ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Dec. 1) – The Central Washington University volleyball team fell in four sets to Cal State San Bernardino (25-15, 25-23, 16-25, 25-19)
 
The Coyotes jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead and head coach Mario Andaya called a timeout in an attempt to quell the Coyotes' momentum.  San Bernardino responded by climbing to a 10-4 advantage. 
 
"Our nerves were a little too high," Andaya said.  "We had some kids who were nervous out there which is understandable.  But we need to be able to contain them." 
 
Central cut San Bernardino's lead down to two, 14-12, in part due to three consecutive kills by Kiah Jones and Erin Little. 
 
The Coyotes reclaimed the momentum and ended set one on a kill from Lauren Nicholson, 25-15.
 
The second set began similar to the first, as the Coyotes jumped out to a 3-0 lead.  The Wildcats found their stride, however, and levelled the set at 4-4.  An attack error by Hailey Jackson, and a kill from Jones, a few points later gave the Wildcats an 8-6 advantage.
 
San Bernardino went on a 5-0 run, claiming an 11-8 lead.  The Coyotes held their advantage until Erin Little evened the set with a kill at 18-18.  The Wildcats reclaimed a slim advantage on kills by Shelby Mauritson and Madison Weg, but each time the Coyotes responded. 
 
Nicholson ended the set with a kill, giving the Coyotes a 25-23 set win and a 2-0 lead in the match.
 
Despite trailing 2-0, the Wildcats stormed out to a 5-1 lead.  Mauritson contributed two kills in the opening six points, while Gabrielle Aihara opened the set with an ace.
 
A block by Weg and Sabrina Wheelhouse later in the set gave the Wildcats a 13-7 lead and they extended their advantage 21-11 on another block by Jones and Erin Little.
 
Central Washington had just three blocks entering the third set, but recorded three blocks in the third.
 
"They did a really good job of hitting around our block," Andaya noted.  "But if we overplayed even a little they were able to make it count.  They hit .486 in the fourth set, so you aren't going to be a lot of teams that hit .486."
 
The Wildcats took set three, 25-16, on a kill from Wheelhouse. 
 
The early goings of set four saw the pendulum of momentum swing towards San Bernardino.  The Coyotes opened with a 6-1 lead.
 
San Bernardino kept distance between themselves and the Wildcats for the majority of the fourth set, as they closed the match with a 25-19 fourth set.
 
Mauritson finished with 15 kills, while Jones notched 12.  Kyla Morgan recorded 21 digs, while Lindsey Milner picked up 15.  Aihara dished out 25 assists, while Niki Cook recorded 28.