Volleyball | 8/30/2012 2:39:00 PM

Box Score [Box score]

MONMOUTH, Ore. - The Wolves' 24-26, 25-16, 22-25, 25-20 and 15-12 comeback win against Cal State Los Angeles can only be described by one word: resilience.

After forcing a fifth set, Western Oregon found itself trailing 12-7 with the match on the line. The Wolves however, had no one to blame for their wounds but themselves as five of the Golden Eagles' first eight points came on WOU service errors. But with their backs firmly against the wall Western Oregon rallied with one of the most impressive Wolves' comebacks in recent memory.

A service error by CSULA opened the door for Becky Blees to take the ball on the serve and rally the Wolves to the final eight points of the match, giving WOU the Wolves the season-opening win. During the run the Wolves got crucial kills from Sylvia Herrold and Krissi Kemper, a service ace from Blees and five points off miscues from the Golden Eagles. 

"This is not just a win; it is a different category of win," said Western Oregon head coach Brad Saindon. "We could have cashed it in, but we showed some grit and fought hard to the end."

Samantha Ward recorded a career-high 19 kills to lead all scorers. The senior from Salem (West Salem HS) added 13 kills for the double-double. Danielle Reese posted a double-double of her own with 11 kills and 14 digs. Kemper had eight kills of her own and just two errors for a .500 attack percentage.

Blees also helped anchor a Wolves' defense which had 12 blocks and held the Golden Eagles to a .126 hitting percentage. WOU hitters were only blocked six times in the match.

The Wolves never were up a set as CSULA scored the final four points of the first set to win 26-24. The teams then split each of the next two sets to head into the fourth with WOU trailing 2-1. Western Oregon evened the match with a 25-20 win in the fourth set, in which Ward had five kills to set up the decisive fifth frame.

"This was a really important win for us against a very good team in our region. Its great to win in your own gym and I think this match will do wonders for our confidence," Saindon continued. "I am so happy for the team and the seniors but this is just one match and we have another one to go today."

The Wolves will continue the WOU Invitational on Thursday with a match against Florida Southern at 7:30 p.m.