MONMOUTH, Ore. – Western Oregon held off Saint Martin's (25-19, 23-25, 25-19, 25-18) to conclude the 2017 Volleyball season.
 
Both sides looked evenly matched at the start of the first set, with Western Oregon (7-20, 3-17) holding a slight 7-6 edge over Saint Martin's (9-19, 4-16). The Wolves stretched their lead to 14-9, then 17-11. With the Saints' back to the wall at 24-16, SMU proceeded to claim the next three points on kills from Megan Vernoy, Ililani Kamaka and Liz Larson. However, a service error by the Saints sealed the 25-19 victory for WOU.
 
The Saints quickly responded, jumping out to an early 5-1 lead, highlighted by kills from Rachel Gondrezick. The Wolves began chipping away at the score and eventually took the lead at 10-9. Saint Martin's answered back with a 6-1 run to regain the lead. Western Oregon tied the set as late as 19-19; however, SMU put away the victory by ending with back-to-back kills by Gondrezick.
 
The Wolves took the early lead at 8-5, and the Saints trimmed the score to within one at 9-8. Western Oregon used a 6-1 run to take control of the set and outlasted the Saints' comeback attempts to win 25-19.
 
The score was tied six times with two lead changes in the first points as the Saints and the Wolves were gridlocked at 7-7. However, Western Oregon pulled ahead using an 8-1 run to go up 15-8. Trailing by eight, the Saints rallied behind Gondrezick and Kamille Langford kills and a combo block by Vernoy and Langford to trim the lead to three, forcing a Western Oregon timeout. Out of the break, the Wolves rattled off three straight kills to re-establish control and a match victory, 25-18.
 
Rachel Gondrezick led the way with 17 kills on 58 chances, along with 13 digs and one block. Megan Vernoy reached 12 kills and four total blocks while Langford added seven kills and three blocks. Hannah Neumann recorded 21 digs and Courtney Misner added 19 digs. Nicolette Nesbitt finished with 40 assists.
 
The loss wraps up the 2017 season for Saint Martin's Volleyball. A season in which a school record was set for wins and multiple Saints earned their place among the top of the school's record book.