Box Score
HTML Box Score

ELLENSBURG (Nov. 2) -- Sophomore RACHEL HANSES (Yakima/West Valley HS) tied a season-high with 16 kills, and the Central Washington University volleyball team accumulated 13 blocks in defeating visiting Simon Fraser University, 25-21, 24-26, 25-13, 25-20 on Saturday night at Nicholson Pavilion.

The Wildcats won for the sixth time in their last seven matches, improving to 12-9 overall and 8-5 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play. Simon Fraser, which handed CWU a five-set loss in Burnaby, B.C., on Oct. 3, fell to 9-9 overall and 4-8 in the conference.

Hanses had five kills each in the first and fourth sets, with three in each of the other two frames. She had plenty of offensive help, though, as senior EMMY DOLAN (Castle Rock) came off the bench to score 12 kills and a .300 hitting percentage, while senior ERIN SMITH (Selah) finished with 10 kills and sophomore KAITLIN QUIRK (Ellensburg) added nine.

In addition to their offensive exploits, CWU set the tone defensively with its play at the net. The Wildcats tied a season-high in the blocking department, with a combined nine blocks in the first two sets. Quirk (six total blocks), Dolan (five), and Smith (five) led the charge on the front line.

"We came out a bit tentative," CWU head coach Mario Andaya said. "We needed to calm down a little bit, and once we did that we understood what we needed to do and relaxed a bit. We really came through with some good focus, intensity, and poise down in the last two sets."

In those final two sets, the Wildcats turned to their offense to lead the way, combining for 31 kills and just eight errors (a .299 percentage) over that span. They had to overcome early deficits in both sets, scoring 17 of the final 22 points in the third set and then rallying from a 12-6 deficit in the fourth with an 8-1 run.

Sophomore CATIE FRY (Tacoma/Mount Si HS) had 49 assists -- her highest single-match assist total since Sept. 19 -- and two service aces for the Wildcats. Junior libero KAELY KIGHT (Spokane/Mead HS) finished with a team-high 26 digs.

Kelsey Robinson posted an impressive double-double of 19 kills and 24 digs for Simon Fraser, while Devon May finished with 11 kills. Alanna Chan led all players with 28 digs for the Clan.

CWU will play its next three matches on the road, visiting Montana State University Billings next Thursday (Nov. 7) and Seattle Pacific University next Saturday (Nov. 9). The Wildcats' next home match is Nov. 21 versus Saint Martin's University.