Box Score vs. #13 Metro State
Box Score vs. Grand Canyon
PHOENIX, Ariz. (Sept. 1) -- The Central Washington University volleyball team upset 13th-ranked Metropolitan State University of Denver in four sets on Saturday morning, and then was one set away from an opening-weekend sweep at the Holiday Inn Grand Canyon University Invitational, but the Wildcats fell to host Grand Canyon in five sets.
The Wildcats finished the tournament with a 3-1 record after their 24-26, 25-19, 25-21, 25-21 win over Metro State and their 23-25, 19-25, 25-18, 25-15, 15-9 loss to Grand Canyon. CWU defeated both Western New Mexico and Cal Poly Pomona to open tournament play on Friday.
CWU vs. Metro State
CWU played close with 13th-ranked Metro State as the two teams had 35 ties and 14 lead changes over the course of their four-set match. After dropping the opening set by a narrow two-point margin, the Wildcats came out on top in each of the next three frames.
A balanced offensive attack, led by 13 kills from junior
Erin Smith (Selah) and 12 from senior
Marcy Hjellum (Kennewick/Kamiakin HS), was key for CWU, but a 14-5 advantage in service aces proved to be a significant difference for the Wildcats. Redshirt freshman
Kaitlin Quirk (Ellensburg) led that entourage with four aces without an error, while redshirt freshman setter
Catie Fry (Tacoma/Mount Si HS) added three aces. Smith had a phenomenal offensive day overall, hitting at a .440 percentage in the win over the Roadrunners.
“Our serving and passing were key,” CWU head coach
Mario Andaya said. “We capitalized defensively when Metro couldn't get into its offensive system. Kaely (Kight), Zoe (Iida), and Marcy (Hjellum) were passing and digging to target most of the match. Erin (Smith) and Catie (Fry) were big at the net and came up with some key blocks and attacks for us. It was a very good win against a tough opponent.”
Fry and Smith led a strong blocking presence with five assisted blocks apiece. Sophomore
Kaely Kight (Spokane/Mead HS) led the CWU passing game with 21 digs.
Metro State had three players with 10 or more kills, led by Alysa Heath with 14. Amy Wong totaled 13 kills and 11 digs for the Roadrunners, who suffered their first loss of the young campaign.
CWU vs. Grand Canyon
The Wildcats jumped out to a two sets to none match lead, but ultimately ran out of gas against tournament host Grand Canyon, which was playing its first match of the day.
“We were steady until the third set, when we lost our steam,” Andaya explained. “GCU did some good things but we didn't transition well on defense like we did in the first two sets.”
CWU escaped an opening set that featured 15 ties and seven lead changes, taking the frame 25-23 after a clinching kill by redshirt freshman
Rachel Hanses (Yakima/West Valley HS). The Wildcats then seemingly cruised to their second-set win, riding a five-kill frame from Smith to a 25-19 victory.
Grand Canyon cooled the Wildcats' attack in the ensuing three sets while picking up its offensive clip, and CWU was never able to recover. The Antelopes used a 7-3 run to close out the third set, then led from start-to-finish in the fourth set to force the decisive fifth set. In the final frame, GCU jumped out to a 6-1 lead before the Wildcats tied it, but an ensuing 5-0 'Lopes run gave the hosts the lead for good.
Smith had a sensational offensive performance, logging a career-high 18 kills and hitting .630 with just one error in 27 attempts. Hanses (12 kills) and Hjellum (11) also reached double figures in that department, while Kight once again led the way in digs with 24.
“Erin (Smith) was a our rock again offensively, but we couldn't sustain the offense to get her the ball,” Andaya said. “We are obviously disappointed (with the loss), but overall it was a successful first step with this new team.”
Grand Canyon was led by the 13 kills of Hayleigh Friemoth, while Caelen Hiller and Sydney McDowell added 11 kills apiece.
Central Washington will return to the road next weekend, facing four West Region opponents at the Seawolf Spike in Rohnert Park, Calif.
