Bellingham, Wash - The second turn through Great Northwest Athletic Conference opponents couldn't have started with a tougher matchup for the Central Washington University volleyball team as the took on Western Washington University. The Vikings sailed past the Wildcats 3-0 (25-15, 25-19, 25-21) on Thursday night. 

Controversy reared its head early in the first set between the Wildcats (14-4, 8-3) and the Vikings (16-3,11-0). It had been ruled that the Vikings had hit the ball four times before it flew over the net. Western's head coach Diane Flick-Williams challenged the play, resulting in a re-play of the set point. The Vikings won the point, and with it came momentum. 

The Vikings jumped out to an early 11-5 lead before Wildcats head coach Mario Andaya used a timeout. The Wildcats tried to chip away at the Viking lead, but they were able to keep their distance, taking the set 25-15. 

Kyla Morgan reached 1,500 digs in the late stages of the first set. She needed just five digs to reach the personal milestone. Morgan's coaches are proud of their defensive specialist. 

"Super happy for Kyla," Andaya said. "She's works so hard and continues to work for more. She's a special one and I love coaching her." 

The second set featured a fast start from the Wildcats. Bridgette Webb earned the first point of the match with a kill. Sarah Joffs had the kill that completed a 9-3 run in favor of the Wildcats. The Vikings cut into the lead, eventually tying the set at 14, forcing Andaya to call timeout. Unfortunately for the Wildcats, it didn't impede the Vikings as they went on to win 25-19. 

The third set proved to be the most evenly contested of the night. It was tied at 11 when the Wildcats emerged with a 5-1 run. Madison Weg had the kill that got things going for her squad. Makala Swart had a pair of kills inside that same run. Swart had a superb night for her team with 15 kills and 12 digs. Her efforts weren't enough as the Wildcats fell 25-21 in the last set. 

"We had good moments but we could not get enough offense going," Andaya said. "Our passing wasn't good and WWU was in-system a lot more than us. Western earned a lot of points so they kept massive pressure on us. When we returned the favor it was actually a good match, but we had way too many lapses. We can't play to our average and expect to beat them."

The Wildcats are back in action on Saturday in Burnaby, B.C. as they take on Simon Fraser at 7:00 p.m.