Box Score

SEATTLE (Sept. 27) -- Senior Marcy Hjellum (Kennewick/Kamiakin HS) registered a career-high 22 kills, helping lead the Central Washington University volleyball team to a five-set, come-from-behind victory over host Seattle Pacific University on Thursday night at Brougham Pavilion. Set scores were 25-23, 20-25, 20-25, 25-21, 15-13.

The Wildcats, who were ranked 26th in this week's American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division II poll, earned their fourth straight win to improve to 9-4 overall and 4-1 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play. Seattle Pacific fell to 4-9 overall and 1-3 in the conference.

Hjellum's kill total was three more than her previous season- and career-high of 19, which she established against Western New Mexico University in the 2012 season opener. Her 69 attempts were also a new career-high, while she also finished with 17 digs.

Four of Hjellum's kills came in the final set, including the match-winner with the Wildcats on their second match point. She also had the set-clinching kill in the opening frame as CWU emerged from a set that saw 14 ties and nine lead changes before a 25-23 Wildcat victory to open the match.

CWU dropped the second and third sets by identical 25-20 scores, doing so in the second set despite a .179 hitting percentage. That was due, in part, to Seattle Pacific's .282 efficiency in the second frame, which helped the Falcons score the final three points to emerge from a narrow 22-20 margin.

Facing the 2-1 match deficit, the Wildcats led nearly from start to finish in the fourth set, using a 5-0 run to take a 7-5 lead and never trailing again in the frame. Junior Erin Smith (Selah), who joined Hjellum as the only CWU players with 10 or more kills, forced the fifth set with her kill at set point.

The Wildcats raced out to a 6-2 lead in the fifth, only to watch Seattle Pacific rally to tie the score at 10-10. Another tie ensued at 11 apiece, but CWU did not trail again and the Wildcats won on their second match point.

Statistically, CWU had the advantage in just one category -- service aces -- while matching the Falcons with 13 total blocks. Junior Emmy Dolan (Castle Rock) had eight assisted blocks, while Smith totaled seven (one solo, six assisted) and redshirt freshman Kaitlin Quirk (Ellensburg) added six assisted blocks. Redshirt freshman Zoe Iida (Bothell) and sophomore Kaely Kight (Spokane/Mead HS) finished with 22 and 21 digs, respectively. Redshirt freshman setter Catie Fry (Tacoma/Mount Si HS) led the service attack with three aces while also setting 44 assists.

Seattle Pacific had four players with 10 or more kills, led by Cailin Fellows with 21. Fellows was also one of four Falcons with double-digit dig totals (17), with Brianna Leenders leading all players with 31 digs for SPU.

Central Washington will head east to Montana State University Billings for a Saturday night match-up with the Yellowjackets. The Wildcats then play a non-conference home match next Tuesday (Oct. 2) versus Walla Walla University at 7 p.m.