ELLENSBURG, Wash. – The Central Washington University volleyball team hosted the University of Alaska Fairbanks in a scary clash on Halloween. The thrilling five set match belonged to the Wildcats as a late push helped them beat the Nanooks 3-2 (25-23, 22-25, 25-19, 19-25, 15-12) on Thursday night. 
 
Thursday's contest between the Wildcats (13-8, 8-5 GNAC) and Nanooks (10-11, 7-6 GNAC) was expected to be a tight one. The two teams went five sets earlier this season, as the home team came out on top. The Wildcats gained their biggest advantage from behind the service line, as the team had eight aces to four from the Nanooks. Ashley Kaufman, Kyla Morgan and Isabelle Jacob had two aces apiece, as all came at crucial times in the match. 
 
"I thought we pulled through in the most critical moments," Gabrielle Aihara said. "It was really cool to see the middles come up clutch for us in the last two sets. Isabelle [Jacob] came in with hot serves and was clutch for us. It was really exciting to see everyone come together and be there for each other." 
 
The match came down to a deciding fifth set. The Wildcats scored three consecutive points to take an 8-6 lead. The Nanooks roared back, going on a 5-1 run to take an 11-9 lead. Three consecutive errors from the Nanooks gave the Wildcats a 12-11 lead. A kill from AveRee Reynolds tied the set at 12. Makala Swart and Julia Mellander had consecutive kills before Jacob provided the dagger with an ace that sent the visitors packing. 
 
"I loved how we stayed composed," CWU Head Coach Mario Andaya said. "We understood what was happening and stayed the course on things we needed to do. We stayed in each set and pulled out three of them." 
 
The opening set provided the tone for the rest of the match. The Wildcats held a slim 7-6 lead before the Nanooks used a 6-2 run to take an 11-9 lead. The Nanooks held managed to keep a two-point lead as the set landed on a 16-14 score that favored the visitors. 
 
Later in the set, the Nanooks held a 19-16 lead. The Wildcats clawed their back into the set. It started with a small 3-0 run that featured a service ace from Kaufman. The Wildcats trailed 22-20, as a service error opened the door for them to go on a 5-1 run. The Wildcats scored the final three points of the set consecutively, as a kill from Swart ended the set 25-23. 
 
The Wildcats scurried to a 6-4 lead in the second set. The Nanooks put together a massive 11-1 run, growing their lead to 15-7. Not to be outdone, the Wildcats pieced together a 13-4 run. Kaufman and Schamadan had two kills each during that span. Sydney Remsberg used some trickery to steal a kill, giving the Wildcats a 20-19 lead. The comeback was thwarted by the Nanooks 6-2 run as they took the set 25-22, evening the match at 1-1. 
 
"Fairbanks has a lot of good players, who cause a lot of problems," Coach Andaya said. "They came out passing really well, so their middles were in system. They had a ton of kills and were hitting at a high percentage. It tends to rattle you." 
 
The Nanooks carried the momentum into the third set, opening it up with a 7-4 run. The Wildcats scored four-straight points to take an 8-7 lead. The Nanooks answered with a 7-1 run that gave them a 14-9 lead. 
 
Schamadan smashed home a kill that started a set-clinching run for the Wildcats. In total, the run was 16-5. During that time, the Wildcats took advantage of 10 errors from the Nanooks. Analia Vasquez and Aihara were able to send home kills during the run. The Wildcats took the set 25-19 and had a 2-1 match advantage. 
 
The fourth set featured a 9-8 Nanook lead in the early stages. The visitors used a 6-2 run to gain a 15-6 lead. The Nanooks hung onto their lead as the set score landed on 21-15. The Wildcatsa couldn't find a way back into the set, as the Nanooks took it 25-19 to force a fifth set. 
 
Schamadan played a huge roll in the Wildcat success. The Arizona native led the team with 12 kills on an incredible .391 hitting percentage. Vasquez also put in a crucial effort, joining Schamadan with double-digit kills. Vasquez finished the match with 10 kills on a .261 hitting percentage. Swart, Bridgette Webb and Kaufman had to battle to get their kills. Swart had eight kills, Webb grabbed seven kills while Kaufman managed six kills. 
 
Aihara and Remsberg had strong nights distributing the ball. Aihara led the duo with 24 assists while Remsberg dished out 22 assists. 
 
Defensively, the Wildcats held the Nanooks to a .171 hitting percentage. The Wildcats had 15 total blocks. Webb was fantastic at the net, racking up five total blocks, two of which were solo blocks. Mellander was close behind with four total blocks, with one being a solo block. Kyla Morgan led the squad with 28 digs. Kaufman and Swart added 13 digs to cap off the festive evening. 
 
"I liked the way our kids who came off the bench played tonight," Coach Andaya stated. "Analia [Vasquez], we used Lexi [Schamadan] in a couple different positions and Isabelle [Jacob] came in to serve. Those are the type of kids we have on our roster, that are putting in the time every day. They came through in critical times tonight. Our kids who usually carry the load had to grind it out. They found ways to get their kills and accumulated to a win." 

The Wildcats return to their home court on Saturday as they host the University of Alaska Anchorage at 7 p.m.