Box Score vs. Humboldt State
Box Score vs. Metro State

INDEPENDENCE, Ore. (Sept. 4) -- Senior Kady Try (Brentwood, Calif./Mead HS) once again led on the attack for Central Washington University's volleyball team, combining for 31 kills in two matches on Saturday and earning all-tournament team honors as the Wildcats split on the final day of the Phoenix Inn GNAC Conference Challenge at Newkirk Court.

CWU (1-3) opened the day with a 3-0 sweep of Humboldt State, winning 26-24, 25-21, 25-8, before falling in four sets to 10th-ranked Metro State (12-25, 25-14, 25-18, 25-15).

Try buoyed the Wildcat offense in the day's opening match against the Lumberjacks, totaling a season-high 19 kills in 40 attempts with just three errors (.410 hitting percentage) in amassing nearly half of her team's 43 kills in the three-set victory. She was also one of the keys to Central's defense against its former conference rival in Humboldt State, finishing with 10 digs. Fellow senior Brandie Vea (Honolulu, Hawai'i/Kalani HS) led CWU with 12 digs.

Central scored three straight points in the opening set to escape set point for a 1-0 match lead, and then used a 5-0 scoring run to break a 16-16 tie in the second set. In the final frame, the Wildcats watched as Humboldt State tallied just one kill and committed seven hitting errors (minus-.250 hitting percentage) as they cruised to their largest single-set victory of the young season.

Aiding Try with strong offensive numbers against HSU were sophomore Marcy Hjellum (Kennewick/Kamiakin HS) and freshman Erin Smith (Selah) with seven and six kills, respectively. Smith had a .750 hitting percentage, not committing an error in eight attempts. Junior Carlee Marble (La Conner) set the offense for a season-best 34 assists.

Against the nationally-ranked Roadrunners from Denver, Colo., the Wildcat offense sizzled to a .385 hitting percentage in the first set and never trailed in routing Metro State 25-12, but Central surrendered consecutive .387 percentages in the second and third sets before falling in four frames.

Try had another double-double with 12 kills and 11 digs, while Hjellum had eight kills in her first start of the campaign. Hjellum also had nine digs while Vea finished with 11 to tie Try for team-leading honors. Senior Bri Gregory (Bremerton) scored three service aces while adding four kills.

Five of Metro State's six starters had at least nine kills, combining for 51 of the Roadrunners' 56 kills in the match. Bri Morley led all players with 13 kills and was one of three Metro players with 15 digs each.

Central Washington will now turn its attention to Great Northwest Athletic Conference play, where the Wildcats will open up with league newcomer Simon Fraser University on Wednesday night (Sept. 8) at 7 p.m. in Burnaby, B.C. CWU makes its 2010 Nicholson Pavilion debut next Sunday (Sept. 12) at 3 p.m. versus rival Western Washington University.