CENTRAL FINISHES 4-0 AT TOURNAMENT, MARBLE NAMED CO-MVP
Wildcats Improve to 7-1 with Friday Wins over Walla Walla, BYU-Hawaii ELLENSBURG (Sept. 4) -- Senior
Erin Norris (Spokane/Mead HS) and junior
Kady Try (Brentwood, Calif./Mead HS) finished with 16 kills apiece, and junior
Brandie Vea (Honolulu, Hawaii/Kalani HS) was credited with 43 digs in helping lead Central Washington to a 23-25, 25-22, 25-17, 25-21 win over visiting Brigham Young-Hawaii to cap an undefeated weekend at Nicholson Pavilion on Friday night.
The Wildcats (7-1) also defeated Walla Walla University 25-8, 25-9, 25-12 earlier in the day to finish the CWU Invitational with a 4-0 record and a tournament co-championship. Sonoma State (8-0), whom Central did not face in the tournament, was also undefeated in the two-day, eight-team event on the CWU campus.
Norris hit at a .483 clip, while Try, one of two Wildcats on the all-tournament team, added 11 digs and five blocks in the win over the Seasiders on Friday night. Setter
Carlee Marble (La Conner), who was named the tournament's co-Most Valuable Player, had 49 assists against BYU-Hawaii and helped the Wildcats to a .235 hitting percentage for the tournament.
Against the Seasiders, Central dropped a tightly-contested opening set after holding a four-point lead (15-11) at one time. In the second set, the Wildcats scored consecutive points to break a 14-14 tie and never trailed again to knot the match at one set apiece. A 10-1 start to the third set put CWU in front by a two sets-to-one margin, and a 5-0 rally late in the final stanza enabled the Wildcats to finish the match in four sets.
Vea's 43 digs in the match were the second-highest total in school history and of her career, seven fewer than the 50 she totaled one year ago Friday against Sonoma State last season.
In the opening match of the day, Central Washington had 39 kills with just five errors for a .362 hitting percentage and used 15 players in easing to a three-set win over Walla Walla.
Junior
Kristel Baeckel (Gresham, Ore./Sam Barlow HS) had seven kills and a .545 percentage, while Try had six and freshman
Molly Mayer (East Wenatchee/Eastmont HS) added a career-high five kills in a very balanced offensive match. Marble had 23 assists in two sets played.
Central Washington, which had finished second with a 3-1 record at the Seawolf Spike tournament hosted by Sonoma State last weekend, will have one more non-conference tournament before opening Great Northwest Athletic Conference play. The Wildcats travel to Bellingham for four matches (three counting) next Thursday through Saturday. Central's next home contest will be played Sept. 24 against Alaska.
CWU INVITATIONAL ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM Lindsay Brown, Sr., Sonoma State (Co-MVP)
CARLEE MARBLE, SO., CENTRAL WASHINGTON (Co-MVP) Marlayna Geary, Fr., Western Washington
Allison Gotz, Jr., Western Washington
Ally Sather, Fr., Sonoma State
KADY TRY, JR., CENTRAL WASHINGTON Dan Yang, Jr., Academy of Art
Tournament Statistical Leaders
BOX SCORES:
Central Washington def. Walla Walla 25-8, 25-9, 25-12
Central Washington def. Brigham Young-Hawaii 23-25, 25-22, 25-17, 25-21
