ELLENSBURG, Wash. - The Central Washington University volleyball team lost to the Seattle Pacific Falcons 2-3 (25-20, 17-25, 21-25, 25-17, 11-15) at the SURC Saturday evening.
On a night in which the offense struggled to find its stride, CWU had an attacking percentage of .185.
The top performer for the 'Cats was
Tia Andaya who had another double-double (15 kills, 24 assists).
Emma Daoud-Hebert led the team in blocks (11) and tacked on seven kills.
Ashley Kaufman had 14 kills and seven digs.
Shaunessy Fisk led the team in digs (18).
Marianna Payne and
Abby Snethen had six blocks each.
In the first set, both teams traded early runs, Halfway through the set, the Wildcats led 13-12. CWU took nine of the next 12 points, taking a commanding lead at 22-15. The Falcons went on a couple of small runs, slowly cutting the deficit, but they ran out of time. A Payne kill clinched the first set for the 'Cats 25-20.
SPU responded in the second set, jumping out to an early lead as CWU fell behind 7-16. The Crimson and Black took four of the next five points, finished with a kill from Andaya, to cut the lead to 11-17. But, the 'Cats couldn't find a way to get any closer and lost the set 17-25.
Neither team took a strong lead early in the third set as the score was 14-17. CWU hit the gas, taking five straight points, to take the lead at 19-17. But, the 'Cats couldn't hold onto their lead and the Falcons showed resilience, taking eight of the next 10 points as the CWU dropped the set 21-25.
In the fourth set, it was the Wildcat's turn to respond. CWU jumped out to an early 11-2 lead. Both teams traded points, as SPU slowly crawled back into the match as the Wildcats lead 21-15. Instead of letting the Falcons get closer, CWU went on a run, taking four of the next six points. A Fisk ace finished the set in favor of the 'Cats 25-17.
With momentum carrying over from the fourth set, CWU jumped out to an early 8-5 lead in the fifth set thanks to back-to-back kills from Andaya. SPU responded and rattled off a four-point run as the 'Cats fell behind 8-9. In the clutch, the Falcons found themselves on top. SPU took six of the final nine points to clinch the set and the victory.
UP NEXT
The Wildcats (8-5, 3-2) hit the road next week for two matchups. First, they'll take on the Western Washington Vikings (9-4, 4-1) this upcoming Thursday, Sept. 29, at 7:00 p.m. Then, they'll cross the border into Canada to take on the Simon Fraser Red Leafs (5-9, 2-3) on Saturday, Oct. 1 at 7:00 p.m.
