ELLENSBURG, Wash. – The No. 25 Central Washington University volleyball team is set to host Think Pink Night on Thursday (Oct. 29) as they face Great Northwest Athletic Conference foe Concordia University.  The Wildcats will then host Western Oregon University on Saturday (Oct. 31).
 
The Wildcats had a record-setting night at Simon Fraser University, where CWU compiled 21 total blocks over five sets.  The block total was the most the Wildcats have ever recorded in a single match.  Sabrina Wheelhouse set a school record for most blocks in a five-set match with 12. 
 
"It is nice to know that we are still staying the course and trying to improve our defensive efforts," CWU Head Coach Mario Andaya said.  "Blocking has been a staple this year for us, we are putting in the work and it is still one of our strengths.  It is nice to see that last weekend it came through big for us."
 
Wheelhouse and Kiah Jones received GNAC Player of the Week honors on Monday for their efforts against Simon Fraser and Western Washington.
 
Jones hit .545 with 19 kills against Western Washington.
 
"Those wins are big, not only for our standings but they cause more parity within the GNAC which is what was expected anyway," Andaya added.  "It is nice to know that we are in the hunt.  We have tough week ahead of us and we are looking forward to the challenges ahead of us."

With their four-match sweep on the road, the Wildcats are 14-5 on the year with a 10-2 mark in conference.
 
Concordia comes to Ellensburg sporting a 15-5 record overall, while the Cavaliers have posted a 7-5 mark in GNAC play.
 
The first time the two sides faced off it was a five-set affair that Central Washington came away with.
 
The first two sets went in favor of the Cavaliers, 27-25.  The Wildcats responded by taking the next two sets, 25-19 and 25-14.  Central closed the match handily, taking set five 15-8.
 
Linden Firethorne recorded a team high 16 kills.  Jones notched 15, while Wheelhouse nabbed 13.
 
Kaitlin Quirk recorded 10 block assists.  Lindsey Milner picked up 16 digs.  Catie Fry dished out 52 assists.
 
This season, the Cavaliers have been lead by Brenna Huwe and Lindsey Dorsey.  Huwe has notched 204 kills and Dorsey has added 197 of her own.
 
Jenessa Taylor has racked up 739 assists. 
 
Shantel Gritsch leads Concordia with 303 digs.  Colby Barnette leads the Cavaliers' front row, knocking down five solo blocks and 84 block assists.
 
"Concordia has a lot of talent on their team, they've been doing well this year," Andaya noted.  "They gave us a lot of problems while we were down there, but we came out with a victory.  We need to look back and see what we can do a little better to improve our chances of winning this match and carry over some things from then that we were doing well to make sure we are a better team then when we played them last time."
 
Along with Think Pink Night, the Wildcats will also have a costume contest and a Trunk or Treat game on the second story of Nicholson.
 
Saturday, the Wildcats turn their attention to the Wolves of Western Oregon.  Central Washington swept WOU in the two sides first meeting. 
 
In the 3-0 sweep, Firethorne and Jones led the Wildcats with 11 kills each.  Central Washington finished the match with a hitting percentage of .317.
 
Alisha Bettinson's 214 kills leads the Wolves this season.  Behind Bettinson is Amanda Short with 194 kills.  The Wolves' production has netted them a record of 7-14 overall, with a 4-8 record in the GNAC.
 
Western Oregon has gone with a 6-2 rotation for most of the season.  Leila Holt and Maddie Mehciz have handled the setting duties, separated by just six assists.  Holt has recorded 340, while Mehciz has 334.
 
"Western Oregon is a good team," Andaya said.  "They have some young talent and their two outside hitters are as good as we have seen. We need to do our work and make sure we are prepared for them." 
 
Central Washington enters the week as the NCAA Division II leader in blocks per set at 2.99.  Quirk leads the Wildcats with five solo blocks and 91 block assists.  Wheelhouse has 15 solo blocks and 80 block assists. 
 
First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. on both Thursday and Saturday.