ELLENSBURG, Wash. (Sept. 26) – The Central Washington University volleyball team captured its seventh win of the season with a 3-2 victory against Simon Fraser University with set scores of 25-23, 25-27, 19-25, 25-15, and 15-12.  The Wildcats are 7-4 on the season with a 3-1 record in Great Northwest Athletic Conference.  The Clan fall to 6-6 with a 2-2 mark in GNAC play.
 
"We knew Simon Fraser was going to give us a good match," Wildcats' Head Coach Mario Andaya said.  "They do a lot of good things defensively and have a knack to grind out rallies.  It is no surprise to us that they played a very physical game and forced us to really dig deep."
 
Simon Fraser jumped to a 4-2 lead in the first set before the Wildcats came back with kills from Sabrina Wheelhouse and Madison Weg, as well as a block by Kiah Jones to even the set at 5-5.
 
Tessa May nabbed a kill to reclaim the lead for Simon Fraser, but Weg responded with a kill of her own even the set again.  An attack error by Lauren Fridman gave the Wildcats a 7-6 advantage.  The Clan picked up two straight points to hold a point lead, 8-7.
 
Central Washington went on a 3-0 run that started with a kill from Jones.  Kaitlin Quirk picked up two block assists, while Jones and Catie Fry pulled in one each on the run giving the Wildcats a 10-8 lead.
 
Simon Fraser tied the set again at 10-10 with a pair of kills from Fridman.  After exchanging points, the Clan picked up four straight points, on three kills and an ace, to hold a 16-12 lead.  Central Washington pulled with three straight points.
 
The two sides alternated points until the set ran 19-17 in favor of SFU.  Central Washington took four points in a row with a kill from Quirk, a ball handling error by Tamara Nipp, a service ace from Jordan Deming, and an attack error by the Clan's Jessica Young.  The Clan was able to end the run with a kill from Fridman, but the Wildcats led 22-21.
 
The next two points went to SFU who held a 23-22 advantage and looked to close the first set.  Quirk took a set from Fry and found the floor to even the set at 23-23.  Firethorne then registered consecutive kills to close out the set, 25-23.
 
Simon Fraser opened with a 9-3 lead in the second set.  The Wildcats battled back to 10-5 before Jordan Deming went on a service run.  Deming helped guide the Wildcats to an 8-0 run that included three kills from Jones.  Central Washington led 13-11 at the run's end. 
 
The Wildcats held their lead deep into the set.  The Clan went on a five-point run to avoid dropping the set.  The run started at 24-20 and included two kills from Young. 
 
Trailing 25-24, Rachel Hanses nabbed a kill for Central Washington to even the set.  The Clan was able to take the next two points to take the set 27-25.
 
"We need to be more efficient on offense so we had some players who weren't hitting to their numbers, but that is why we have depth and leadership," Andaya said.  "Hanses is a kid that has been there before and we rely on her for that and she came through in key moments and we needed that."
 
The momentum gained by Simon Fraser in set two was used to take set three as well.  The Clan took points in small clumps during the third set, limiting the Wildcats ability to start a comeback.  Simon Fraser claimed the set 25-19.
 
Momentum swung back to Central Washington to start the fourth set.  The Wildcats came out swinging, picking up the set's first five points.  The two sides alternated points until Central Washington went on another run. Firethorne started the run with a kill, before Madison Power tallied an attack error for SFU.  Power took the next set and hit into the block of Erin Little and Jones.  Deming followed suit with a kill, before Christine Howlett failed to find the floor for the Clan.  Young was able to stop CWU's run with a kill, making the set score 15-9.
 
Simon Fraser responded to the Wildcats' run with a five-point streak of their own, cutting the deficit to two at 16-14. 
 
Deming and Quirk picked up consecutive kills for Central Washington, extending the lead to 18-14.  Emma Jennings took a set from Alison McKay for a kill, but it would be the last offense SFU had in the fourth set. 
 
Quirk and Fry blocked an attack by Fridman to make the score 19-15.  The Wildcats, the GNAC's leaders in blocks and blocks per set, then stuffed an attack by Jennings.  This time, it was Quirk and Firethorne with the block.  Firethorne then added a kill, which was followed by a kill from Quirk.  Jennings committed an attack error for SFU before Jones picked up an ace to close out the fourth set, 25-15.
 
For the second straight match the Wildcats found themselves in the fifth set.  The Clan came out with a pair of kills by May and Jennings, taking a 2-0 lead.  A service error by Nipp and a kill from Quirk evened the set.  The Clan took back-to-back points to reclaim their two-point advantage, 4-2.
 
A kill from Quirk put the Wildcats down only one, but SFU took the next two points and a 6-3 lead. 
 
Jones responded with a kill to make the set 6-4.  The Clan committed three straight attack errors and the Wildcats took a 7-6 lead. 
 
Jennings notched a kill for SFU to even the set.  Power and Howlett combined for a block, reclaiming a slim one-point margin for the Clan.
 
Central Washington responded with a kill from Firethorne and a block from Fry and Little as part of a three-point streak to pull ahead 10-8.  Back-to-back points went to SFU for an even set at 10-10.
 
Firethorne and Little added kills, taking a 12-10 lead, but Young and May added their own kills to knot the set at 12-12.
 
Andaya called a timeout and after the buzzer sounded to signal the teams back onto the court, the Wildcats did not look back.
 
Fry set Little, who took a heavy swing that found space for a kill and a 13-12 CWU lead.  A service ace by Firthorne put the Wildcats at match point.  With Firethorne serving, an overpass by the Clan was demolished by Little to end the match.

"Erin is always waiting to come off the bench and she is a stellar player," Andaya said of his junior middle. "That is the type of depth we have, and it really pays dividends for those girls who work really hard because they can come through for us any night.
 
Fry finished with 50 assists, giving her 452 on the season.
 
"Catie does it, she runs our offense both in and out of system," Andaya said of his senior setter.  "She shows leadership by example and that is what we need for her. "
 
Quirk has had two strong matches, compiling 13 kills on 31 attempts and posting a hitting efficiency of .290 against the Clan.  She finished with 11 kills on 30 attempts against Western Washington.
 
"Kaitlin is out there for a reason," Andaya added.  "She is tough as nails and we need that in these critical games." 
 
The Wildcats finished with 62 kills and 83 digs. 
 
"We grinded it out tonight and we stayed the course and it went in our favor," Andaya added.  "The last two points really went our way."
 
Central Washington will be back in action on Oct. 1 at Western Oregon.  First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m.