FULLERTON, Calif. – Northwest went 1-1 on the first day of the Summer Slam on Friday, knocking off Saint Katherine 3-1 before falling to No. 24 Dordt in five sets.
 
The Eagles opened the day with a 26-28, 25-16, 25-20, 25-22 victory over Saint Katherine with the defense picking up eight blocks and holding SKU to a .097 swing percentage.
 
Abi Broussard and Delaney Sparks had 13 kills and three blocks each with Broussard posting a .500 attack percentage. Reece Denney added nine kills. Anna Saelens put up a team-leading 22 assists while Morgan Harter got a double-double with 17 assists and 15 digs.
 
Kelsey Moore got a workout on the back row with 35 digs and Caitlyn James added a dozen. Karste Wright and Kylie Lunday joined the front-row block party with three each.
 
"Credit St. Katherine for the fast start in set one," said NU Head Coach Steven Bain. "They served extremely well and we struggled to get in system and side out with any kind of consistency. We were able to make several adjustments though and we challenged our ladies to be more intentional with their energy and communication, which allowed us to stabilize and make a nice comeback. We were able to carry that momentum into the next two sets and did a nice job from the service line, which allowed us to control the tempo and close out the match."
 
Trailing by 10 in the opening set, the Eagles rallied to a late lead before falling 28-26.
 
Northwest took control of the second set with a 4-0 run in which Sparks had two blocks and a kill to help NU to a 13-8 lead. The Firebirds got no closer than three from there and Sparks ended the set with a kill.
 
NU used a 7-1 run to take a 20-13 lead in the third set with Lunday getting a kill and a block in the spree. Broussard finished off the set with a kill.
 
The Eagles rallied from down 22-21 for four unanswered points to win the fourth set and the match. Broussard had two kills and Caitlyn James finished the morning off with an ace.
 
Dordt got the five-set victory, 25-23, 17-25, 25-18, 22-25, 17-15. All three of NU's losses this season have come in five-set rumbles.
 
NU trailed Dordt by as many as seven points in the first set but rallied back to tie it at 22-22 before the Defenders posted two kills in a set-ending 3-1 rally.
 
The Eagles fired off a 10-3 start to the second set, including three aces by Allie Flynn. Dordt never got closer than three points from there. Denney finished off the set win with a kill.
 
A 14-6 run by Dordt spelled NU's third-set doom but the Eagles rallied to send the match to the fifth set.
 
After falling behind in that fourth set, 8-4, NU used an 8-1 run, fueled by three kills by Sparks, to build a 12-9 lead. The Eagles stoked the lead to eight points and Azaria Johnson and Broussard ended the set with a block.
 
Northwest got the fifth set off to a strong start, leading 6-2, and had a 13-10 lead late. Dordt rattled off five kills over the next nine volleys to snatch the win.
 
"Dordt is a quality opponent from a tough conference, and they are as deep and talented as the conference they hail from," said Bain. "When they were in system, we struggled to slow down the weapons on their offense. Our own energy and commitment to the match was also at a high level and the ladies showed a ton of determination to force the fifth set. If I have any disappointment, it's that we need to play with more courage when the match is on the line. But it's early season and we learned a lot from the effort and look forward to watching this group grow and mature."
 
Broussard led the Eagles with 10 kills, four aces, and four blocks. Denney added eight kills and Flynn had four aces. Anna Saelens led with 23 assists with Flynn picking up 11.
 
Azaria Johnson and Kalei Kepler had two blocks each. Moore led the team with 26 digs with Denney adding 13 and Caitlyn James 10.
 
NU, now 3-3, finishes its California trip on Saturday with matches at 8 a.m. against Benedictine-Mesa and 1 p.m. against host Hope International.