SPOKANE, Wash. - The Central Washington University volleyball team took on the Gonzaga Bulldogs in its lone exhibition of the 2019 season Saturday afternoon. The Wildcats hung tough, but were dismissed by the Bulldogs 3-0 (25-21, 25-18, 25-14) on the road.
The Wildcat offense was led by Makala Swart and Diana Fa'amausili who had six kills apiece, respectively. Fa'amausili had a .133 hitting percentage, while Swart added three digs. Bridgette Webb and Laynie Erickson were also strong offensively, adding four kills of their own. Gabrielle Aihara was consistent as the setter, racking up 19 assists during the match.
The Bulldogs opened up to a 6-2 lead in the opening set of the contest. The Wildcats chipped away at the lead, as a kill from Aihara cut the Bulldog lead to 10-8. The Bulldogs pulled away with a short 4-2 run, forcing CWU Head Coach to call a timeout. Coming out of the timeout, the Bulldogs converted a pair of service access that helped the lead grow to 16-10.
The score was 19-12 in favor of the Bulldogs when the Wildcats began to close the gap again. Fa'amausili converted an attack that started a 5-0 run for the Wildcats. Lexi Schamadan and Webb had kills for the Wildcats during the run. The Wildcats pulled the score to 19-17, but it wouldn't get any closer. The Bulldogs took the opening set 25-21.
The second set opened in similar fashion to the first, as the Wildcats were chasing a 6-2 Bulldog lead in the early stages. Another kill from Fa'amausili sparked the Wildcat offense, as they cut the lead to 8-7. After the Bulldogs created some separation, the Wildcats would close in once again. A kill from Erickson cut the lead to 15-14 in favor of the Bulldogs.
Shortly after, the Wildcats committed three consecutive attack errors that gave the Bulldogs a 19-15 lead. The Wildcats called a timeout, but were unable to mount a comeback. The Bulldogs pulled away late to take the second set 25-18.
In the third set, Ashley Kaufman gave the Wildcats a slim 3-2 lead with a kill. The Bulldogs away after tying the set at three. An 11-3 run gave the Bulldogs a commanding 14-6 lead. The Wildcats made an effort to shrink the gap, but the Bulldogs nabbed the set 25-14.
As a team, the Wildcats struggled offensively. The team hit just .022, making 25 errors to just 27 kills. The team did show a strong performance from behind the service line, converting four aces on the day. Kaufman was the team leader with two, while Schamadan and Isabelle Jacob had an ace each.
"I was very interested to see how far along we were with our passing and serving game. Today's exhibition helped us establish a benchma, " Head CWU Volleyball Caoch Mario Andaya said. "I am encouraged with what we need to work on. Offensively, setters were connecting with what our new attackers are today. I saw a lot of bright spots but at the same time we will need to keep working on serving and passing. We need to handle pace a bit better but with just few days into our training, today was a good standing of what we need to work on going into this year."
The Wildcats open the regular season at the Capital Plaza Invitational in Topeka, Kansas Sept. 6-7.
