Box Score

ELLENSBURG (Nov. 17) -- Seniors Marcy Hjellum (Kennewick/Kamiakin HS) and Sabrina Schwindler (La Conner) combined for 24 kills in the final regular-season match of their collegiate careers, and fellow senior Devin Larson (Mukilteo/Kamiak HS) set the Central Washington University offense up with 39 assists as the Wildcats cruised to their sixth straight volleyball victory, 25-13, 25-21, 25-16, over the University of Alaska Anchorage on Saturday night at Nicholson Pavilion.

The Wildcats finish the regular season with a 21-7 overall record and tied for second place in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference with a 14-4 league record. More importantly, however, CWU awaits its fate in the NCAA Division II post-season field after closing the regular season with six consecutive victories. The Wildcats were ranked eighth in the West Region this past week, with the top eight teams in the final poll qualifying for the tournament. Alaska Anchorage finished its season at 16-10 overall and 11-7 in the conference.

"I was proud of how we stayed 'in the moment' and focused on (Alaska) Anchorage," CWU head coach Mario Andaya said. "Senior night is always emotional, but we stayed the course and focused on our game plan."

That game plan included a proficient offensive attack that involved all three of the Wildcats' graduating seniors. Hjellum, the team leader in kills -- and one of the top players in the GNAC in that department -- led all players with 15 kills, including six in the opening set. Schwindler, meanwhile, made her second start of the season and added nine kills and a .438 hitting percentage in her regular-season finale.

"Marcy was again steady and found ways to grind out some tough points," Andaya explained. "And Sabrina came through with some critical kills tonight to help get us out of some tough situations. Devin had another solid night and kept our offense efficient in each set."

The match belonged to the Wildcats, especially early. CWU came out hitting at a torrid offensive pace, connecting for kills on 16 of their first 18 attempts (.889) before settling for a .519 hitting percentage in the opening frame. Those percentages returned to more normal levels for the hosts in the second and third sets, when they hit .237 and .267, respectively, but both were well above the team's percentage of .211 for the season.

Larson averaged 13 assists per set (39 total) and helped the Wildcats finish the match hitting .326 as a team. Four of the five CWU players to finish the match with kills hit .364 or better, including three players -- Schwindler (.438), junior Erin Smith (Selah; .444), and freshman Rachel Hanses (Yakima/West Valley HS; .409) -- with averages above the .400 mark. Hanses finished with 11 kills and Smith had four.

"We talked about leaving it all out their tonight, knowing our post-season fate is out of our hands," Andaya continued. "We just did what we have been doing all season and focused on our game plan, and I am very proud of that."

The potential of a trip to the Division II playoffs lies in the hands of the NCAA selection committee, which will make an announcement of the 64-team field on Sunday night at 7 p.m. on NCAA.com. CWU has made three previous trips to the NCAA post-season, having qualified via the GNAC's automatic berth as its conference champion in 2004 and 2005 and earning an at-large bid to the 2006 regional tournament.

Alaska Anchorage was led by the seven kills and nine digs of senior Nikki Viotto.