ELLENSBURG, Wash. – The Central Washington University volleyball team's final match of the regular season takes place on Saturday when Simon Fraser comes to town. First serve between the Wildcats and the Clan is set for 7 p.m. inside Nicholson Pavilion. 
 
GAME INFORMATION
Simon Fraser vs. Wildcats
Saturday, Nov. 23 | 7 p.m. PT
Nicholson Pavilion | Ellensburg, Wash. 
 
SENIOR NIGHT
Prior to first serve, Kyla Morgan, Bridgette Webb and Gabrielle Aihara will be celebrated for their contributions to the CWU volleyball program.
 
QUOTABLE
"This is a special group of players who will leave their mark on this program," CWU Head Coach Mario Andaya said. "the impact they have made for this school and the team is tremendous. I've gotten to know them through their career and as people they are some of the most talented, intelligent and creative people that have come through CWU volleyball."

NCAA WEST REGIONAL RANKINGS
The NCAA announced their third version of the West Regional Rankings last Wednesday. The Wildcats dropped one position and now rank eighth in the west region. The Wildcats welcome the Clan, who ranked ninth in the NCAA West Region Rankings on Saturday.  
 
WILDCATS REACHING MILESTONES
Morgan is closing in on third all-time on the Great Northwest Athletic Conference career digs list. Morgan enters Saturday's contest with 2,311 career digs. Seattle Pacific's Anna Herold (2008-11) currently sits in third with 2,316 career digs. Morgan needs six digs to move into third all-time in conference history. 

LAST TIME OUT
The Central Washington University volleyball team hosted No. 6 Western Washington in front of a rowdy crowd in Nicholson Pavilion. The Wildcats couldn't overcome the blocking ability of the Vikings, falling 3-0 (19-25, 26-28, 20-25) on Thursday night. 
 
The Wildcats entered Thursday's match with the Vikings knowing they'd have to overcome the best block in the nation. The Vikings entered the contest averaging 2.92 blocks per set. The Vikings had 11 blocks against the Wildcats and were able to hold the team to 34 kills and a .094 hitting percentage.  
 
Makala Swart finished the match with a double-double. She led the team with 12 kills while adding 12 digs. Swart was the only Wildcat to finish in double-figure kills. Webb put together the next-best offensive performance. The senior out of Yakima, Washington had six kills on a .200 hitting percentage. Aihara and Sydney Remsberg were tasked with facilitating the offense. Aihara led the team with 17 asssits. Remsberg wasn't far off with 13 assists of her own. 
 
Defensively, Julia Mellander had a strong night for the Wildcats. She had four total blocks, one of which came on the solo effort. Sierra Sharma was also strong at the net. She had three total blocks, including two assisted blocks. Morganled the squad with 21 digs. 

WILDCATS IN THE GNAC
As the regular season enters its final weekend, the Wildcats are known for preforming well in certain aspects of the game. The Wildcats remain fourth in conference by keeping opponents to a .162 hitting percentage. The Wildcats are rank fourth in blocks by averaging 2.09 per set. The team ranks second with 18.09 digs per set.

The defensive is fueled by performances in reception and at the net. Morgan continues to lead the conference with 5.83 digs per set. Concordia's Callie Wilkins averages 5.44 digs per set sits in second place. Morgan ranks 14th in the country in the same category. Mellander ranks fourth in conference with 1.18 blocks per set. Mellander's totals are 35th in the country. 
 
Experienced players highlight the offensive standouts for the Wildcats. Aihara's 8.32 assists per set are the eighth best in conference. Swart ranks seventh in conference with 3.31 kills per set. The team also ranks third in assists (12.11) and kills (12.95) per set. 
 
SCOUTING SIMON FRASER
The Can enters the regular season finale with a 17-10 record and have gone 13-6 in conference play. The team is one sport ahead of the Wildcats in third place in the GNAC standings. After dropping matches to Alaska Fairbanks and Alaska Anchorage last weekend, the Clan earned a bounce-back win over Northwest Nazarene in straight sets on Thursday. 
 
The Clan rank second in the conference in opponent hitting percent. They've been able to hold their foes to a .157 clip. The team's defense relies on their digging ability. They rank ninth in the conference in blocks with 1.60 per set, but lead the conference in digs with 18.53 per set. Offensively, the rank second in conference in both kills (13.25) and assists (12.60). 
 
Betsie de Beer and Julia Tays represented the Clan on the 2019 GNAC Preseason All-Conference Team selections. de Beer has racked up 286 kills over 96 sets played for an average of 2.98 kills per set. The mark is the best on the team. Tays has been a consistent presence in the Clan offense. She's averaged 9.69 assists per set in 103 sets played. She ranks third in the GNAC in assists. 
 
Kirsten Pinkney has emerged as a strong complimentary piece in the Clan attack. Pinkney has 306 kills in 103 sets played for an average of 2.97 kills per set. She's been able to average 3.27 points per set. 
 
Bianca Te sets the tone defensively for the Clan. In 103 sets this season, she's accumulated 496 digs for an average of 4.82 per set. The amount puts her in fourth in the GNAC. Tamara Clarke, Tays. De Beer and Katerina Dolguikh all average more than two digs per set. 
 
Kalyn Hartmann is the team's best blocker. She's appeared in 86 sets and has 63 total blocks. 16 of those 63 total blocks have been solo blocks. Clarke has also been solid at the net defensively. She's appeared in 103 sets and has 39 total blocks. 

SERIES HISTORY
Since 2010, the Wildcats are 15-4 when taking on the Clan. The Wildcats have owned the recent series history, going 8-2 in the last 10 matches against the foes from the north. The Wildcats have protected home court, going 9-0 when hosting the Clan. 

The two teams opened GNAC play against each other on Sept. 19. The Wildcats escaped Canada with a 3-2 (25-20, 17-25, 29-31, 25-11, 15-10) win over the Clan. Ashley Kaufman and Swart finished the game with double-doubles for the Wildcats. Kaufman led the team with 18 kills while adding 13 digs. Swart smashed home 15 kills with 12 digs. Mellander had eight kills and Webb finished with seven kills. Aihara ran a smooth offense, dishing out 50 assists over the five sets. 

The Wildcat defense was stout throughout the entire contest. The Wildcats put together 14 total blocks led by Mellander who had team's only solo block while recording eight assisted blocks. Webb had five assisted blocks. Morgan led the squad with 34 digs. Remsberg racked up 17 digs while Aihara added 15 digs.