MONMOUTH, Ore. (Oct. 22) – The tandem of redshirt freshman Amanda Short and sophomore Alisha Bettinson combined for 22 kills to lead Western Oregon in its 25-23, 27-25, 25-16 sweep of visiting Seattle Pacific on Thursday night in the New P.E. Building.
 
The Wolves won their second match consecutively to improve to 6-14 overall and 3-8 in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. SPU fell to 6-13 overall and 4-7 in league play.
 
Short paced the squad with 12 kills. Bettinson posted her sixth double-double of the year with 10 kills and 18 digs. Another duo had the most efficient attacking nights - junior Paige Kelsey had nine kills on 18 attempts to post a .389 hitting percentage while sophomore Sydney Blankinship had five kills, no error and a .357 hitting mark. Freshman setter Leila Holt assisted on 38 kills and had a season-high 10 digs for her first collegiate double-double.
 
WOU had to play the comeback game in the opening two sets. Facing a three-point deficit at multiple points in the game, including at 18-15, the Wolves went on an 8-3 run after a timeout. The Falcons scored three times late to wipe away potential game points, but a service error handed victory to the home club.
 
Seattle Pacific held a 22-19 lead and had two game points before WOU responded with a 5-1 spurt to flip the script. Kelsey had a pair of consecutive kills to earn a serve at game point and Short spiked down another. SPU could not find the court on a long attack handing a 2-0 lead to WOU.
 
In game three, a pair of three-point spurts seized momentum and Western Oregon never looked back. WOU committed only three errors in the final set while forcing nine on the opposite side.  
 
Defensively, junior libero Christie Colasurdo made a season-best 35 of the team's 75 digs.
 
WOU outhit the Falcons .214 to .121 on the night and eight blocks to SPU's three.
 
Western Oregon wraps up a weekend at home with a match this Saturday (Oct. 24) against Saint Martin's at 7 p.m.