MONMOUTH, Ore. – In a match that went back-and-forth and had both teams thinking they had a chance to grab the victory, Saint Martin's was able to just hold off the Western Oregon University volleyball team with a 3-2 win (23-25, 25-18, 19-25, 25-19, 15-8) in Great Northwest Athletic Conference action Saturday night inside NPE Gym.

The match featured just about everything with the teams combining for 152 points, 132 kills, 11 service aces, 19 blocks, 116 assists and 205 digs. Isabel Hurliman went for a double-double with 15 kills and 12 digs. Aubrey Stanton and Laney O'Neil also registered double-doubles with Stanton tallying 24 assists and 15 digs, while O'Neil added 23 assists and 14 digs. Bailee Hartsook and Bella MacLellan added nine kills apiece. Makenzie York had four service aces.  Sophie Matlock led the back row with 20 digs. York accounted for six blocks, while Emily Olson added four.

With Saint Martin's (7-5, 1-2 GNAC) holding an early 9-6 lead in the first set, WOU (2-8, 0-3 GNAC) rallied back with four straight points to take a 10-9 lead. Following a pair of attack errors, York spun in a service ace and Madison Hornback added a kill. After the teams battled the rest of the set and were tied at 21, Hartsook tallied a kill to help start a 3-0 run. York and Olson combined for a block and then a kill from Hurliman pushed WOU to set point at 24-21. The Saints fought back with two straight points before an attack error gave WOU the 25-23 set win.

Saint Martin's started out strong in the second set moving ahead 9-4. Still holding a 16-11 lead, WOU began to chip away. A double-block by MacLellan and Hornback started a 4-0 run. After another attack error, MacLellan tallied a kill and a ball handling error left SMU with a slim 16-15 lead. After a kill by O'Neil and another ball handling error had WOU within two at 20-18, Saint Martin's closed the set on a 5-0 run to take the second set at 25-18 to even the match at one.

The third set was tied at six when WOU reeled off four straight points started on a kill by Hurliman. York and Olson combined for a block and after an attacking error, York capped the run with a kill. With WOU still ahead 14-10, Saint Martin's started to rally collecting the next six points to go ahead 16-14. The Saints still held a 19-16 lead when WOU came charging back to close the set on a 9-0 run. Following a service error, York then served out the next eight points of the set for WOU. During the final points of the set, York had three service aces and the Saints committed five errors as York closed the set with a service ace at 25-19 to take a 2-1 lead in the match.

WOU moved out to a 3-0 lead in the fourth set with York and Hartsook posting kills around a bad set from the Saints. SMU moved ahead 11-7 and WOU came right back to within a point when York and Hurliman tallied kills around a double-block by Hurliman and York. WOU came back to tie the set at 13 off a kill by Hartsook and attack error by the Saints. Following a run by Saint Martin's that had them ahead at 21-17, WOU made a push to get within two on a kill by Hurliman and service ace from Stanton. Saint Martin's then took the 21-19 set lead and closed on a 4-0 run to claim the fourth set at 25-19 and send the match to a decisive fifth set.

Starting out the fifth set, WOU picked up the first point and were ahead at 2-1 on a kill by Hartsook. Following a kill by Lauren Smith and a ball handling error by the Saints had the set tied at four, SMU tallied the next three points to open up a 7-4 lead. WOU came back with the next two points on kills by Olson and Hartsook. After SMU tallied three of the next four points to move ahead 10-7, the Wolves picked up a double-block by Hartsook and Delaney Smith. Following that point, Saint Martin's caught fire reeling off the next five points to take the fifth set at 15-8 and take the match at 3-2.

Saint Martin's posted 69 kills to 24 errors in 202 chances to hit .223. WOU tallied 53 kills to 22 errors in 198 chances to hit .157. WOU held the edge in blocks (11-8). Saint Martin's led in service aces (6-5), assists (65-51) and digs (111-94).

Emily Gooding led Saint Martin's with 18 kills, while Ilana Sagapolutele added 17 and Tia Allen with 15. Analise Hitchcock dished out 32 assists. On defense, Giselle Benetti had 34 digs and Jennifer Soha had seven blocks.

WOU will travel to Montana and Washington State this coming week as they will play at Montana State Billings on Thursday starting at 6 p.m. (Pacific), before closing the trip on Saturday afternoon at Seattle Pacific starting at 2 p.m.