LACEY, Wash. (Oct. 29) – The Central Washington University volleyball team swept Saint Martin's University in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference battle, 3-0 (25-16, 25-20, 25-15). 
 
The Wildcats are now 13-9 overall and 9-5 in the GNAC.  The Saints fall to 6-12 and 2-12 in conference.
 
"We flowed well tonight," CWU Head Coach Mario Andaya said.  "Hitters were aggressive and smart and Gabrielle Aiahra and Niki Cook were very good tonight."
 
Central Washington hit .381 as a team, with 52 kills, and just nine errors en route to their sweep over Saint Martin's.
 
"Really good performance across the board, so it's hard to pinpoint anyone in particular, but I was particularly proud of the seniors for stepping up and rebounding from a tough match Thursday.  They accepted that it was not their night and came back yesterday and worked.  It paid off tonight, so I was very happy for them."
 
A 3-3 tie to open the match preceded an eight-point run by the Wildcats, grabbing an early 11-3 lead. Kills by Jordan Deming and Madison Weg, as well as a block from Deming and Sabrina Wheelhouse helped keep the run alive.
 
Deming finished tied for a team high in kills (13) and a hitting efficiency of .481.
 
The Saints did not regain composure, as the Wildcats rattled off a trio of three-point stretches on their way to a 25-16 set win.
 
After trailing 2-1 to open the second, the Wildcats grabbed a 4-2 lead and did not look back.  They expanded their lead to 11-6, then 15-9, as they grabbed points in pairs and bunches.
 
Saint Martin's fought back and closed the deficit to one, 17-16.  A strategic timeout by Andaya paused momentum and the Wildcats responded by taking six of the next seven points and a 23-17 lead.  Central went on to win the set 25-20.
 
The Wildcats stormed out to a 7-0 before Saint Martin's called a timeout to slow the offense.  Erin Little and Shelby Mauritson combined for a block on the ensuing point and Little, then Jones, added kills for a 10-0 run.
 
Central continued to take points in multiples, handing the Saints a 25-15 set loss.
 
Mauritson finished with 11 kills and a hitting efficiency of .310, as well as 18 digs defensively.  Jones coupled her 13 kills with a hitting percentage of .591.  Weg notched seven kills and a .333 hitting efficiency.  Cook dished out 26 assists and Aihara added 23 more.   Kyla Morgan finished with 18 digs. 
 
The Wildcats are back in action on Thursday (Nov. 3) at home against Seattle Pacific University.  First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m.