Box Score
ELLENSBURG (Oct. 2) -- Senior Kady Try (Brentwood, Calif./Mead HS) had 15 kills, and the Central Washington University volleyball team utilized 15 players in easing to a 25-17, 25-14, 25-16 win over visiting Saint Martin's University on Saturday night at Nicholson Pavilion.
The Wildcats won their fifth straight three-set sweep to improve to 7-5 overall and 5-2 in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. Saint Martin's fell to 1-12 overall and 1-7 in the GNAC.
Try, who ranks among the NCAA Division II national leaders in kills, was the only CWU player with more than six kills in the match. She committed just three errors in 34 attempts for a .353 percentage, and added seven digs to her offensive total.
Central had to work to earn its first-set win, overcoming eight ties and four lead changes. They used a 9-2 run to go from a one-point deficit (12-11) to a six-point lead (20-14), and actually turned in their most efficient set of the match at .306 to take the early match advantage.
In the second set, the Wildcats trailed 10-5 before going on a 14-2 run that was capped off by 10 consecutive points for a 19-12 edge.
To cap the match, CWU rested two of its starters in the third set and Try erupted for seven kills while freshman Erin Smith (Selah) and sophomore Jordan Offutt (Leavenworth/Cascade HS) had three each in the frame, and the Wildcats led nearly from start to finish in the 25-16 victory.
Junior setter Carlee Marble (La Conner) had three kills in as many attempts with 19 assists and eight digs in just two sets for the Wildcats. Senior Kristel Baeckel (Gresham, Ore./Sam Barlow HS) continued her solid play with six kills, a .417 percentage, and four assisted blocks, while Offutt added five kills in two sets of action. Senior Brandie Vea (Honolulu, Hawaii/Kalani HS) led all players with 23 digs.
Saint Martin's was led by the seven kills apiece from Kirstyn Druzianich and Katy Ferguson. Brianna Bautista finished with 15 digs and Malia Ibarra added 13 in a losing effort for the Saints.
Central Washington will now spend the majority of the month of October on the road. The Wildcats play six of their next seven matches away from Nicholson Pavilion, beginning with their annual trek to Alaska next weekend. CWU returns home on Oct. 14 to face Montana State Billings.
