POMONA, Calif. – The Central Washington University volleyball team saw their season end Thursday afternoon at the hands of Point Loma Nazarene University, losing to the Sea Lions 3-2 in Pomona, Calif. in the NCAA West Regional Tournament.
Quoting Head Coach Mario Andaya
"This was a hard-fought match, and we battled until the last point. We had our offense going sets 1 and 2, but Point Loma did a nice job slowing us down with off-speed and short serves and making it a defensive battle. The 5th set was highly contested but a point swing late was the difference. Our team left it out there 'til the end led by our special group of seniors. I feel very blessed to have coached this team and will always be grateful for the commitment and dedication these seniors gave to this program."
How It Happened
The Wildcats started the match out strongly, winning sets one (25-19) and two (25-20), and appeared to be on track for a sweep. However, Point Loma flipped the momentum by winning sets three (25-22) and four (25-18) to force a decisive fifth set. Both teams battle throughout the set with the Sea Lions pulling away at the last moment to seal the win for Point Loma 15-13.
The Wildcats were led by
Marianna Payne and
Ellie Marble, who both recorded 15 kills each.
Emma Daoud-Hebert matched her season-best 13 kills as well as led the team in blocks with six.
Kate Stidham led in assists with 28 total, and
Hannah Stires held the defense together with 26 digs.
Central started the match with a 7-1 run to take the early lead. Point Loma had a cold start as CWU continued to build on the lead, getting the score to 13-4. The lead remained out of reach for the first half of the set, but the Sea Lions began to chip away at the lead and eventually trailed 22-18. The Wildcats got the next two points to force set point. Point Loma got one more point before a Daoud-Hebert kill finished the set as the Crimson and Black won set one 25-19.
The second set began more evenly as both teams battled for the first half of the set. The 'Cats got an edge to lead 14-12 and held the lead, but the Sea Lions remained right behind them. Central began to find a rhythm, scoring two points for every single Sea Lion point. They soon forced set point at 24-18. Point Loma got the next two points, but Marble then finished off the set-winning kill for the Wildcats 25-20 and took a 2-0 lead.
CWU shot out of the gate early to take a 4-0 lead to start the third set. Point Loma fought to keep the score close as the 'Cats kept their distance. Then with the score at 12-9, the Sea Lions scored three straight points to tie it at 12-12. The teams traded the lead the next couple of minutes before Point Loma flipped the momentum, getting a four-point streak to lead 19-16. Trading the next set of points, the Sea Lions then scored another four points to force set point. However, Central wasn't going down easy, scoring the next four points to trail 24-22. Abigail Nua stopped the surge and earned the Sea Lions' next kill to win set three 25-22.
Both teams battled heavily to begin set four. The teams traded the lead several times for the majority of the first half. Then, with CWU leading 14-12, the Sea Lions offense surged to score seven straight points to lead 19-14. The Wildcats attempted to stop the momentum, trading the next several points, but Point Loma finished off the fourth set with three straight points to win 25-18 and force set five.
The battle continued to begin the final set as both teams fought into a 5-5 tie. Central got an edge, scoring two points to lead 7-5. Both teams traded the next several points before Point Loma caught a stride and tied it at 9-9. The set became neck and neck as both teams traded points to remain tied. The Wildcats scored a point to lead 13-12. However, the Sea Lions hit a surge and scored the next three points to win set five 15-13 and completed the comeback to end the Wildcats' season.
