LA JOLLA, Calif. (Sept. 10) -- A 3-1 (17-25, 26-24, 27-25, 25-21) victory over UC San Diego makes it four-straight wins for the Central Washington University volleyball team. The Wildcats are now 4-4 on the season, while the Tritons fall to 3-4.
 
"I'm very happy about how hard this team worked and how much they grew together," CWU Head Coach Mario Andaya said.  "They stayed resilient no matter the score and made some tremendous plays when other teams might give up."
 
The Tritons took a slim advantage early in the first set and halted the Wildcats' momentum each time Central looked to make a move.  The Wildcats kept the first set close, keeping the deficit at just one or two points for a majority of the first set. 
 
Towards the end of the first, the Tritons began to pull away by grabbing points in bunches.  UC San Diego took the last four points of the first set to go up 1-0 in the match.
 
The two sides traded leads in the second set.  Central held an 11-9 lead midway through the second, before the Tritons came back and nabbed a 17-16 lead.  UC San Diego extended their lead to 20-17, but the Wildcats did not relinquish.  They took nine of the next 13 points for a 26-24 set win.  Shelby Mauritson put the nail in the coffin for the set.  She notched a kill to put the Wildcats up 25-24 and followed it with an ace.
 
UC San Diego jumped out to another early lead in set three, 7-3, but again could not hold it.  Central claimed points in bunches, including taking three straight points to level the set at 11-11. 
 
Another three point run put the Wildcats up 15-14 a few points later. 
 
The two sides kept the set close.  A kill by Erin Little brought the Wildcats within one as UC San Diego tried to grab the set, 23-24.  Mauritson unleashed a kill of her own to level the set at 24-24.  After Meagan Wright put the Tritons up 25-24, the Wildcats claimed three straight piotns with a kill by Madison Weg and two blocks from Weg and Little.
 
After grabbing a 9-7 lead in the fourth set, Central did not relinquish its advantage.  Three straight blocks from Sabrina Wheelhouse, Bridgette Webb, and Kiah Jones, as well as a block by Webb and Wheelhouse, gave the Wildcats a 14-9 advantage. 
 
The Tritons battled back to within one with a four-point streak of their own at 18-17.
 
A Kill by Weg ended the run and swung momentum back towards the Wildcats.  Central took six of the next 10 points, sealing the set and the match.
 
"Weg was a rock all weekend," Andaya added.  "Webb came in and was a big factor in our wins.  Sabrina is starting to lead by example more and more and taking on a big role."
 
Mauritson and Weg each notched 12 kills, while Jones added 10.  Wheelhouse had a team high seven blocks, while Weg notched six.  Kyla Morgan recorded a team high 25 digs.  Nikole Cook handed out 27 assists, while Gaby Aihara dished out 23. 
 
Central is back in action on Thursday (Sept. 15) for a Great Northwest Athletic Conference match at Concordia University.  First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m.