ELLENSBURG, Wash. (Sept. 29) – The Central Washington University volleyball team heads out on the road for a pair of Great Northwest Athletic Conference matches over the weekend.  The Wildcats will first take on Western Oregon in Monmouth, Ore. before taking on Concordia University in Portland, Ore.
 
"We are preparing for our opponents, but this week we are focusing on us a bit more in to order stay on track of improving on what we do," CWU Head Coach Mario Andaya said.  "Western Oregon and Concordia pose different challenges but we need to make sure we are difficult to prepare for as well.  Being on the road we have to be focused on the right things so we are comfortable in any environment. "
 
The Wolves of Western Oregon are 4-9 on the season with a 1-3 record against GNAC opponents.  They have lost consecutive matches, first to Saint Martin's University in a five-set affair, before being swept by Seattle Pacific. 
 
A youthful roster for Head Coach Brad Saindon sports nine freshmen, four sophomores, and three juniors. 
 
Alisha Bettinson leads Western Oregon with 137 kills.  She is averaging 2.8 kills per set on 504 total attempts.  Bettinson has posted a hitting percentage of .173.  Amanda Short follows behind Bettinson with 121 kills on 397 attempts.  She is only hitting .151, however, as she has committed 61 attack errors. 
 
Western Oregon has utilized a 6-2 rotation for a majority of the year with freshmen setters Leila Holt and Maddie Mehclz sharing play.  Holt has dished out 200 assists over 28 sets, for an average of 7.14 assists per set.  Mehclz has played in 32 sets and notched 198 assists.  Western Oregon's opponents have tallied 649 kills to the Wolves' 502.  
 
Paige Kelsey has picked up eight solo blocks and added 24 block assists (8S-24A=32T).  Kelsey leads the Wolves with 0.71 blocks per set.  Sydney Blankinship has recorded 20 blocks (4-16=20). 
 
The Wildcats are 24-28 all-time against Western Oregon.  Central has won the last three meetings and five of the last six matches between the two teams.  The Wildcats are 21-15 against Western Oregon under coach Andaya.  In conference matches, Central is 21-13 when facing the Wolves.
 
"WOU is always tough at home and they have some new pieces we don't know much about," Andaya said.  "They run their system well, so we know we're in for a good match."
 
Concordia University owns a 10-2 record for the season, but the Cavaliers sit at 2-2 in GNAC play.  Concordia is 1-2 in its last three matches, falling to Seattle Pacific and Anchorage.  The Cavaliers picked up a 3-0 win over Saint Martin's in their last match.  Before hosting the Wildcats, Concordia will have to defend their home court against the Northwest Nazarene University Crusaders.
 
"Concordia is a new challenge for all the GNAC schools and they seem to be doing very well," Andaya said.  "They seem to have a nice middle attack, and play very good defense.  Both teams will be trying to get a feel for each other, so it's important we go in playing well and imposing our strengths."
 
Ashley Jibby has a team-leading 110 kills and is averaging 2.75 kills per set.  Brenna Huwe has tallied 101 kills, while averaging 2.53 kills per set.  The Cavaliers have out hit opponents this season .208 to .103. 
 
Jenessa Taylor has handled the setting duties for Concordia this season.  She has averaged 10.24 assists per set, over 40 sets, to tally 410 assists.
 
Colby Barnette has picked up 48 blocks (3-45=48) to average 1.20 blocks per set.  Taylor has added 27 blocks (5-22=27) and is averaging 0.68 per set.
 
Concordia and Central Washington have only met three times.  The last time the two teams met was in 1996.  All three matches have been played at neutral sites.  The Wildcats are 2-1 against Concordia.  The Cavaliers are in their first year of GNAC play.
 
The Wildcats are 4-1 in their last five matches, two of which went to five sets.  The only loss in the last five matches came against No. 15 Western Washington.  Central owns a 7-4 record overall and is 3-1 against GNAC competition.  The 3-1 mark is good enough for third in the conference.
 
Through their first 11 matches on the season the Wildcats have boasted a .229 hitting efficiency, while opponents have only hit .173.  Leading the Wildcats' offense is Linden Firethorne with 153 kills.  She is averaging 3.64 kills per set, with a hitting efficiency of .233.  Sabrina Wheelhouse has posted a hitting efficiency of .357, to put her in the top 50 in the NCAA Division II.  Kaitlin Quirk has notched 101 kills and is hitting .307 on the season.
 
Catie Fry has notched 452 assists, over 43 sets, to average 10.51 assists per set.
 
Central Washington is leading the NCAA Division II in blocks per set with 3.17. Wheelhouse is fifth in blocks per set in the nation at 1.50, while Quirk sits eighth with 1.42 blocks per set.
 
Two Wildcat players have reached 60-plus blocks on the season.  Quirk has totaled 61 blocks (3-58=61) to sit tied for 19^th in Division II, while Wheelhouse has added 60 (13-47=60) and sits 24^th in total blocks for Division II.  As a team, Central Washington has 136.5 blocks and is currently tied with Shippensburg in total blocks in Division II.
 
"It's nice to know we are very good at some things we can still get better at, such as blocking," Andaya added.  "Sab and Kait work very hard at seeing the game and positioning themselves at the net.  All our front line player are committed to defending the net so it's nice to see we are producing at a high level."
 
Live stats and video for Western Oregon will be provided on the Wolves' Stretch portal, here.
 
Live stats and video for Concordia will be available on the Cavaliers' Stretch portal, here.