Box Score 1 | Box Score 2
HTML Box Scores: vs. Washburn | vs. Fort Lewis

GOLDEN, Colo. (Sept. 13) -- Senior Emmy Dolan (Castle Rock) and sophomore Linden Firethorne (Clinton/South Whidbey HS) combined for 29 kills, and the 22nd-ranked Central Washington University volleyball team overcame a two-set deficit to upset sixth-ranked Washburn University (Kan.) 13-25, 18-25, 25-23, 25-16, 25-12 on Friday afternoon in the opening match of the Courtyard & Residence Inn by Marriott Oredigger Volleyball Classic. CWU then completed a first-day sweep at the tournament with a 25-19, 25-21, 25-23 win over Fort Lewis College (Colo.).

The Wildcats improved to 4-2 season and will play two more tournament matches on Saturday, facing #19 Colorado School of Mines at 11 a.m. Pacific and Grand Valley State University (Mich.) at 1:30 p.m. Pacific.

"I was proud of how we persevered against Washburn," CWU head coach Mario Andaya said. "Once we settled down and started to become aggressive offensively, we shifted the rhythm of the match. It was a big pre-season win for us."

In its 16 seasons as a member of the NCAA Division II, CWU had never defeated a team ranked as high as the Lady Blues' number six spot in this week's national poll. The previous highest-ranked team against whom CWU had earned a victory was eighth-ranked Augustana College (S.D.), exactly five years ago Friday.

CWU fell behind against Washburn after two convincing set losses in which the Wildcats combined for 22 kills but 18 hitting errors and a .051 hitting percentage. The Lady Blues, meanwhile, hit .297 in the opening two sets in outscoring the Wildcats 50-31 in those two frames.

"We didn't pass well to start," Andaya explained, "but Kaely Kight  Zoe Iida  and Lauren Herseth all came through big and passed well to ignite our offense. Erin Smith was a key for us offensively, and EMMY DOLAN scored some big points for us."

The Wildcats built a substantial lead in the third set, going in front 21-14 before Washburn scored six straight points to close to within one. However, Smith (Selah) earned the final two points of the frame for CWU with kills to keep the match alive.

A trio of hitters -- Dolan, Firethorne, and Smith -- all finished with four kills apiece in the fourth set, including a perfect 1.000 hitting percentage for Firethorne and Smith, as CWU hit .407 as a team with a match-best 15 kills and match-low four hitting errors in the set.

CWU used a 3-0 run midway through the decisive fifth set, breaking a 7-7 tie and not trailing again. The Wildcats lead was trimmed to one (12-11) by Washburn, but Smith followed with a kill to give CWU its first match point, and Firethorne sealed the win two points later with her 14th kill of the contest.

Dolan totaled 15 kills and Firethorne finished with 14. Smith chipped in with 10 kills and a team-best .360 hitting percentage, and sophomore Kaitlin Quirk (Ellensburg) led the way with five blocks. Kight (Jr., Spokane/Mead HS) led all players with 28 digs, while Herseth (Jr., Olympia) finished with 15 digs.

Leanna Willer led all players with 19 kills for Washburn, which suffered its first loss in five starts this season.

Against Fort Lewis (0-6), senior Jordan Offutt (Leavenworth/Cascade HS) came off the bench to record 12 kills, while five others had at least six kills apiece as the Wildcats emerged with a 25-19, 25-21, 25-23 win over the Skyhawks.

The match was close throughout, with a combined 30 ties and 15 lead changes in the three sets. In each frame, however, CWU used late surges to seal the win. The Wildcats finished the first set on a 6-1 run, and then scored five of the final six points of the second set to take a 2-0 match lead. They then broke a 22-all tie with three of the last four points in the match, capping the contest on a block by Dolan and sophomore setter Catie Fry (Tacoma/Mount Si HS).

"Jordan and Rachel (Hanses) came up big against Fort Lewis," Andaya said. "Our block was solid for most of the day and that was a key for us."

Rachel Hanses (So., Yakima/West Valley HS) finished with eight kills against the Skyhawks, as did Quirk, who hit at a .263 clip for the Wildcats in the finale. Fry, Dolan, and Smith had six kills apiece, with Fry adding 32 assists and not committing an attack error in nine attempts (.667 percentage). Kight keyed her team's defensive play with 22 digs, while Smith led the blocking forces with five assisted blocks.