Box Score
BELLINGHAM (Oct. 18) --
Marcy Hjellum (Sr., Kennewick/Kamiakin HS) and
Emmy Dolan (Jr., Castle Rock) combined for 25 kills, but the 21st-ranked Central Washington University volleyball team was unable to cool down the 15th-ranked Western Washington University Vikings in a 25-19, 25-20, 25-18 loss to the host Vikings on Thursday night at Carver Gym.
The loss snapped a nine-match winning streak for the Wildcats (14-5, 8-2 Great Northwest Athletic Conference), who suffered their first three-set defeat of the year. WWU moved into sole possession of first in the GNAC, improving to 16-2 overall and 9-1 in the conference.
Hjellum tied for match-high honors with 13 kills, adding 11 digs for her 14th double-double of the season. Dolan, meanwhile, had 12 kills from her position as a right-side hitter.
CWU kept the score close in each of the first two sets, but a 4-0 WWU run in the first set broke a 14-14 tie and a second such run enabled the Vikings to pull away. Then, in the second set, the teams had 13 total ties including as late as 19 apiece before another four-point run gave WWU the lead -- and eventually the victory. The Wildcats trailed from start to finish in the third set.
"We played well in spurts but couldn't sustain a consistent offense after we dug the ball," CWU head coach
Mario Andaya said. "We had some miscues on defense, and hit (the ball) out more often than normal which proved costly."
The Wildcats, who finished with a .173 hitting percentage as a team, managed just two service aces and were outblocked 10-2 by the Vikings. WWU committed just eight hitting errors in the match, finishing with a .304 percentage -- the highest by a CWU opponent this season.
Sophomore
Kaely Kight (Spokane/Mead HS) led all players with 24 digs in the three-set match, edging out Samantha Hutchinson of WWU, who finished with 23 digs. Marlayna Geary led the Vikings with 13 kills, while Kelsey Moore added 11.
CWU will look to return to the win column this Saturday, when they visit Simon Fraser University for a 7 p.m. match in Burnaby, British Columbia. The Wildcats will then play five of their final seven conference matches at home in Nicholson Pavilion, beginning next Thursday (Oct. 25) against Montana State University Billings.
