Box Score

ELLENSBURG (Oct. 27) -- The nationally-ranked Central Washington University volleyball team nearly rallied all the way back from a two sets to none deficit, but the Wildcats lost to visiting Seattle Pacific University in five sets on Saturday night at Nicholson Pavilion. The Falcons won 32-30, 25-15, 22-25, 18-25, 15-9.

CWU, ranked 22nd in this week's American Volleyball Coaches Association Division II poll, dropped its second straight five-set match at home, falling to 15-7 overall and 9-4 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play. SPU moved to 10-11 overall and 7-5 in the conference.

The two teams played to 21 ties and seven lead changes in the opening set, with neither team leading by more than two points at any one juncture, before the Falcons claimed consecutive points to break a 30-all deadlock. SPU then hit .516 with 17 kills in the second to roll past the Wildcats by a 25-15 count and take a 2-0 match lead.

CWU rallied in the third set, using an improved effort from its defense to cool off the Falcons offensively and hold the visitors to a .125 percentage. The back row, namely sophomore Kaely Kight (Spokane/Mead HS), accumulated 20 digs in the set as Kight had 10 of those. The fourth set saw more of the same, and the Wildcats used a 6-0 rally to overcome a 10-7 deficit as they proceeded to finish on an 18-8 run and force the decisive fifth frame.

After two early ties in the fifth set, Seattle Pacific forged ahead with a 5-2 run and the Wildcats were never able to close the gap. The closest CWU came in the final frame was to within an 8-5 margin.

The Wildcats were once again led by the offensive performance of senior Marcy Hjellum (Kennewick/Kamiakin HS), who finished with 22 kills. She also had 16 digs. Junior Erin Smith (Selah) and redshirt freshman Rachel Hanses (Yakima/West Valley HS) added 12 kills apiece, and Smith hit at a .611 percentage with just one error in 18 attempts. Smith was also the Wildcats' top blocker with seven total blocks. Kight led all players with 32 digs, accounting for nearly 40 percent of the CWU team total in that department.

Seattle Pacific, which finished with a 77-58 edge in kills and a 102-83 advantage in digs, was led by Cailin Fellows with a career-high 28 kills. Madi Cavell and Nikki Lowell added 16 kills apiece, and setter Shelby Swanson finished with 70 assists and 23 digs.

CWU will return to the road for its final non-conference match of the year on Tuesday (Oct. 30). The Wildcats then play Northwest Nazarene University at home next Saturday (Nov. 3) at 7 p.m.