TOPEKA, Kan. –The Central Washington University volleyball team opened up its 2019 season against Northwest Missouri State at the Capitol Plaza Invitational. The Wildcats fell 3-0 (25-23, 27-25, 25-17) on Friday morning. 

The Wildcats (0-1) opened the first set with a 7-3 run over the Bearcats (1-0). The run featured a 5-0 start. Diana Fa'amausili got the Wildcats started with the team's first kill of the season. During the opening run, the Wildcats had two kills from Fa'amausili and two from Makala Swart. Julia Mellander and Ashley Kaufman cashed in with kills of their own in the opening run of the first set. 
 
The Bearcats chipped away at the Wildcat lead in the first set. The Wildcats owned an 11-6 advantage when the Bearcats swallowed the lead with a 7-2 run that tied the set at 13. Overall, the run was 10-3 as the Bearcats took a 17-14 lead. The two teams swapped points, gridlocking at 23 before the Bearcats found the final two points they needed to take it 25-23. 
 
As a team, the Bearcats racked up 15 kills to the Wildcats' 9. The Bearcats also found an advantage from behind the service line, converting on three aces while the Wildcats had none. During the first set, the Wildcats saw 2018 All-American Swart leave the contest. The loss of Swart forced the Wildcats to turn to youth, who produced well in her absence. 
 
"I thought we competed well," CWU Head Coach Mario Andaya said. "Makala [Swart] going down in the first set was tough, but we had some youth out there grinding out some big points, so that was encouraging. NWMSU was in-system a lot so it kept a lot of pressure on us."
 
The second set opened with the teams trading points with neither side gaining an advantage of more than two points. The set was tied at 13 when Kaufman had a kill that sparked a 4-0 run for the Wildcats. The Wildcats lead jumped to 17-13, forcing the Bearcats to call a timeout. The timeout proved useful for the Bearcats, as they scored three unanswered points. With the Wildcats' lead cut to they used a timeout. Both teams traded points, knotting the set at 19. 
 
A kill from Mellander gave the Wildcats a 20-19 lead. Mellander teamed up with Fa'amausili to block a Bearcat attack, pushing the team's advantage to two points. Again, the Bearcats scored a pair of points to tie the game at 21 all. 
 
The Bearcats hung around in the second set, as a Wildcat service error tied the game at 25. The Bearcats took the lead with a kill. They went on to take the set after an attack error from Bridgette Webb ended the set at 27-25. The Wildcat offense improved during the second set. Of the team's 43 attack attempts, they converted on 16, good enough for a .256 hitting percentage. 
 
The third set opened with both teams trading points yet again. The set was tied at 11 when the Bearcats gained separation with a short 3-0 run to go up 14-11. The lead was evaporated by the Wildcats as Kaufman and Fa'amausili had kills that book-ended an attack error from the Bearcats. Set three was quickly tied again at 14.
 
Later in the set, Webb had a kill that put the Wildcats to within one. The set was evened at 17 when the Bearcats committed an attack error. An attack error from the Wildcats opened the door for another short run for the Bearcats. Quickly, the Bearcats' lead rose to 21-17. It proved to be too much for the Wildcats, as they ultimately fell 25-17 in the third set. 
 
Despite a back-and-forth beginning in the third set, the Wildcats struggled offensively. The team converted just 10 kills while making five attack errors. 
 
"A lot of growing pains in some areas we are going learn from," Coach Andaya added. "It was good to be out there competing again though."
 
Fa'amausili led the team with nine kills on an impressive .467 hitting percentage. Newcomers Laynie Erickson and Kaufman contributed in their collegiate debuts. Erickson had eight kills, while Kaufman smashed home six kills. Gabrielle Aihara was consistent, adding 26 assists to the Wildcats' offensive efforts. Defensively, Kyla Morgan had 12 digs while Mellander assisted on four blocks. 
 
CWU is set to compete later today at the Capitol Plaza Invitational. The team will take on No. 18 Drury at 12 p.m. PT. 
 
"We need to keep a competitive attitude this weekend," Coach Andaya stated. "Drury is very good so we need to be a lot more stable and aggressive than our last time out."