LOS ANGELES - The Central Washington University volleyball team opened competition at the NCAA DII West Region Showcase against Cal State East Bay. The Wildcats pummeled the Pioneers in straight sets, taking the game 3-0 (25-19, 25-13, 25-15) on Thursday morning.
The Wildcats (3-2) stayed the course through a sleepy start against the Pioneers (0-5) as they fell into a 4-0 deficit in the first set. A kill from Makala Swart helped start a 4-0 run that tied the set at 4. The two teams went back and forth as the score settled at 13 all.
A kill from Diana Fa'amausili sparked a 9-3 run for the Wildcats. The run featured kills from Ashley Kaufman and Bridgette Webb. Another highlight from the run was two service aces from Sydney Resmberg. After the run, the Wildcats held a 22-16 lead and would go on to take the set 25-19.
The Wildcats gained an excellent advantage from behind the service line in the first set. The team cashed in on five service aces to the Pioneers' one. Swart and Remsberg had two aces each.
"I liked how we settled in and found a better rhythm on offense after the first set," CWU Head Coach Mario Andaya said. "Credit the players for recognizing they needed to raise the bar on offense and coming through."
The Wildcats put together an unreal open to the second set, racing out to a 14-2 lead. The score was 4-1 when Gabrielle Aihara had a sneaky kill that built more momentum for the Wildcats. Fa'amasuli had two kills during that span, while Kaufman and Webb also had kills. The opening run proved to be too much for the Pioneers to come back from as the Wildcats cruised to a 25-13 set win.
The Wildcats put together a fabulous second set. The team had 15 kills on a .464 hitting percentage. Defensively, the Wildcats had three blocks and held the Pioneers to a .000 hitting percentage in the second set. The Wildcats featured a balanced attack through two sets. Fa'amausili and Kaufman led the way with six kills apiece. Swart, Julia Mellander and Webb each added five kills of their own.
"Gabby [Aihara] did great and distributed very well," Coach Andaya added. "Kyla [Mogan] came up with some big plays defensively and we were able to convert."
The Wildcats opened the third set with a 6-3 run to capture an early lead. The Pioneers answered with a 4-2 run, moving the score to 8-7 in favor of the Wildcats. A relentless offensive attack followed from the Wildcats. Swart smashed home a kill that started an 8-0 run. Swart was electric during the span, picking up five kills. The Wildcat lead grew to 16-7.
The Pioneers attempted to chip away at the Wildcat lead. They'd cut it to seven before the Wildcats scored the final three points of the set, taking it 25-15 and the match 3-0.
In the third set, the Wildcats put together another strong offensive performance. The team had 16 kills on a .282 hitting percentage. They also gained a small advantage from the service line with two aces to the Pioneers none.
Swart led the club and the game with 11 kills while adding nine digs. Kaufman had nine kills while Fa'amausili had eight kills and four assisted blocks. Webb finished with seven kills while Mellander had six kills. Aihara had 32 assists and chipped in with two kills. Kyla Morgan led the club with 12 digs. As a team, the Wildcats had 49 digs and combined for 10 blocks.
The Wildcats take on host team in No. 23 Cal State Los Angeles tonight at 8 p.m PT as the NCAA DII West Region Showcase continues.
"LA will be very physical with a lot of weapons," Coach Andaya said. "We will need to turn around and be very prepared for this match tonight."
