Los Angeles, Calif. –The Central Washington University volleyball team wrapped up its time at the NCAA DII West Region Showcase with a match against Hawaii Pacific. The Wildcats handled the Sharks 3-0 (25-19, 25-13, 25-13) on Saturday afternoon.
 
The Wildcats (5-3) outplayed the Sharks (4-3) in several categories. As a team, the Wildcats had 37 kills to the Sharks' 29. The Wildcats gained an outstanding advantage from behind the service line, putting together six aces to the Sharks' none. Defensively, the Wildcats had 11 more digs than the Sharks had with 65. The Wildcats were fierce at the net, blocking 12 Shark attacks. 
 
"It's great to get a win to end the showcase," CWU Head Coach Mario Andaya said. "I thought we grew from this tournament and will get back to work and prepare for conference play. Gaby [Aihara], Kyla [Morgan] and Bridgette [Webb] were great his weekend. Our younger players also got experience in regional play so we hope to build on that and get better. It was a good weekend for us."
 
The Wildcats asserted themselves as the favorites with a dominate 16-8 run to open the first set. Diana Fa'amausili, Julia Mellander, Makala Swart and Bridgette Webb all had multiple kills in the opening set run. The Sharks responded with an 8-2 run that cut the Wildcats lead to 18-16. Later in the set, the Wildcats led 21-19. The Wildcats slammed the door on the Sharks by scoring the final four points of the set unanswered. They took the set 25-19. 
 
The second set of the match was a much more one-sided affair. The Wildcats used another fast start to gain their advantage. This time, it was a 14-6 run, highlighted by three kills from Webb. The Wildcats led 12-6 before an 8-4 run extended their lead to 20-10. Swart stood out offensively, picking up a pair of kills in during that time. The Wildcats used a 5-3 run to take the set 25-13.
 
The Wildcats flexed their muscle at the beginning of the third set, going on a 9-0 run. Again, Swart shined with a pair of kills while Fa'amausili and Mellander had a kill each. The two teams would trade 4-0 runs, as the score settled to 13-4 in favor of the Wildcats. The teams traded points again, as the Sharks were able to close the Wildcat lead to 17-9. A service error from the Sharks opened the door for the Wildcats to go on a 9-4 run that would finish off the Sharks. The Wildcats took the set 25-13 and the game 3-0.  
 
Swart led the Wildcats with 11 kills on a .286 hitting percentage. She was the only Wildcat with double figure kills in the match. Defensively, Swart added 11 digs for a double-double. Webb was strong for the team with eight kills on a .333 hitting percentage. Fa'amausili and Mellander chipped in with six kills each. Gabrielle Aihara ran a smooth offense, adding 26 assists to her season totals. 
 
Defensively, Mellander led the Wildcats with 6 assisted blocks. Fa'amausili was also strong at the net, accumulating five assisted blocks. Webb and Swart each had a solo block to their name. Kyla Morgan led the group with 24 digs. Ashley Kaufman and Aihara finished the game with 10 digs each. 
 
The Wildcats open Great Northwest Athletic Conference play on Thursday when they travel to Burnaby, B.C. to play Simon Fraser at 7 p.m. PT.