ELLENSBURG, Wash. – The Central Washington University volleyball team is set to take on a pair of Great Northwest Athletic Conference opponents on Thursday (Sept. 24) and Saturday (Sept. 26).  The Wildcats enter the week with a 6-3 overall record and a 2-0 record in GNAC matches.
 
Central Washington will take on rival No. 15 Western Washington on Thursday.  The Vikings enter Ellensburg riding an eight-match winning streak after starting the season 0-2.  Western is 2-0 in GNAC play with a pair of 3-0 victories over Saint Martin's and Seattle Pacific.
 
Rachel Roeder leads the Vikings offensively.  She has tallied 105 kills, in 34 sets, for an average of 3.09 kills per set.  Abby Phelps is right behind her with 103 kills and an average of 3.03 kills per set.  Roeder is hitting .295 on the season, while Phelps is hitting .238. 
 
The Vikings have utilized a 6-2 rotation this season with Brette Boesel and Kristina Tribley each averaging over 4.50 assists per set.  Both setters have played in all 34 sets Western has competed in.  Boesel has dished out 215 assists for an average of 6.32 assists per set.  Tribley has posted 168 assists and is averaging 4.94 per set. 
 
Defensively, three players have registered over 100 digs for the Vikings.  Jennica McPherson and Joellee Buckner have each posted 116 digs.  McPherson also leads Western with 15 aces.  Bryce Larson leads the Vikings with 134 digs, while averaging 3.94 digs per set. 
 
Kayleigh Harper leads Western's front row in blocks.  She has posted six solo blocks and 37 block assists for 43 total blocks.  Michaela Hall has notched four solo blocks and 25 block assists, totaling 29 blocks. 
 
"This will be a good challenge for us this week against two good teams," CWU Head Coach Mario Andaya said.  "The Western match is always intense and if both teams play the to their potential it will be a battle in all facets.  WWU is well balanced offensively which makes it hard to key on a few players.  They have four attackers on the outsides that pose different challenges, and fast middles that can move in both directions.  Their defense is always good, so we are anticipating long rallies if we do our part."
 
Historically, the Wildcats are 38-58 against Western after splitting a pair of matches in 2014.  Central Washington picked up a 3-2 win in Ellensburg last season.
 
In the 3-2 win last season, Linden Firethorne led the Wildcats with 21 kills.  Catie Fry dished out 53 assists, while Kaitlin Quirk picked up nine blocks.
 
The second match of the week will see the Wildcats square off against Simon Fraser University.  The Clan will make the trek down from Burnaby, British Columbia. 
 
Simon Fraser enters the week sporting a 6-4 record and a 2-0 mark in conference play.  The Clan have won their last two matches with a 3-2 victory over Seattle Pacific and a 3-0 win over Saint Martin's.  They will have to go through Northwest Nazarene before taking on the Wildcats.
 
"Simon Fraser lost some key players, but from what we see they have reloaded nicely," Andaya said.  "We are going to have to understand the flow of the match and identify what they are trying to do.  They have been very good defensively the past couple of years, and run a quick offense."  
 
Devon May has totaled 126 kills for the Clan over 41 sets.  She has 459 total attack attempts and is averaging 3.07 kills per set.  Tessa May is hitting .312 for Simon Fraser and has notched 93 kills on 227 attempts.
 
The Clan have also used a pair of setters this season as both Danielle Curtis and Tamara Nipp have seen considerable time on the court.  Nipp leads Simon Fraser with 241 digs and an average of 5.88 assists per set, while Curtis has added 166 digs and an average of 4.88 assists per set. 
 
Defensively, Tessa May leads the Clan with eight solo blocks.  She has also recorded 40 block assists.  Madison Power leads Simon Fraser with 50 blocks total, 48 coming as block assists.  Allison McKay has dug out 224 attacks this season, for an average of 5.46 digs per set.
 
Central Washington split the season series in 2014 (1-1) against Simon Fraser and currently holds a 29-23 record over the Clan.  The Wildcats are 16-6 against Simon Fraser in the friendly confines of Nicholson Pavilion.
 
"We've been playing well in a lot of areas, but some more than others," Andaya added.  "Teams are preparing for each other more in depth now, so we have to make sure we are working to be more efficient in areas our opponent may be keying on."
 
The Wildcats are currently riding a six-match winning streak after dropping conference foe Montana State Billings last week. 
 
Firethorne leads the Wildcats with 28 kills over the first two GNAC matches.  Freshman Madison Weg has posted 20 kills in conference.  Fry has notched 80 assists and is averaging 11.43 assists per set in GNAC matches. 
 
Overall, Firethorne has registered 127 kills, over 33 sets, with an average of 3.85 kills per set.  Fry is averaging 10.70 assists per set and has dished out 353 assists. 
 
Lindsey Milner leads the Wildcats with 142 digs.  Sabrina Wheelhouse has posted 12 solo blocks and 35 block assists, to total 47 blocks.  Quirk has picked up 44 block assists and two solo blocks for a total of 46 blocks. 
 
Central Washington will face off against Western Washington at 7 p.m. on Thursday, before taking on Simon Fraser on Saturday at 7 p.m.