LACEY, Wash. – The Central Washington University volleyball team traveled to Lacey, Wash. for a match against Saint Martin's on Thursday. The Wildcats squandered the Saints 3-0 (25-12, 25-13, 25-16) on Thursday.
 
Makala Swart entered Thursday's contest just two digs away from grabbing her 500^th career dig. Swart eclipsed the mark early on in the first set. She'd continue to make history throughout the match, grabbing her 600^th career kill in the second set. Swart came into the match with 597 career kills and would leave with 607.
 
"Makala [Swart] has worked very hard to be impactful for us," CWU Head Coach Mario Andaya said. "She's a very good volleyball player that can be relied on in so many ways. Super impressed but not surprised by this milestone." 
 
Swart joins Bridgette Webb as the only active Wildcats with more than 500 career kills. Webb entered Thursday's match with 586 career kills. After a five-kill performance on Thursday, Webb is just nine away from her 600^th career kill. 
 
The opening set between the Wildcats (12-7, 7-4 GNAC) and Saints (0-20, 0-11 GNAC) belonged to the visitors. The Wildcats suppressed the Saints to a -.029 hitting percentage. The Wildcats had six total blocks and forced eight attack errors in the opening set. 
 
The Wildcats were able to open the set with an 11-5 run, forcing the Saints to call a timeout. The Wildcat momentum continued, as they'd explode to a 20-10 lead. They'd take the set 25-12. Lexi Schamadan and Diana Fa'amausili led the squad with three kills each in the first set.  
 
Defense ruled the second set as the Wildcats held the Saints to a -.051 hitting percentage. The second set opened with even action in the early going. The Wildcats held a 7-5 lead when the Saints used their first timeout of the set. 
 
The set snowballed away from the Saints, as the Wildcats ripped off an 11-6 run that gave them an 18-12 lead.  Leanna Shymanski entered the match and had the final kill of the second set as the Wildcats took it 25-13. They secured a 2-0 match lead in the process.  
 
Again, the Wildcats were able to keep the Saints from getting anything going offensively. The Saints were able to hit just -.026 in the final set of the match. The Wildcats opened the third set with immediate offense, rolling to a 13-7 lead that resulted in a timeout from the Saints. 
 
The Wildcats were able to sustain their lead, as it grew to 20-12 before the Saints used their last timeout. Later, the Wildcats finished the match with a 5-0 run to take the set 25-16. 
 
Swart led everyone with 10 kills in the contest. She'd complete the double-double by adding 10 digs. Aihara had the only other double-double for the Wildcats. Aihara achieved the mark with match-high 15 assists while adding 12 digs to the Wildcats defensive effort. 
 
Schamadan, Julia Mellander, Webb, Ashley Kaufman and Fa'amausili finished the day with five kills each as the Wildcats used a balance offense to get the better of the Saints. Kaufman added four service aces and 12 digs to a solid night's work. Fa'amausili made the most of her attacks, ending the match with a .444 hitting percentage. 
 
Defensively, the Wildcats suppressed the Saints to a -.036 hitting percentage for the match. The Wildcats had nine total blocks while taking advantage of 23 attack errors from the Saints. Kyla Morgan led the way with 19 digs.  Mellander and Fa'amausili added six total blocks to their performances. 
 
"We were very good defensively tonight," Coach Andaya said. "We scored, but our defense was key tonight. Four players in double digit digs, and a team average of three blocks confirms our players were seeing things well tonight." 
 
The Wildcats will stay on the west side of the state, as they travel to Seattle for a match against Seattle Pacific on Saturday at 2 p.m.