ELLENSBURG, Wash. - For the second time this season, the Central Washington University volleyball team let the Seattle Pacific Falcons slip away in the fifth set (14-25, 25-14, 22-25, 25-21, 7-15), losing a tough battle to open the weekend.
 
The #22 Falcons expand their lead in the conference standings to 15-3 (9-1 GNAC) while the #18 Wildcats drop to 12-6 (6-4 GNAC).
 
NOTABLE STATS
Scottie Ellsworth stood out, leading the team with 15 kills and adding four blocks. Emma Daoud-Hebert was a beast on both sides too, tallying 13 kills with an attacking percentage of .632 and leading the Wildcats with six blocks.
 
But it was the nation's leading blocker, Seattle Pacific's Hannah Hair, who was even more dominant. She added to her massive season with 11 blocks, including four solo blocks and seven kills. Maddie Pruden also caused problems for the Wildcats, recording 12 kills and three blocks.
 
Other notable performances included Tia Andaya falling one kill short of a triple-double (nine kills, 30 assists, 12 digs). Hannah Stires put up a team-leading 20 digs. Marianna Payne made her first appearance of the season, returning from injury, recording three kills, two blocks, and two digs.
 
QUOTING HEAD COACH MARIO ANDAYA
"In the sets we lost, we got stuck in some spots, and SPU went on long runs. It was a back-and-forth affair that ended pretty undramatically in the fifth set which is disappointing after playing really well in the fourth set. We'll figure some stuff out and move on."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Falcons stymied the Wildcat offense in the first set, forcing nine CWU attack errors and recording zero of their own. SPU used a couple of early runs to force the Wildcats into a big deficit of 3-13. They would continue to be the more physical team, stopping the 'Cats from gaining any momentum as CWU dropped the first set 14-25.
 
The Wildcats responded in the second frame. Daoud-Hebert helped record the first four CWU points with a pair of kills and blocks. Later on, a seven-point run helped open the lead for the Wildcats to 12-7. The team kept rolling, thanks to thundering kills from Ellsworth and Ashley Kaufman, who recorded the final kill to win the set 25-14.
 
Seattle Pacific would return the favor in the third set, which was more tightly contested than the first two frames. Down 14-24, the Wildcats would rally back to 22-24 before the Falcons slammed the door shut, taking the game lead into the fourth set.
 
Once again, the Wildcats would respond. Down 7-9, the 'Cats would string five points together with Andaya at the service line to take a 12-9 lead. SPU wouldn't get much closer than two points and a Stires service ace would send the game to the fifth set.
 
Tied at 4-4 in the fifth set, SPU took command with a handful of blocks from Hair as CWU fell behind 5-11. Ultimately, it turned out to be a deficit too large for the Wildcats as the team fell 7-15.
 
The Falcons continue to have the upper hand on the Wildcats. The loss tonight is the ninth straight against Seattle Pacific, including the second five-set loss this season.
 
UP NEXT
The Wildcats will have an opportunity to bounce back on Saturday with a matchup against Montana State Billings. The first serve is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. in Nicholson Arena.