Box Score

MONMOUTH, Ore. (Nov. 10) -- Senior Marcy Hjellum (Kennewick/Kamiakin HS) posted a double-double of 13 kills and 18 digs, and the Central Washington University volleyball team used an efficient offense and solid overall defense to sweep host Western Oregon University, 25-22, 25-20, 25-17, on Saturday night.

The Wildcats, 19-7 overall and 12-4 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play, moved into a second-place tie in the GNAC with their fourth straight win. They also completed a season sweep of the Wolves, who dropped to 19-6 overall and 12-4 in the conference. Both teams came into this week ranked among the top 10 in the NCAA Division II West Region, with CWU in fifth and WOU in seventh.

Saturday's match was a true neck-and-neck battle through two sets, as the teams combined for 15 ties and five lead changes through the first two frames. CWU trailed as late as an 18-17 count in the first set before closing on an 8-4 run, and then pulled away late in the second set thanks to a 4-0 run that turned a 14-all tie into an 18-14 advantage. Hjellum then capped the second set with a service ace.

In the third set, the Wildcats trailed 7-3 at one point before a 10-2 run, fueled by three kills from Hjellum and two from redshirt freshman Rachel Hanses (Yakima/West Valley HS), helped catapult the visitors into the lead. WOU closed to within two at 13-11 and 14-12, but a subsequent 6-0 spurt by CWU made it a 20-12 score and the two teams traded the final 10 points. Junior Erin Smith (Selah) finished off the match with a kill on the Wildcats' third match point.

CWU had a .263 hitting percentage as a team, collecting exactly 14 kills in each of the three sets. The Wildcats committed just 12 hitting errors for the match, including just three each in the final two frames, when they hit .256 and .355, respectively. CWU also held Western Oregon to a .062 percentage in the third set, and the Wolves hit just .158 as a team in the contest.

In addition to its offensive efficiency, which was helped by nine kills from junior Emmy Dolan (Castle Rock), eight from Hanses, and six each from Smith and redshirt freshman Kaitlin Quirk (Ellensburg), the Wildcats also proved statistically to be the better defensive team. CWU had a 56-50 edge in digs and a 5-3 advantage in both blocks and service aces. Hjellum (18 digs) and sophomore Kaely Kight (Spokane/Mead HS; 13 digs) led the Wildcats' back-row efforts.

"Kaitlin (Quirk) and Emmy (Dolan) were both very effective offensively tonight," CWU head coach Mario Andaya said. "(Senior setter) Devin Larson set a balanced game but also put our outside hitters in a position to score when we were out of system. She showed great poise, and collectively, we really came through tonight."

Western Oregon had 10 kills each from Krissi Kemper and Samantha Ward, while Megan Triggs tied Hjellum with a match-high 18 digs.

CWU, which finished with an 8-4 away record during the regular season, will return home next weekend to face the Alaska schools in the final matches of the regular campaign. The Wildcats host the Alaska Nanooks on Thursday (Nov. 15) and Alaska Anchorage on Saturday (Nov. 17), with both matches slated to start at 7 p.m.