MONMOUTH, Ore. – The Western Oregon volleyball team finished their 2019 season on a high note, winning 3-2 (22-25, 26-24, 23-25, 25-20, 15-12) over the Montana State Billings Yellowjackets on Senior Night at NPE Gym.
 
The game would be the last of the collegiate career for senior middle blocker Allyson Crisp, who cemented herself in the Western Oregon record books in the process.
 
Set one saw Montana State Billings (8-21, 5-14 GNAC) roll out the first five points of the night, taking a commanding lead out of the gate. The Yellowjackets saw their lead grow to as many as 10 at 15-5 in the first game before Western Oregon (5-22, 3-17 GNAC) pushed back. The Wolves scored five straight points to force an MSUB timeout midway through the set. After trailing by 10, WOU got back to within two at 24-22 before a Maddie Vigil kill sealed the Yellowjackets' win.
 
Vigil and teammate Bayli Monck combined to lead the Yellowjackets' attack as Vigil totaled 16 kills and Monck had a match-high 17. Both juniors finished with 10 digs to log double-doubles.
 
"I am really proud of how we competed and worked for every single point tonight," said sophomore setter Aubrey Stanton. "Our intensity and focus were what lead to the win. I am so happy we could get this win for Ally on her senior night."
 
Set two saw the closest finish of the night go the way of the Wolves. Western established a solid lead at 16-10, but had to fight off a big MSUB rally. The 'Jackets pushed for five straight points to follow their largest deficit of the set and eventually led at 21-20 after an 11-4 run. Trailing 24-23, Western then won three straight points to win their first set of the game, evening the match at 1-1.
 
"To have our season go out with a win was the best feeling," said Allie Spear after the Wolves' first five-set win since 2018. "We played together and for each other tonight and that's what we've been chasing after all season. We had to send Ally off, and that was hard, but we are so excited for what is next and we are ready to keep working hard to reach where we want to be."
 
Western Oregon hit .131 as a team in the match, being held below .100 in hitting percentage twice in the first three sets. They finished strong, however, posting their two best marks with a .188 and .231 tally in the fourth and fifth sets, respectively.
 
Sianna DeCarli led the WOU offense with 15 kills on 39 attacks. She added on five digs and five blocks on a team-high 18.0 points.
 
"It felt amazing to end on such a positive note," said DeCarli. "It was a great team victory and we are all glad we could send our senior off with a win."
 
MSUB picked up their second and final set in the third game, battling from behind to win 25-23. The Wolves again held a lead midway through the set that could not stand. The Yellowjackets rallied off six straight points to overcome WOU's advantage and never trail again in the set.
 
The Wolves then closed with back-to-back set wins to come from behind for their fifth victory of the year. After being down 8-7, they did not trail again in the set, posting five straight points to follow and forcing the fifth and final game.
 
The fifth set, just as the most of the match would, had back-and-forth suspense until the end.  With the set tied at 12, DeCarli threw down consecutive kills and Stanton finished off the win with an ace to take the final three points.
 
The win was the first five-set win for WOU since Oct. 18, 2018, when they beat Northwest Nazarene 3-2 on the road. It would also give Allyson Crisp a victory in her final collegiate volleyball game.
 
Crisp rose to the occasion in her final match, vaulting into the Western Oregon record books with 10 total blocks on the night. The 10 blocks tied her for the sixth-best single-game performance in WOU's NCAA era. Her two solo blocks Thursday night also pushed her over the top for the single-season record in solo blocks, totaling 20 on the year to break Amanda Short's record set in 2016.
 
Crisp finishes her senior season having played in 90 sets, recording 122 kills, 79 blocks, 34 digs and 15 aces.
 
"I'm really excited about our win tonight," added Crisp. "It was a great game to end my career on. I'm so proud of all of my teammates and so excited to see what they can do next year. I'm very glad I transferred here for my last year because I really found my family. All the girls on the team are such amazing people and I'm going to miss them all so much. I would not have wanted anyone else by my side tonight. Thank you for the opportunity to be a WOU athlete, I will never forget my time."
 
With the win, Western Oregon concludes their 2019 season.