NAMPA, Idaho – The Central Washington University volleyball team competed in a rare Tuesday tilt against Northwest Nazarene. The Wildcats disposed of the Nighthawks 3-0 (25-23, 25-21, 25-13) in Tuesday's road contest.  
 
In their first meeting this season, the Wildcats (15-8, 10-5 GNAC) gifted the Nighthawks (10-12, 6-9 GNAC) the match. The Wildcats committed 31 attack errors, virtually erasing advantages they'd gained throughout the five sets on Oct. 8. 
 
Tuesday's match was much different. The Wildcats racked up an outstanding .277 hitting percentage in a three-set sweep. The team committed half as many attack errors as they did in the first match. The Wildcats converted 45 kills as they powered past the Nighthawks.  
 
"We handled tough moments well tonight," CWU head coach Mario Andaya said. "We identified when those moments were controllable. I liked how our setters ran a balanced attack. This was a good win."  
 
The Wildcats opened the first set with a 12-4 run. During that span, Makala Swart had three kills. Bridgette Webb added two kills of her own. The Nighthawks did all they could to get back into the set. They'd cut the Wildcat lead to 18-17. The Wildcats answered with a 6-3 run. Swart, Webb, Sierra Sharma and Ashley Kaufman all had kills during that run. Webb hammered home the final point of the set as the Wildcats took it 25-23. 
 
The Wildcats heled the Nighthawks to a .125 hitting percentage. The opening set was tightly contested. The Wildcats had 14 kills in the set, just one more than the Nighthawks. The Wildcats also made just one less attack error in the set. Although very slim, the advantages were just enough to gain a first set victory. 
 
The trend of even action continued in the second set. The teams traded points until the score landed on 5-5. The Nighthawks used a 6-3 run to go up 11-8. Later in the set, they led 14-11 before the Wildcats mounted their attack. The Wildcats used a 7-2 run to go up 18-16. Swart and Sharma had two kills during that time. 
 
The Nighthawks worked their way back into the lead with a small 4-1 run. They led 20-19 when the Wildcats ripped off a 6-1 set-clinching run. A kill from Julia Mellander ended the second set as the Wildcats took it 25-21. 
 
The Wildcat offense found its rhythm in the second set. They'd convert 16 kills on a .303 hitting percentage. At the same time, The Wildcats held the Nighthawks to a .129 hitting percentage. At the end of the second set, Swart and Webb led the team with seven kills at the end of the second set. 
 
The Wildcats rode their let set momentum from the second set into the third set. The team used an 8-4 run to take an early lead. Lexi Schamadan had the kill that started that run. The Nighthawks cut the Wildcat lead to 8-7. The wildcats went on a 5-2 run to take a 13-9 lead. 

Later in the set, the Wildcats led 13-11. Webb had a kill that led to a 12-2 run. During the run, the Wildcats scored eight consecutive points. Swart capped off a spectacular night with three kills during the match-sealing run. The Wildcats took the final set 25-13 and the match in three sets. 
 
The Wildcat offense continued to pop off in the third set. The team hit an outstanding .452 in the final frame. They smashed home 15 kills. Defensively, the team held the Nighthawks to a .138 hitting percentage. 
 
Swart was excellent for the Wildcats. She racked up 12 kills on a strong .320 hitting percentage. Webb couldn't miss. She had nine kills on a stellar .727 hitting percentage. Mellander had a strong night on both sides of the net. She had seven kills and four total blocks on Tuesday. Sharma contributed off the bench for the Wildcats. Sharma added six kills on a .308 hitting percentage.
 
Gabrielle Aihara and Sydney Remsberg shared the load in running the offense. Aihara led the group with 18 assists while Remsberg added 16 assists of her own. Kyla Morgan led the squad with 16 digs during the match. 
 
The Wildcats are back in action on Saturday. They'll travel to Billings, Mont. to take on Montana State University Billings at 12 p.m. PT.