Box Score

ELLENSBURG (Nov. 7) -- Erin Norris (Spokane/Mead HS) and Kady Try (Brentwood, Calif./Mead HS) had 13 kills each and Central Washington hit .286 as a team in the deciding fifth set en route to the Wildcats' 11-25, 25-21, 25-15, 21-25, 15-11 volleyball victory over visiting Western Washington on Saturday evening at Nicholson Pavilion.

The Wildcats won their second straight completed match to move to 14-10 overall and 6-7 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play. They also secured their sixth winning season in the past seven years, and was their first win over Western since 2005, snapping a seven-match head-to-head losing streak in the series with Western. The Vikings fell to 16-10 overall and 9-6 in GNAC action.

Junior Kristel Baeckel (Gresham, Ore./Sam Barlow HS) had the match-clinching kill in the fifth set, although it was the hitting success of teammates Norris and Try that carried the Wildcats to the win in the final frame. That duo combined for seven of Central's eight kills in the fifth -- with Baeckel's being the other -- as the Wildcats committed just two hitting errors in 21 attempts. They broke a 6-6 tie with consecutive points as part of a 6-2 run and did not trail again, claiming the match on their second match point.

Western Washington took a commanding first-set win over the Wildcats, hitting .481 with 14 kills and just one error in 27 attempts in cruising to a 25-11 win. Central, meanwhile, struggled offensively in the opening frame with as many errors as kills (six).

The tables turned in Central's favor in the second set, however, as the Wildcats rallied from a 19-18 deficit with five straight points behind the service of freshman Marcy Hjellum Kennewick/Kamiakin HS). A kill by junior Bri Gregory (Bremerton) at Central's first set point of the frame knotted the match at one set apiece.

Momentum continued to swing in Central's favor in the third set as they coasted to their 10-point win. The Wildcats played their most flawless set of the match offensively with 13 kills and a .500 percentage while not hitting into the Viking block whatsoever.

The visiting Vikings' block attack returned in the fourth set, as Western totaled seven team blocks in the frame and forced Central into a minus-.039 hitting percentage. The Wildcats did not lead after falling behind 6-5 early in the frame, and Western forced the fifth set on a kill by freshman Marlayna Geary -- one of six by her in set four alone.

In addition to Norris and Try's 13 kills each, Hjellum had eight kills, 15 digs, and three blocks for the Wildcats. Gregory added six kills, four aces, five digs, and five blocks, while junior Brandie Vea (Honolulu, Hawaii/Kalani HS) again led the Wildcats with 18 digs.

Western's offense was led by Geary, who was the lone Viking with more than eight kills as she had a match-high 18. She also had 14 digs. Defensively, libero Allison Gotz led all players with 26 digs, while the front-line tandem of Emily Jepsen and Kathryn Mertens had 10 and nine blocks, respectively, as the Vikings finished with 17 team blocks.

Central will travel to Seattle on Monday night (Nov. 9) to complete a match from Thursday that was suspended due to power failure. The Wildcats and Seattle Pacific play at 7 p.m. before Central closes out the season with home matches versus Montana State Billings and Saint Martin's next Thursday (Nov. 12) and Saturday (Nov. 14), respectively.