Box Score

ELLENSBURG (Oct. 8) -- Junior JORDAN OFFUTT (Leavenworth/Cascade HS) had 17 kills, and sophomore ERIN SMITH (Selah) finished with 13 kills and six assisted blocks as the Central Washington University volleyball team rallied from a 1-0 match deficit to defeat the University of Alaska Fairbanks 21-25, 25-13, 25-19, 25-19 on Saturday night at Nicholson Pavilion.

The match wrapped up the first half of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference season for both teams, with Central Washington improving to 4-5 in conference (10-7 overall) and Alaska falling to 2-7 in the GNAC and 2-15 overall.

Offutt was the Wildcats' steady offensive force on Saturday, collecting five kills in each of the first three sets, taking a .519 hitting percentage into the fourth set. She had just one error in her first 27 attempts before totaling just two kills in 13 tries in the final stanza.

Smith, meanwhile, overcame a rocky offensive start that included three hitting errors in the first frame. She had nine kills in her final 17 swings over the second through fourth sets, including an efficient fourth frame in which she had four kills in six attempts. Freshman CHELTZIE WILLIAMS (Twin Falls, Idaho) also keyed the end of the Wildcats' win, earning five of her six kills for the match in the last set.

After dropping the first set after a subpar .098 hitting percentage including nine hitting errors, the Wildcats used an 8-0 run in the second set to turn a close score into a rout. CWU led 14-4, and added a 5-0 run late in the frame behind the service of freshman KAELY KIGHT (Spokane/Mead HS).

The third set proved to be the closest of the match, as the two teams combined for six ties and four lead changes. A substantial eight-point run by CWU late in the set turned an 18-15 deficit into an insurmountable 23-18 lead, and a kill by junior MARCY HJELLUM (Kennewick/Kamiakin HS) and a UAF hitting error gave the Wildcats a 2-1 edge in the match.

CWU appeared prime to win the fourth set in commanding fashion after scoring the first seven points, but Alaska rallied back to tie the score at 13-13. The Wildcats countered with five of the next six points for an 18-14 advantage, and a 4-0 run set up match point at 24-17. The visiting Nanooks rsponded with consecutive points after a CWU service error and a kill by Simone Chavous, but senior MEG RYAN (Spokane/Mead HS) finished off the match with her sixth kill as the Wildcats completed the four-set victory.

Sixes were wild for Central Washington hitters on Saturday, as aside from Offutt and Ryan, the other four Wildcats with kills -- Williams, Ryan, Hjellum, and sophomore EMMY DOLAN (Castle Rock) -- all finished with six kills. Kight had 15 digs to lead three Wildcats in double figures in that department, while the Wildcats also provided a prolific blocking attack that saw four players -- Smith (six), Dolan (five), Hjellum and Williams (four each) -- total four or more blocks. CWU outblocked Alaska by a 10-8 count and also finished with a commanding edge in digs (64-52) and kills (54-39).

Offutt and Kight each recorded three service aces in the victory, while senior setter CARLEE MARBLE (La Conner) racked up 45 assists and eight digs.

Alaska was led by Casey Tidwell, whose .393 hitting percentage was the top efficiency on the match. She had 14 kills and three blocks, while Keri Knight totaled 11 kills and 11 digs for the Nanooks. Libero Jordyn Montgomery led all players with 18 digs for UAF.

Central Washington returns to the road next week for a pair of matches. The Wildcats visit Montana State University Billings on Thursday (Oct. 13) and Seattle Pacific University on Saturday (Oct. 22) before making their home return to Nicholson Pavilion on Oct. 22 against Northwest Nazarene University.