NAMPA, Id. - The Central Washington University volleyball team lost 0-3 (19-25, 19-25, 24-26) to the Northwest Nazarene Nighthawks on Saturday in their GNAC opener.
 
In the first set, the Wildcats jumped out to an early 9-5 lead. Emma Daoud-Hebert, Tia Andaya, Ashley Kaufman and Marianna Payne recorded kills early in the set, boosting the Wildcats. CWU maintained their lead for a while, with the score sitting at 14-12 later in the set.
 
That's when the Nighthawks went on a run, scoring nine out of the next 11 points. CWU battled back scoring three straight of their own to cut the deficit to 19-21. The Wildcats failed to climb back further and dropped the first set, 19-25.
 
Unlike the first set, the Nighthawks took the early lead in the second set as the Wildcats fell behind 6-11. Kills from Alyssa Smith, Andaya and an ace from Kaufman helped the 'Cats take four out of the next five points, making the score 10-12.
 
CWU couldn't cut the score any closer. NNU took six of the following nine points, expanding the deficit to 13-18. The teams exchanged points back and forth for the remainder of the set and the Wildcats fell in the second set 19-25.
 
The third set started close, with neither team taking a commanding lead. Halfway through the set, the Wildcats found themselves behind, 11-13. Looking to avoid being swept, the Wildcats took four of the following five points to take a 16-14 lead.
 
The Nighthawks fought back and CWU found themselves behind again 19-20. The 'Cats took five of the next six points, thanks to kills from Andaya and an ace from Rachel Lambrecht, to take a 24-21 lead. After that, the Wildcats dropped five straight points and lost 24-26.
 
The top performer for the Wildcats was Andaya, who registered a double-double (15 kills, 11 assists). Sydney Remsberg led the team in assists (20). Daoud-Hebert led the team in blocks (3). Payne recorded eight kills and two blocks. Hannah Stires led the team in digs (8).
 
The Wildcats will stay on the road with two matches next week. First, they'll take on Western Oregon in Monmouth, Ore. at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 15. Then, they'll travel up to Lacey, Wash. for a matchup against the Saint Martin's Saints on Saturday, Sept. 17 at 5:00 p.m.