ELLENSBURG, Wash.—Central Washington volleyball dropped a pair of matches to Alaska Anchorage, losing 3-1 (25-22, 23-25, 21-25, 14-25) in the opener and 3-1 (29-31, 23-25, 25-20, 18-25), Saturday at Nicholson Pavilion.
 
Playing a lineup made up mostly of first-and-second year players, head coach Mario Andaya was pleased with the competitiveness his young squad showed against one of the top programs in the country.
 
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"Despite the results I'm actually encouraged," Andaya said. "Whomever we plugged in there came ready to play. We have a lot of growing to do and the only way we're going to grow is in competition. They stuck with their training and trusted themselves out there. It gives our kids experience against what will be a nationally ranked team. It lets kids who have never been out there before know they can play in that environment, they can compete against a team like that. It also shows how we need to practice. It allows us to ramp up our training mentality, ramp up our competitive nature, and that's what I'm looking forward to."
 
MATCH 1
The Wildcats opened the day with a 25-22 win in the first set but the SeaWolves countered by winning the next three.
 
Anchorage jumped out to large, early leads in sets two and three, and each time the Wildcats battled back. Trailing 10-5 early in the second set, CWU rallied to leads of 12-11, 13-12 and 16-15 but could never stretch the lead beyond a point.
 
The Wildcats tied the set at 23-23 after an Anchorage service error and an ace by Sydney Remsberg. But the SeaWolves secured the next points, tying the match at one set apiece.
 
Anchorage was more in control in the third set, forging a 19-13 advantage but the Wildcats stormed back to get within 23-20, before the SeaWolves put the set away.
 
Leading 2-1, Anchorage dominated the fourth set, recording a .536 hitting percentage to just .185 for the 'Cats.
 
Leanna Shymanski led the Wildcats with 10 kills in the morning match. Remsberg collected 15 assists, and Kennedy Kibby added 12 of her own. Defensively, three players reached double figures in kills, led by Hannah Stires with 12.
 
Eve Stephens led UAA with 22 kills.
 
MATCH 2
The second match of the day was every bit as tight as the first one. Anchorage squeaked by with a two-point win in each of the first two sets before the Wildcats got on the board with a close win of their own before the Seawolves closed it out with a decisive win in the fourth set.
 
The first set was a mini-marathon, with Anchorage winning 31-29. Central out-hit the SeaWolves in the second set (.196 to .184) but couldn't get the win.
 
Central broke through in the third set, dominating Anchorage by hitting .180 to just .020 for the SeaWolves, and getting to within 2-1 on the scoreboard.
 
But the SeaWolves rallied in the fourth set, jumping out to a 9-4 lead and holding a Central rally midway through the set to come away with the win.
 
Stires was everywhere on defense for the Wildcats in the second match, finishing with 31 digs. Kylie Thorne (18) and Remsberg (10) also reached double digits in digs. The Wildcats had 11 total blocks for the match, with Marianna Payne (7) and Carly Gibbon (6) leading in block assists.
 
Analia Vasquez had a team-high 11 kills for Central, while Kibby (20), Remsberg (15) and Stires (10) each reached double figures in assists.
 
Stephens led Anchorage with 21 kills in the second match.
 
The Wildcats next host a doubleheader with Seattle Pacific, beginning 3 p.m., Saturday, April 17 at Nicholson Pavilion.