Box Score

ELLENSBURG (Sept. 25) -- The senior duo of Kady Try (Brentwood, Calif./Mead HS) and Kristel Baeckel (Gresham, Ore./Sam Barlow HS) combined for 26 kills and had five assisted blocks each as the Central Washington University volleyball team earned its third straight win with a 25-16, 25-21, 25-23 decision over visiting Northwest Nazarene University on Saturday night at Nicholson Pavilion.

The Wildcats, who have won by 3-0 scores in each of their past three matches including two straight Great Northwest Athletic Conference counters, evened their overall record at 5-5 and are 3-2 in the GNAC. Northwest Nazarene fell to 3-8 overall and 3-3 in the GNAC.

Baeckel, who made her third consecutive start, was consistent throughout the match, totaling four kills in each of the three sets. She was flawless offensively in both the first and third sets, collecting four kills in as many swings in those frames, and finished the match with a career-best .632 hitting percentage. Baeckel is now hitting .531 in 12 sets this season.

Try, meawhile, improved upon her 4.45 kills-per-set average that ranks among the Division II national leaders, totaling 14 kills in three sets. She had 11 kills in the first two sets combined in helping CWU hit above .225 in each of the frames (.250 and .227, respectively). The Wildcats finished the night hitting .195 as a team.

In the blocking department, Baeckel and Try were each credited with five assisted blocks as the Wildcats had an 8-7 edge in points at the net.

Central Washington led from start-to-finish in each of the first two sets, closing the Crusaders out with a 14-6 run at the end of the first set and scored the final three points of the second frame to turn a 22-21 advantage into a 25-21 win to take command in the match. Then, in the final set, Central scored nine of the final 10 points thanks to four kills, two blocks, and multiple offensive miscues by the visiting Crusaders to complete the sweep with a 25-23 decision.

Setter Carlee Marble (La Conner) tied a career-high with four kills while adding 33 assists and five digs. Junior Meg Ryan (Spokane/Mead HS) finished with a match-high 13 digs and two service aces.

Northwest Nazarene was led by the 10 kills of sophomore Carly Dranginis, while Becky Flores had seven kills, four assisted blocks, and a team-high .294 hitting percentage.

Central Washington will continue its four-match home stand with a pair of matches next week. The Wildcats take on Western Oregon on Thursday (Sept. 30) and Saint Martin's on Saturday (Oct. 2), with both matches set for 7 p.m. starts at Nicholson Pavilion.