Box Score

ELLENSBURG (Nov. 4) -- The Central Washington University volleyball team totaled nine blocks and used solid passing and back row defense in cruising to a three-set sweep of the visiting University of Alaska Fairbanks on Thursday night at Nicholson Pavilion. The Wildcats defeated the Nanooks by scores of 25-12, 25-21, and 25-17.

Central, which has won its last six home matches, improved to 11-9 overall (9-6 Great Northwest Athletic Conference) with the victory. The Wildcats also claimed their eighth straight home win in the series with the Nanooks, who fell to 6-15 overall and 4-11 in the GNAC with Thursday's defeat.

The Wildcats got off to a magnificent start in the first set, accumulating six of their blocks for the match as Alaska committed 15 total hitting errors in the set. After surrendering the first point of the match, Central took the lead at 2-1 and eventually finished the set by scoring eight of the final 11 points.

The second set was much more closely contested, with 10 total ties and five lead changes. The Wildcats overcame a 15-14 deficit with a 6-0 run, aided by a fortuitous ricochet off the net on a serve by sophomore Marcy Hjellum (Kennewick/Kamiakin HS), who served the six consecutive counters. Alaska closed to within three points on three occasions, but CWU senior Kristel Baeckel (Gresham, Ore./Sam Barlow HS) finished off the set with her only kill of the frame to give the Wildcats a 2-0 match lead.

After the two teams traded points and leads early in the third set, the Wildcats gained control with a 4-0 run that turned the match's final tie into a 9-5 lead. Alaska made it a one-point difference at 12-11, but three straight counters by CWU made it a four-point cushion and started a match-ending 13-6 run that was capped by the Nanooks' 29th attack error of the match.

Central used its defense -- both at the net and in the back row -- to its advantage on Thursday. The Wildcats totaled 48 digs and the nine total blocks, while needing just 28 kills to dispatch of the Nanooks. Senior Brandie Vea (Honolulu, Hawaii/Kalani HS) led all players with 17 digs, while junior Meg Ryan (Spokane/Mead HS), who was second on the Wildcats with six kills, added 10 digs for CWU. Baeckel sparked the blocking attack with five assisted blocks, while freshman Erin Smith (Selah) registered two solos and an assisted block in two sets played.

Senior Kady Try (Brentwood, Calif./Mead HS) finished as the Wildcats' top kill producer with eight, and Ryan was the only other CWU player with more than three kills in the contest. Senior Shaina Afoa (Anchorage, Alaska/A.J. Dimond HS) had a career-high three kills.

Alaska, which had swept CWU when the two teams played in Fairbanks on Oct. 9, was led by the six kills apiece of Tereza Bendlova and Karlee Skalla. Allison Oddy and Jennifer Holland both had nine digs to lead the Nanooks, who finished with 43 digs in the three-set affair.

Central Washington will continue a busy home stretch of matches by hosting regionally-ranked Alaska Anchorage on Saturday night (Nov. 6) at 7 p.m. The Wildcats will then host Simon Fraser on Monday (Nov. 8) for Senior Night at Nicholson Pavilion.