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HTML Box Scores: vs. UC San Diego | vs. Cal State San Bernardino

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (Sept. 6) -- Senior Jordan Offutt (Leavenworth/Cascade HS) and sophomore Linden Firethorne (Clinton/South Whidbey HS) had 15 kills apiece, helping lead the 24th-ranked Central Washington University volleyball team to a four-set victory over 14th-ranked and tournament host California State University, San Bernardino, in day one action at the Coyote Classic on Friday night at Coussoulis Arena. CWU dropped its first match of the day to #22 UC San Diego, three sets to none.

"We responded with a better defensive effort tonight than we had in our first match," CWU head coach Mario Andaya explained. "Our block was huge for us tonight, allowing us to be patient in the back row. Kaitlin Quirk and Erin Smith both had huge nights at the net, and Linden (Firethorne) came in and gave us a spark and provided us with some key points."

Firethorne, whose previous career-high for kills had been eight against Walla Walla University last season, erupted for 15 kills and a .438 hitting percentage while playing in just three of the four sets against Cal State San Bernardino. Offutt, meanwhile, accumulated the same kill total with a .200 hitting percentage, scoring a team-best 16.5 points for the Wildcats (1-1) in the victory.

Meanwhile, as Andaya explained, the front-row defense had a stellar match in the 25-23, 17-25, 32-30, 25-19 win. The Wildcats totaled 13 blocks as a team, led by seven blocks -- including three solos -- from Smith (Selah). Quirk (Ellensburg), a sophomore, finished with six total blocks in the match.

CWU came out victorious in two marathon sets that see-sawed back and forth. The Wildcats won the opening set by a 25-23 margin, emerging after 12 ties and seven lead changes, and then overcame 15 tied scores and six lead changes in the third set for a 32-30 win. They then broke away late in the fourth set to seal the victory -- the program's first in eight all-time meetings with the Coyotes and its first in seven all-time matches in San Bernardino.

Sophomore setter Catie Fry (Tacoma/Mount Si HS) finished with a double-double of 53 assists and 14 digs, setting the Wildcat offense for a .218 hitting percentage. She was one of four CWU players with 10 or more digs, a category that was led by junior Kaely Kight (Spokane/Mead HS) with 19, while fellow back-row specialists Lauren Herseth (Jr., Olympia) and Zoe Iida (So., Bothell) added 14 and 11 digs, respectively.

"It was a big win for us early in the season," Andaya said, "but we know we have to turn around and play two challenging opponents tomorrow."

Danielle Newcome had 15 kills and 14 digs for Cal State San Bernardino (1-1), which was held to a .149 team hitting percentage.

In Friday's opener, CWU kept things close with UC San Diego in the first two sets but the Wildcats were unable to take a frame off the 22nd-ranked Tritons in a 25-20, 25-23, 25-17 defeat.

CWU and UCSD went back and forth in the first set, with nine ties and six lead changes, but a 5-0 spurt by the Tritons gave them a 22-16 edge en route to the victory.

Sophomore Rachel Hanses (Yakima/West Valley HS) finished with a team-high 11 kills, while senior Emmy Dolan (Castle Rock) added nine. Quirk was the most efficient of the Wildcat hitters with a .667 percentage (five kills in six attempts with one error), adding three total blocks, and Kight led the defense with 14 digs. CWU hit just .086 as a team, totaling just 31 kills in the three sets, while UCSD finished with 44 total kills and a .183 percentage. The Tritons also had a 58-46 edge in digs.

The Wildcats complete their two-day stay at the tournament on Saturday, facing Cal Poly Pomona at 10 a.m. and Sonoma State University at 5 p.m.