FAIRBANKS, Alaska - The Central Washington University volleyball team started off their trip to Alaska with a four-set win over the Alaska Fairbanks Nanooks on Thursday night (25-13, 25-18, 16-25, 25-12).
 
Kylie Thorne led the team in kills (12) on her way to a double-double with 10 digs. Emma Daoud-Hebert logged 11 kills and nine total blocks. Ashley Kaufman registered 11 kills and eight digs. Hannah Stires led the team in digs (25). Sydney Remsberg had a team-leading 22 assists.
 
As a team, the Wildcats had a hitting percentage of .267 while holding UAF to .069. The Crimson and Black only had 14 attack errors in comparison to the Nanook's 31 attack errors.
 
The Wildcats found themselves down 5-7 in the early moments of the first set. Then, the 'Cats got hot, rattling off 10 of the following 12 points to make it 15-9. A kill from Daoud-Hebert forced a Nanook timeout.
 
The Crimson and Black continued their hot streak out of UAF's first timeout. Following kills from Thorne and Stires to make it 20-11, the Nanooks called their final timeout of the first frame. UAF could not change the flow of the set and a Remsberg ace clinched the winning point of the first set by a score of 25-13.
 
The first half of the second set started off close, similar to the first frame, with the score sitting at 13-12. Back-to-back points for the Wildcats by Abby Snethen and Shaunessy Fisk made the score 15-12, forcing UAF to take a timeout.
 
With Fisk serving, the 'Cats went on a streak of five more points, making it 20-12. The Nanooks narrowed the score a little, it wasn't close enough. A Marianna Payne kill buried UAF's hopes in the second set as the 'Cats took it 25-18.
 
In a must-win set, the Nanooks showed a lot of fight in the third frame. UAF didn't allow the 'Cats to gain a lead after the early stages. At 16-21, the Wildcats found themselves in a hole and called a timeout. But, the Nanooks kept the momentum rolling as CWU dropped the fourth set 16-25.
 
The teams traded points back and forth in the fourth set. At 9-9, both teams were struggling to string some points together. That's when the 'Cats got hot. With Kaufman serving, the Wildcats proceeded to rip off six points in a row to make it 15-9.
 
At 18-12, the 'Cats rattled off seven straight points, finished with a Daoud-Hebert kill, the win the fourth set 25-12 and clinch the season series sweep over the Nanooks.
 
The Wildcats will need a big performance on Saturday as they'll take on the GNAC-leading #6 Alaska Anchorage Seawolves on Saturday, Nov. 5, at 8:00 p.m.