ELLENSBURG, Wash. – The Central Washington University Wildcats volleyball team (13-6, 11-2 GNAC) started week eight with a sweep over the University of Alaska Anchorage (13-11, 7-7 GNAC) Thursday evening, beating the Seawolves 3-0 in Nicholson Arena.
Quoting Head Coach Mario Andaya
"We did a good job finding points in various ways tonight. Hannah and Ellie passed very well and led the charge defensively. Mo and Emma had some big blocks to end some long rallies which took some pressure off our attackers. Anchorage is a physical team so we had to produce a lot of pressure at the service line and the net. It was a tough but rewarding win."
How It Happened
The Wildcats defeated the Seawolves in three sets by scores 25-23 (Set One), 25-19 (Set Two), and 25-14 (Set Three). CWU was led by
Marianna Payne, who earned 13 kills in the match.
Corinne Westby led the team in hitting percentage with .500 for the match.
Emma Daoud-Hebert and
Morgan Halady both led the team in blocks with 3.5 each.
Kayleigh-Shay Chang led in assists with 21 total.
Hannah Stires earned 23 digs as she kept the CWU rallies alive.
The 'Cats started the match with a quick 4-1 run to get the early lead, but the Seawolves scored three straight points to tie it back up at 4-4. Central answered with four points of their own to lead 8-4. UAA scored one point, and the Wildcats responded with two before the teams began trading points throughout the first half of the set. The Seawolves caught a stride and chipped away at CWU's lead, bringing the score to 18-16. The 'Cats managed to stop the run with a kill from Westby. Westby would earn another kill before UAA scored two points off errors to trail 18-20. The teams traded points as Central held the lead. The Seawolves caught luck as they scored two points to trail 22-21. Both teams traded a point before UAA tied the set at 23-23 off a block from Martina Riba and Bella Burney. A service error from the Seawolves gave CWU a chance at set point, and Daoud-Hebert didn't waste the opportunity as she took a quick set from Chang and sealed the set for the Crimson and Black, winning 25-22.
The teams traded points to begin set two, but the Wildcats got the edge, scoring two to take a 5-3 lead. The teams returned to trading points as CWU held the lead. Then the Seawolves caught a stride, scoring three points to tie it at 9-9. UAA continued the momentum by going on a 4-2 run to take a 13-11 lead. The teams began a neck-and-neck battle as they traded the lead back and forth. Then with the score tied at 19-19, the Crimson and Black caught fire as they scored the next six points unanswered to win set two 25-19.
Set three began in a dominating fashion for Central Washington as they went on a 6-1 run. UAA answered with a point, but CWU responded with three more points to lead 9-2. The Seawolves scored two points to attempt and shorten the margin, but the Wildcats answered with two points of their own. The 'Cats were on a rhythm as they refused to slow down, turning an 11-4 lead into a 20-9 lead. The Seawolves scored a point to trail 20-10, but the Wildcats responded with two points. UAA caught a stride, scoring four points, and appeared to have built some momentum, but Halady was able to stop the run. Marble then followed with a kill to force match point 24-14, but one wasn't enough as Marble took the set from Chang and finished off the Seawolves with a kill in the back of the zone that sealed the sweep as the Crimson and Black win the set 25-14 and the match 3-0.
Up Next
The Wildcats are at home on Saturday, Nov 9 when they take on the University of Alaska Fairbanks. First serve from Nicholson Arena is at 1:00 p.m.
