Game Information: Northwest Nazarene vs. Central Washington
Tuesday, Oct. 30 | 7:00 p.m. PST
Ellensburg, Wash. | Nicholson Pavilion
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Game Information: Montana State Billings vs. Central Washington
Thursday, Nov. 1 | 7:00 p.m. PST
Ellensburg, Wash. | Nicholson Pavilion
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Live Stats
FIRST SERVE
The Wildcats are back inside Nicholson Pavilion, this time for a pair of weeknight games. They host Northwest Nazarene on Tuesday, while Montana State Billings is slated for Thursday. Both matches begin at 7:00 p.m.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
Northwest Nazarene
The Nighthawks have struggled throughout 2018, sporting a 6-17 record, going 6-10 in conference play going into the final two weeks of the conference schedule. The Nighthawks most impressive victory happened against Seattle Pacific on September 27. The Nighthawks won in five sets in a match that featured 16 kills from Kayla Sale.
The Wildcats swept the Nighthawks 3-0 on October 2 in Nampa, Idaho. The Wildcats took each set by a score of 25-20.
Madison Weg led all players with 13 kills on an excellent .423 hitting percentage. She seemed to be involved with every key run of the contest. Defensively, the senior out of Lynden, Washington had 13 digs.
Northwest Nazarene are at the bottom of the GNAC in several statistical categories. The team ranks fourth in digs. They've scooped up 1,558 attacks for an average of 18.12 per set. Shayli Siegfreid earns 5.42 digs per set, third most in conference. Offensively, Abbey Blum lands 11th in conference with 3.05 kills per set. Megan Nelson averages 6.08 assists per set, 10th best in conference.
Montana State University Billings
The Yellow Jackets have shown glimpses of greatness throughout 2018. It hasn't always turned into wins, as they own an 11-15 record, going 5-11 in GNAC play. The Yellow Jackets are riding a three-game losing streak entering Thursday's contest.
The Yellow Jackets stunned the Wildcats on October 6, hanging on to a 3-2 win. The night looked promising for the Wildcats as they pounded the Yellow Jackets 25-12. They'd take the fourth set 25-17, but struggled in the second, third and fifth set.
Makala Swart had a huge night offensively, piling up 19 kills. Defensively,
Kyla Morgan stole the show with 39 digs.
Montana State Billings leads the conference with 104 sets played this season. They've played eight more sets than next closest Alaska Anchorage. MSU Billings ranks last in the conference with 11.14 kills. Maddi Vigil has 269 kills this season, averaging 2.59 per set, 18th best in conference. Alexa Smith is deadly from behind the service line. She averaged a conference best .44 aces per set, 28 totals on the season.
LAST TIME OUT
The Wildcats hit the road for their final time on the GNAC schedule. They took down Seattle Pacific 3-0 on Thursday night. The Wildcats held the Falcons to a .063 hitting percentage for the game.
Sarah Joffs led the club with seven blocks while
Kyla Morgan added a team leading 16 digs.
On Saturday, the team swept Saint Martin's 3-0. That day was highlighted by a milestone achievement for
Shelby Mauritson. With her seventh kill on Saturday, Mauritson earned her 1,000
thcareer kill. Mauritson joined Crystal Ames (2003-2005) as the only players in program history with 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs in their career.
FROM THE COACH
"It's a short turn around this week, but I am glad we are at home," head coach
Mario Andaya said. "We need to continue our preparation and get better, but at this stage in the season we also have to keep bodies functioning at a high level. Being at home will keep us in a good routine in this short week so we're happy about that."
NEXT TIME OUT
The Wildcats host both GNAC Alaska schools in their final regular season weekend. On Thursday, November 8
th, the University of Alaska Anchorage is in town for a match at 7:00 p.m. Then on November 10, four seniors will be celebrated prior to a match with the University of Alaska Fairbanks at 7:00 p.m.
