PORTLAND, Ore.- The Central Washington University women's volleyball team (7-3, 2-1) defeated the Concordia Cavaliers (6-5, 1-2) in four sets (14-25, 25-18, 25-17, 25-20) on Thursday night at the LCEF Court in Portland, Ore., giving CWU their second conference win of the season.
"Good road win for us," CWU head coach
Mario Andaya said. "I was impressed how our team embraced the good things Concordia was doing and stepped up to the challenge. CU was serving the lights out and it took us out of our rhythm. We settled in the next three sets and passed better which was key. Our defense was more sound as the match went on and we converted digs into points at a lot better rate."
Central Washington and Concordia opened the match trading points back and forth until a 6-1 run pulled the Wildcats ahead 9-4. The Cavaliers countered with a 10-1 run of their own behind back-to-back service aces by Michele Brown, making it 10-14 and forcing Andaya to call a timeout. Concordia remained in the driver's seat for the remainder of the frame, claiming a 25-14 set victory.
Tied 11-11 in the second set, CWU would score eight of the next 11 points to build a 19-13 lead. The Cavaliers attempted a comeback, but
Shelby Mauritson's eighth kill of the match would seal the deal and give the Wildcats a 25-18 win. The CWU defense held Concordia to a measly 0.028 hitting percentage in the frame, while posting .290 themselves. Senior middle blocker
Sabrina Wheelhouse led the Wildcat defense with five blocks in the set.
CWU came out of intermission on a 7-3 run forcing Concordia to take its first timeout. The Wildcats continued to build upon their lead (14-7), with kills from Wheelhouse and
Bridgette Webb and a service ace by
Gabrielle Aihara. Kills from Mauritson,
Maggie McTaggart and Webb would lift the Wildcats to take the third set, 25-17.
Central Washington opened the fourth set on a 4-0 run, but Concordia would come back to cut the CWU lead 5-4. A
Gabrielle Aihara service ace would start an 6-0 run to lead 11-4. Later in the set, Concordia would score three straight points to pull within five points, but a kill by Webb would end the run at 22-17. Off a kill from Wheelhouse, the Wildcats would win the set 25-20, and the match 3-1.
Mauritson led the Wildcats with 12 kills, while also recording 12 digs. McTaggart notched nine kills, while Webb added nine kills for CWU. Webb hit a team-best .471 and McTaggart hit .429 on the night.
Sophomore libero
Kyla Morgan led CWU defensively with 17 digs. Sophomores
Niki Cook and
Gabrielle Aihara ran the offense, finishing with 23 assists and 16 assists, respectively.
"Niki was very good tonight and we are hitting very well off her," Andaya said. " Our setters feed off each other and they are both maturing with each passing day."
Central Washington finished the match hitting .208 as a team, while limiting Concordia to just a .118 hitting effort. CWU had 17 total team blocks with Wheelhouse leading the Wildcats at the net totaling a season-high 12 blocks.
"Sabrina continues to be a presence for us and is becoming a key offensively," Andaya said. "Our block was very good tonight, which is something we've been working on."
The Wildcats will be back in action on Saturday, facing Western Oregon University at 7 p.m. PST.
-CWU-
