ELLENSBURG, Wash. – A clash between two of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference's best teams is ahead of the Central Washington University volleyball team as it travels to the Last Frontier to take on Alaska Anchorage on Thursday at 8 p.m. PT.  
 
GAME INFORMATION
Wildcats at Alaska Anchorage
Thursday | 8 p.m. PT
Alaska Airlines Center | Anchorage, Alaska. 
 
QUOTABLE 
"Anchorage is very physical and has very dynamic attackers," CWU Head Coach Mario Andaya said. "If both teams play well it is always an intense match. We need to go up north and play very good volleyball this weekend to be successful." 
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Wildcats enjoyed a successful opening weekend on their home court, picking up two GNAC wins. The first came last Thursday when the Wildcats grounded the Seattle Pacific Falcons 3-0 (25-20, 25-22, 25-12). Then on Saturday, the Wildcats conquered the Saint Martin's Saints 3-0 (25-15, 25-13, 25-18) inside Nicholson Pavilion.
 
The Wildcats outplayed the Falcons in a handful of categories. Most notably, the Wildcats had 48 kills to the Falcon's 28. The team also defended well, scooping up 61 digs while holding the Falcons to .117 hitting percentage. The Wildcat offense was rolling as they racked up 46 assists and hit at a .231 clip.
 
Makala Swart and Diana Fa'amausili tied for a game-high 11 kills. Swart was the only Wildcat to record a double-double. She added 10 digs to her night's production. Fa'amausili was ultra-efficient, hitting at a .563 clip. Another efficient outing came from Bridgette Webb who had nine kills on a game-high .571 hitting percentage. Julia Mellander and Ashley Kaufman chipped in eight kills of their own. Gabrielle Aihara had an excellent night, picking up 44 assists in the home opener. 
 
Defensively, the Wildcats had a strong night. Fa'amausili and Mellander led the team with three assisted blocks. Sydney Remsberg and Kaufman tied for a team high 12 digs. Kyla Morgan added eight digs to the team's defensive efforts. 
 
The Wildcat offense could not be stopped against the Saints. Kaufman and Webb led the Wildcats with nine kills each, while Swart and Fa'amausili amassed eight kills each. Central finished with a hitting percentage of .381. Aihara amassed 30 assists on the afternoon.  Swart led the Wildcats defensively with 15 digs.  She added one block to her total as well.  Webb sat atop the box score in blocks with four.  Central was 11-15 in sideout opportunities in the first set, converting at a clip of 73 percent.  

WILDCATS IN THE GNAC
Defense remains to be the calling card for the Wildcats as they work through the early stages of their GNAC schedule. CWU is third in the conference in opponent hitting percentage, holding competition to a .167 hitting percentage. The Wildcats have blocked the third most attacks in conference with 2.24 blocks per set. The team ranks third with 17.54 digs per set.
 
Individual performances have helped make that defense as stout as it is. Morgan ranks second in conference with 5.37 digs per set. Mellander ranks third in conference with 1.24 blocks per set. Fa'amausili ranks sixth in blocks with 1.02 per set. 
 
The Wildcats also have their share of offense standouts. Aihara's 10.17 assists per set is the second best in conference. Swart ranks seventh in conference with 3.29 kills per set. The team also ranks third in both assists (12.04) and kills (13.00) per set. 
 
SCOUTING ALASKA ANCHORAGE
In 2018, the Seawolves boasted a 14-6 conference record on their way to finishing third. Alaska Anchorage counted itself as part of the GNAC's blocking juggernaut, ranking 20th nationally with 2.33 blocks per set. The Seawolves led the GNAC with 1.66 aces per set and a .153 opponent's hitting percentage. All of that led to the Seawolves being picked to finish third in the GNAC Preseason Coaches Poll earlier this season. 

It was a newcomer who led the Seawolves in 2018 as Eve Stephens earned First Team All-Conference as well conference Freshman of the year. She had an excellent .330 hitting percentage while averaging 3.18 kills and .76 blocks per set. Stephens was selected to be a part of the 2019 GNAC Preseason All-Conference team. Fellow freshman Ellen Floyed averaged 8.33 assists per set and 2.26 digs per set. The two are eying even bigger accomplishments in their sophomore season. 

The Seawolves also return valuable experience. Vanessa Hayes is coming off a strong junior year in which she averaged 2.56 kills per set and 1.25 blocks per set. The performance netted her a spot on the 2019 GNAC All-Conference team. Vera Pluharova was stout, touting a .211 hitting percentage and 1.19 blocks per set. Alaska Anchorage will also welcome back 2014 GNAC Freshman of the Year Kayla McGlathery, who returns at middle blocker after a four-year absence from the game.

The Seawolves have started 2019 with an 8-4 overall record while going 3-1 in GNAC play. At the NCA DII West Region Showcase, the only loss suffered by the Seawolves came at the hands of then-ranked No. 2 Cal State San Bernardino. Through the first two weeks of GNAC play, the Seawolves' only loss came from in-state rival Alaska Fairbanks. The Nanooks downed the Seawoelves 3-1 (21-25, 25-19, 25-22, 25-22) last Tuesday night.
 
Defense is once again the calling card for the Seawolves. They lead the conference by shutting down opponents to a .156 hitting percentage. The team comes up with 2.50 blocks per set, good enough for second best in conference. Offensively, the team ranks second in conference with a .230 hitting percentage. They average just 11.89 kills per set, placing them sixth in conference. 
 
Stephens is putting together a stellar sophomore season. The Palmer, Alaska native has 185 kills in 46 sets played. The mark is good enough for a conference-best 4.02 kills per set. Western Washington's Calley Heilborn is next closest with 3.59 kills per set. Stephens is converting at a .262 clip. Hayes ranks second on the team with 2.80 kills per set. Floyed already has 451 assists on the season. Anjoiyln Vreeland leads the club with 2.98 digs per set. 

SERIES HISTORY
Since the year 2002, the Wildcats are 17-17 against the Seawolves. This record includes going 9-8 at home while going 8-9 on the road. From 2003 through 2007, the Wildcats owned the series, taking 10-consecutive games from the Seawoelves. Recently, the Wildcats have struggled, going 3-7 in their last 10 meetings. A season ago, the Wildcats took both games from the Seawoelves. The Wildcats won 3-2 (25-21, 25-20, 23-25, 22-25, 15-9) on the road before sweeping the Seawolves in front of the home fans.