CHENEY, Wash. — Central Washington University volleyball swept Eastern Washington University, 3-0 (25-19, 25-17, 25-21) in an exhibition.
Tia Andaya led the Wildcats with 10 kills and 17 assists, both team highs. She finished 10-for-13 for a hitting percentage of .692. Andaya also added one ace, two total blocks, and five digs. Kylie Thorne and Ashley Kaufman finished with eight and seven kills, respectively. Shaunessy Fisk notched a team-high 10 digs and was a perfect 13-for-13 in service receptions. As a unit, the Crimson and Black hit .253 offensively, posted five blocks, and 38 digs.
"It was good to compete and see some work pay off in certain areas," CWU Head Coach Mario Andaya said. "The competitive energy was high so that's always fun to see."
Central held the Eagles to a hitting percentage of just .159, including holding Eastern Washington below .100 in both the first and third sets.
The match opened with EWU taking a quick 4-0 lead before the 'Cats rattled off five consecutive points. The opening set remained close until an 8-1 run in favor of CWU gave the Wildcats an 18-13 edge. Seven points later, a kill from Marianna Payne pushed the Wildcats' lead to 22-16 and forced Eastern to call a timeout. The Eagles claimed the first two points coming out of the timeout but Central hung on for a 25-19 win in the first set. A service ace from Rachel Lambrecht and another kill from Payne sealed the 1-0 lead for CWU.
After CWU opened the second set with a 4-1 lead, Eastern Washington leveled the set at 7-7. Trading the next three points, the Wildcats held a slim 9-8 lead after a service error from the Eagles. A kill from Kaufman made it 10-8 in favor of the Crimson and Black. Central extended the gap to six, 19-13, on an ace from Sydney Remsberg. A kill from Andaya four points later, her second in the last three points, put Central ahead 21-15. The Wildcats closed the middle set by taking the final three points on a kill and an ace from Kaufman, followed by a set-clinching kill from Andaya.
Eastern Washington opened a 17-12 edge in the third set, putting the Wildcats at their largest disadvantage of the contest. A service error from the Eagles started a 6-0 run for the 'Cats with kills from Payne and Emma Daoud-Hebert. The lead see-sawed back and forth as both teams vied for control. Consecutive errors from Eastern put the Wildcats ahead 20-19, before Andaya notched a kill for a 21-19 edge. Rachel Lambrecht and Kylie Thorne, along with two errors from EWU, combined for the Wildcats' next five points for the 25-21 set victory.
Central Washington is back in action on Saturday, August 20, as they take on Portland State University in an exhibition. First serve is scheduled for 5:00 p.m.
