BELLINGHAM, Wash. - Third time's the charm. Despite dropping their two regular season matches to Western Washington, the Wildcats showed up when it mattered most.
 
Massive performances from Emma Daoud-Hebert, Hannah Stires, Tia Andaya, and the rest of the Central Washington University volleyball team guided the 'Cats to a four-set victory (27-25, 25-21, 20-25, 25-22) over the Vikings tonight in Bellingham, Wash.
 
QUOTING HEAD COACH MARIO ANDAYA
"I'm just excited. We put a lot of work in to get to these big moments like this and just the environment that it was in, the adversity we knew we were going to face and to come through, we're just really excited.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Daoud-Hebert led the team in kills (16) and recorded a .593 hitting percentage and four blocks. Andaya logged another triple-double with 11 kills, 22 assists and 16 digs. Ashley Kaufman and Kylie Thorne both contributed double-doubles. Stires was everywhere on the court for the Wildcats, logging a team-high 35 digs.
 
For most of the evening, the 'Cats prevented the Vikings from going on long runs. The WWU offense was held to a .152 hitting percentage.
 
In the first set, the Wildcats found themselves down 8-13. After that, the team got hot, taking 10 of the next 11 points to take a commanding 18-14 lead. WWU climbed back, forcing overtime in the first set, but a block by Andaya and Daoud Hebert closed the first set 27-25.
 
Momentum for CWU carried over into the second frame as the team held a 12-5 lead early. Western Washington didn't crumble and just like the first set, climbed back to tie the score at 19-19. A Daoud-Hebert kill won the final point of the second set as CWU took it 25-21.
 
In the third set, the Vikings gained control of the match. After trading points for the majority of the way, WWU went on a five-point run at 17-17 to make it 17-22. The Vikings closed it out and fourth set.
 
At 8-9 in the fourth set, it was yet to be seen who was going to take a commanding lead. That's when the Wildcats went on a run. The team took nine of the next 11 points to take a 17-11 lead. The Wildcats weren't going to squander the opportunity and Daoud-Hebert clinched the final point with an absolute strike. CWU took the fourth set 25-22 to clinch the upset and set up a date with Cal State LA tomorrow evening.
 
UP NEXT
The Wildcats advance to the semifinal round of the NCAA Division II West Regional. They'll face the third-seeded Cal State LA Golden Eagles tomorrow evening at 7:30 p.m. at Carver Gym in Bellingham, Wash.