KIRKLAND – Northwest knocked off Evergreen State in four sets Saturday and all but punched its ticket for the postseason.
 
NU won 25-15, 16-25, 25-21, 25-23.
 
A four-way tie could complicate the postseason outlook. but such a scenario involves some unlikely upsets. The Eagles need only a win or an Evergreen State loss in the remaining matches to simplify the equation. Both teams hit the road next weekend to meet Southern Oregon and Oregon Tech.
 
"The energy in the gym tonight clearly reflected the importance of this match for both teams, and credit Evergreen for a strong effort," said NU Coach Steven Bain. "Evergreen was exceptional from the service line, and they created a lot of stress on our serve-receive, especially from the second set on. On our side of the net, I was pleased with how the team stayed on task and stuck to the game plan through some challenging moments. As well, we made plays when the match was on the line, which is something that we can continue to build on as we enter the final week of the regular season."
 
The Eagles honored seniors Kylie Szczepanski and Keann White ahead of their final regular-season contest in the Kristi Brodin Pavilion.
 
Abigail Broussard led the Eagle charge Saturday with 12 kills, five aces, and eight blocks. Courteney Carr had 20 assists, and Anna Saelens contributed 18. 
 
Cristina Hegarty had 11 digs.
 
Renita Gray led the Geoducks with 15 kills, with Sierra Wolff lifting 33 assists. Zoe Shaw had 15 digs.
 
After spotting the Geoducks a point in the first set, the Eagles scored four straight points. Later, Broussard would get a kill and two aces in a 3-0 run to push the NU lead to 19-10.
 
Keann White had two kills in a set-ending 5-1 run.
 
Gray had three kills in a 6-0 run to give TESC a 16-7 lead. Northwest got no closer than four points from there.
 
The Eagles used a Broussard kill and a Sarah Howlett block in a 4-0 run to take a 22-16 lead. Seniors Kylie Szczepanski and Keann White ended the set with a block.
 
Northwest trailed 9-5 in the fourth set before Broussard got three blocks, and Tatiana Ensz got a kill and an ace in a 7-0 run to build a 12-9 lead.
 
The Geoducks fought back and took a 19-18 lead, but Broussard got a kill, a pair of aces, and a block during a 6-1 run for a 24-20 lead. Evergreen staged a final rally that came up short when Hannah Lord ended the night with a kill.
 
The Eagles improved to 13-11 overall and 11-7 in the conference.