MONMOUTH, Ore. – After dropping the first two sets to Montana State Billings, Western Oregon volleyball came back in the last three to claim the victory on Saturday evening.
 
In their final home match of the season, the Wolves improved to 8-19 overall and 5-13 in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.
 
It was a total team effort as four Wolves reached double digits in kills. Sydney Blankinship led the team with a season-high of 16 kills. Amanda Short contributed 15, Alisha Bettinson added 13, and Paige Kelsey had 10.
 
Support came from Christie Colasurdo, who had 34 digs for the night, and Leila Holt, who provided 42 assists. The Wolves also had nine blocks as Blankinship assisted five, Kelsey assisted four, and Mariella Vandenkooy as well as Holt each assisted three.
 
The Wolves built their momentum as each set passed. They kept the opening set a tight-scoring game until the YellowJackets (6-21, 5-13 GNAC) began to pull away halfway through. Montana State Billings obtained a 10-point advantage for the final set win.
 
Western Oregon started the second set strong as they endured a long rally in the first play and eventually claimed the first point. The remainder of the set included back-and-forth scoring where neither team had a definitive lead.  Despite the fact that the Wolves improved their hitting to .294 in the second game, it was the YellowJackets who drove it home for the 25-18 set win.  
 
In the beginning of the third set, Montana State Billings maintained the lead. Western Oregon began to take control of the game when Amanda Short blasted a kill after an intense rally for the Wolves' 10th point. They then proceeded to take the next three points, and after keeping up with the YellowJackets, the Wolves claimed the third set, 26-24, in order to stay alive in the overall match.
 
Montana State Billings was the frontrunner once again early in the fourth game, but Western Oregon closed the gap and obtained their first lead of the set at 20-19, which was in the midst of the Wolves' four-point scoring streak. Western Oregon got away with the win by three points.
 
As the fifth set approached, the Wolves came out fighting. At one point, they scored eight points in a row, and Short scored the first four of them. Western Oregon's hard work paid off as they won the set, 15-9, claiming the overall match.
 
The Wolves will close out the season with a final road trip to Alaska Fairbanks on Thursday, November 19, and Alaska Anchorage on Saturday, November 21.