Ellensburg, Wash -The Central Washington University volleyball team (14-5, 8-4) played host to the Concordia University (Ore.) Cavaliers (9-10, 6-6) in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference matchup. The Wildcats out-battled the Cavaliers 3-1 (24-26, 25-23, 25-16, 25-21) on Saturday. 

After a rough road trip, the Wildcats were hoping to get back to their winning ways. The Wildcats gained a valuable asset to their lineup, as Julia Mellander returned to the court after missing some time. Mellander aided the Wildcats in what would prove to a be a strong defensive night. Sarah Joffs lead the Wildcat offense, racking up five kills in the first set. After a back and forth battle, the Cavaliers pulled out the first set from the Wildcats 26-24. 

"We changed some of our rotations so that we could feel a little bit more comfortable in set receive," head coach Mario Andaya said. "Concordia did some nice things, but we didn't play as good of a defense as we could have. We started picking up some of those loose balls later on and were able to capitalize on that." 

The second set started where the first set ended. It was back and forth all set with both teams battling back point to point. Joffs continued her offensive dominance matching her five kills in the first set. The Wildcats forced four team errors from Concordia, leading to a second set victory at a score of 25-23. 

The Wildcats jumped out to an early 10-4 lead before the Cavaliers called a timeout. It didn't bother the Wildcats, as they cruised to a 25-16 set win. The Wildcats enjoyed a fast start to the fourth set, racing their way to a 13-7 lead. Shelby Mauritson played the role of closer, smashing home seven kills in the final set. The Wildcats took the set 25-21, effectively ending the contest.

The Wildcats had four players finish the night with double figure kills. Mauritson led the team with 18 kills. Bridgette Webb had a strong night, adding 15 kills on an outstanding .440 hitting percentage. Joffs powered home 14 kills on a .500 hitting percentage. Swart rounded out the group by chipping in 10 kills. More impressive than the Wildcats offensive production was their defense. The Wildcats held the Cavaliers to a .198 hitting percentage, blocking 15 of their attacks. 

"They're doing well," Andaya said. "There are multiple things that they have to do. They have to work hard off the block. They have to move well in transition for scoring opportunities. They worked hard even though we haven't seen the results in the last couple of weeks. They've stayed the course and played a lot of dividends tonight on that."  

Next up on the Wildcat volleyball calendar is Western Oregon University on Saturday October 20 at 3:00 p.m.