.
 
Keeping pace, a kill by Norris made the score 15-15 moving into the later part of the second set. The Crusaders rallied to win three of the next four points however, and a quick put-back slam by Michelle Terpstra made the score 19-16.
 
Rallying out of a timeout, Monica Grimsrud beat a block with a kill and finished the next one to make the score 20-20. An attack error by NNU on the next point gave MSUB the lead, and pushed Crusader head coach Doug English to burn a timeout.
 
The 'Saders created momentum out of the breather, winning three points in-a-row to reestablish the lead. Facing game-point at 24-21, MSUB rallied for a four-point streak to set up a game-point of its own. A ball handling error by the Crusaders sealed the set for MSUB, as the match moved even at 1-1.
 
Set 3 began with a similar, even cadence, and a kill by Ward sparked a three-point rally to make the score 10-10.
 
Terpstra and Madi Farrell combined for a block several points later, as the Crusaders built a 15-12 advantage. After NNU took home the next point, Axel burned a timeout with the score at 16-12.
 
Falling behind 20-13, Gentili picked up two-straight points for MSUB to help her team back into the game at 20-15.
 
Moving ahead to game point at 24-19, NNU finished the job this time to take the third set 25-20 and establish a 2-1 lead.
 
Ward helped MSUB to an early lead in the fourth set, landing a solo block to make the score 5-4 in favor of the 'Jackets.
 
A 6-0 run by the Crusaders was capped by a booming kill from Andrea Terpstra, pushing NNU ahead 10-5 and pushing Axel to call a timeout. A dual block by the Terpstras gave NNU one more point, but Chelsey Walter put an end to the rally with a putaway down the line.
 
The Crusaders extended their lead to 18-10, before MSUB put together a three-point run. MSUB continued to sneak back into the match, as a kill by Ward and a dual block by her and Walter made the score 23-19. The comeback effort came up short however, as NNU kept its foot on the gas to set up match-point at 24-19. Andrea Terpstra slammed home the game-winner, giving NNU the 4-set victory.
 
NEXT UP: The Yellowjackets host GNAC opponent Central Washington, which is ranked No. 5 in the latest NCAA west region poll. First serve is set for 7 p.m., and MSUB's three graduating seniors will be honored prior to the match on Senior Night.
 
"Any time you are facing a team that is getting votes in poll, you have to go out and do something special," Axel said. "We need to find a way to do that on our home court, and find the consistency we have been striving for all year."