Box Score
COLLEGE PLACE (Oct. 30) -- Senior
Sabrina Schwindler (La Conner) tied her career-high with 10 kills in her first career start, and freshman
Linden Firethorne (Clinton/South Whidbey HS) added a career-high eight kills, as the Central Washington University volleyball team eased its way to a 25-10, 25-5, 25-15 sweep of host Walla Walla University on Tuesday night.
The Wildcats snapped a two-match losing streak, improving to 16-7 overall with the non-conference victory. CWU finished the non-conference portion of its schedule with a 7-3 mark. Walla Walla finished its season with a 2-17 record against four-year institutions.
CWU, which played without four of its regular starters, used a fast-paced and efficient offense in the first two sets to cruise to easy set victories to start the match. The Wildcats hit .524 in the opening set and .500 in the second frame en route to the decisive margins. Then, in the third set, CWU cooled to .143 with nine total hitting errors, but still led start to finish. The Wildcats finished the match at .342 and tripled the Wolves' kill total, 39-13.
Schwindler, who also had 10 kills in the first meeting of the season between the two teams at Ellensburg on Oct. 2, committed just two errors in 21 attempts in Tuesday's victory. Firethorne's eight kills surpassed her previous high of five against Sonoma State earlier this season, and the rookie added a match-high three blocks. Redshirt freshman
Rachel Hanses (Yakima/West Valley HS) finished with nine kills, and sophomore
Julie Hulbert (La Conner) added six kills and a .625 hitting percentage in her first career start. Senior setter
Devin Larson (Mukilteo/Kamiak HS) had 34 assists and three service aces, while defensive specialist/liberos
Zoe Iida (R-Fr., Bothell) and
Lauren Herseth (So., Olympia) added three aces apiece. Iida led all players with 13 digs.
Walla Walla hit at a minus-.079 clip for the match, committing 19 hitting errors. The Wolves were led offensively by Courtney Zaro with five kills, while Holly Hunt had a team-best 10 digs.
CWU returns home this Saturday (Nov. 3) to face Northwest Nazarene University in a 7 p.m. match at Nicholson Pavilion.
