Burnaby, British Columbia. – The Central Washington University Wildcats volleyball team (16-6, 14-2 GNAC) left Burnaby Mountain on top of the GNAC standings again after defeating Simon Fraser University (17-6, 13-3 GNAC) Saturday evening, sweeping the Red Leafs 3-0.

Quoting Head Coach Mario Andaya
"Both teams were scoring at a high pace early in each set, but we were able to go on some late runs to pull away. Our blocking was a big factor tonight and our players read the game really well tonight.  We took some big shots from Simon but were able to bring a lot of offense as well.  Kate and K-Shay were putting all our hitters in great situations.  Mod and Ellie scored a lot of tough points, and Emma again was a big presence. Shauny and Ashton came up big off the bench to seal the wins.  This was as good as a team win we've had all year."

How It Happened
The Wildcats swept the Red Leafs 3-0 by scores of 25-20 (Set One), 25-22 (Set Two), and 25-19 (Set Three).

The 'Cats were led by Ellie Marble, who earned 14 kills for the match. Emma Daoud-Hebert led in shooting with a .563 percentage and blocks with 3.5 total. Hannah Stires led in digs and service aces with 15 digs and two service aces. Kayleigh-Shay Chang and Kate Stidham both had stellar performances setting, earning 20 and 19 kills, respectively.

The match began evenly as both teams traded points into a 4-4 tie. Simon Fraser got the first edge getting a two-point lead that they held until Central tied it back up at 8-8. The score remained neck-and-neck throughout the first half of the set. Then, with the score tied at 16-16, CWU went on a 6-2 run for a 22-18 lead. The Red Leafs responded with two points but were met with three unanswered points to win the set for the Crimson and Black 25-20.

The second set began like the previous set with both teams scoring back and forth to keep a close contest. The teams traded the lead through the first 10 points before the Wildcats got the edge, holding a two-point lead over the Red Leafs. SFU tied it back up at 16-16 though after a block from Brooke Dexter and Ezawa Malish. Daoud-Hebert answered with a kill and block assist with Kennedy Webb to regain an 18-16 lead. The 'Cats built a 21-18 lead before Simon Fraser responded with three straight points to tie the set. The teams traded the next two points to remain tied at 22-22, then CWU scored three straight kills, including two from Scottie Ellsworth, to win set two 25-22.

The closely battled start to each set continued into set three as both teams fought into a 4-4 tie early on. Central got the first edge, scoring two points to lead 6-4, and then built on it by responding to a Red Leaf point with two of its own. The Wildcats held the lead for most of the first half of the set. Then, with the score at 13-11 for CWU, Simon Fraser scored four straight points to take a 15-13 lead. The teams traded the next two points as SFU held the two-point lead. Then the 'Cats' offense surged for a nine-point streak to take a 23-16 lead. Trading the next two points and with match point looming, the Red Leafs scored two points to trail 24-19. However, that's as far as they got as Marble shut the door on SFU, earning the match-winning kill and the Crimson and Black busted out the brooms as they swept the Red Leafs and reclaimed the top seat in the GNAC.

Up Next
The Wildcats return home for their final homestand of the regular season on Thursday, Nov 21 to take on the Saint Martin's Saints at 7:00 p.m. from Nicholson Arena.