FULLERTON, CA – No. 24 Northwest University volleyball team wrapped up play at the 2018 Summer Slam hosted by Hope International University. The Eagles had to fight their way back from a 2-0 deficit in the final game to claim a 3-2 victory against Olivet Nazarene. With today's split, the Eagles head home with a 1-3 record and look forward to their next tournament in the Big Sky Challenge located in Butte, MT.

Match 1 – No. 24 Northwest University 0, No. 6 Westmont 3
Northwest University (0-3, overall) had a slow start coming off two defeats yesterday. Westmont College kept the spreads comfortable by claiming a 3-0 victory (25-19, 25-14, 25-15).

Northwest University played competitively in the first game, keeping the score to a two-point spread, down 18-20, until Hali Galloway from Westmont College started to serve. Hali Galloway spread the lead 24-18 to put the Eagles out of reach for a comeback.

Sarah Howlett, a 5'11'' sophomore from Richland, WA, led the Eagles with 9 kills. Cristina Hegarty, a freshman from Olympia, WA, picked up 13 digs for the Eagles, a strong start to her collegiate career.

Hali Galloway set the tone for the Westmont Warriors by hitting .281 percent with 12 kills. Libby Dahlberg was not far behind with 10 kills, hitting .500 percent. Amy Buffham set them up with 34 assists.

"We came out strong in the first set against Westmont, but their serving and passing was superior to ours, which allowed them to control the match with their high-powered offense," reflected Northwest University head coach Steven Bain. "Despite the loss, there were plenty of positives on our side of the net, and I was especially pleased with the emotional energy that our players brought to the court. If we continue to bring that level of intensity, it will eventually translate to the win column."

Match 2 – Northwest University 3, Olivet Nazarene 2
The Eagles (1-3, overall) had to battle their way back against the Olivet Tigers to claim their first victory in the tournament. Northwest University competed until the very end, taking the last game into extra points (22-25, 24-26, 25-13, 25-23, 16-14).

The turning point for the Eagles was the third game. They were able to get ahead early and keep the lead. Abigail Broussard had 17 kills to give the Eagles their first win of the season. Freshman Sofie Back from Gislaved, Sweden, served up an ace for the final point in game 5. Courteney Carr played a major role with having 38 assists.

Micki Quakenbush led the Olivet Tigers with 12 kills. Alex Ewalt picked up 33 digs, and Kayleigh Kastelein had 24 assists.

Steven Bain remarked, "Our ladies gave another terrific effort this afternoon and were rewarded with a victory. Olivet was a solid defensive team, due in no small measure to an aggressive effort from the service line. It took a set for our serve-receive to stabilize, but once it did, it allowed us to side out at a higher level and turn the match around. Again, our physical and emotional energy was strong throughout the match, even when we were down, and coming back from two sets down to win the match shows that they are making real progress."