ELLENSBURG, Wash. – The Central Washington University volleyball team (10-4, 6-1 GNAC) closed out this weekend's homestand with a 3-1 win over the visiting Saint Martin's Saints (9-6, 2-5 GNAC) Saturday afternoon in front of an excited Nicholson Arena crowd.
 
Quoting Head Coach Mario Andaya
"Ellie, Brooklyn and Corinne were solid at serve-receive and our team's defense stayed resilient all match. We stayed the course, offensively, and scored some big points in transition. The setters, Kaleigh-Shay and Addie, distributed well and we had some impact performances off the bench with Kaitlyn, Kennedy, Payton and Ash who all came up big in key moments. SMU had great energy all match and it was nice to see our response to their pressure."
 
How It Happened
The Wildcats opened the match well–winning sets one and two. The Saints responded with a strong set three win to escape the sweep. However, the Crimson and Black finished off SMU in the fourth set to take the match 3-1.
 
Both sides had strong leaders offensively and defensively with Emily Garten recording 12 kills and 14 digs for a double-double for the Saints, while Ellie Marble led with 12 kills and 19 digs for a double-double of her own. Kailey Willsey and Scottie Ellsworth also performed well with 11 and 10 kills, respectively. Marble and Willsey both led from the service line with two aces each, while Kayleigh-Shay Chang kept the offense flowing with 30 assists, followed by Addie Allen with 26. The 'Cats had a strong presence at the net with Ellsworth and Willsey each recording five blocks, followed by Mackenzie Godden with four. Brooklyn Parker held down the defense with 20 digs to keep Central's opportunities alive in big moments.
 
CWU opened the match with a big run to take a 6-1 lead early. Saint Martin's began to respond, but the Wildcats continued to hold pressure–leading 16-8 at one point. SMU's one-point runs were usually answered by multi-point runs by the 'Cats. Then with the score at 24-15 and Central threatening set point, the Saints found three quick points. However, that was as close as they got, as Ellsworth and Willsey blocked Garten to give the Crimson and Black the 25-18 win.
 
Saint Martin's appeared to flip the momentum in set two–scoring a 7-3 run to open the set. CWU responded and began to chip away the lead. Trailing 9-12, the Wildcats found light and went on a five-point run to take a 14-12 lead. Like the first set, SMU answered, but couldn't find a way to build any runs. The 'Cats continued the pressure and ultimately closed out the second set with three straight points, including two kills from Corinne Westby to win 25-18 and give the Crimson and Black the 2-0 lead.
 
The Saints opened set three with another quick run to take a 5-3 lead. Central answered once again with a 9-3 run to flip the script and make it 12-8. The teams traded a couple of points, then SMU came alive. The Saints then scored six straight points to make it 16-14. Saint Martin's began to find multi-point runs to answered CWU's lone points, but the 'Cats kept it close. Then, with a narrow 23-22 lead, the Saints scored two points to take set three 25-22 and escaped the sweep.
 
SMU continued its momentum into the fourth set–scoring a 7-2 run. Central fought back, but Saint Martin's held its pressure as the score rose to 12-7. Then, the 'Cats found their stride–scoring six unanswered points to take a 13-12 lead. The Saints responded with three points, but CWU came right back with three of its own. Both teams traded points as the Wildcats held between a tie and a narrow one-point lead. Then, with the score at 20-20, The Crimson and Black found their answers with a pair of kills from Kennedy Webb and Willsey. SMU answered with a block, but Central responded right back with a kill from Marble, another block from Willsey to force match point, and then Willsey getting the final kill to give CWU the 20-21 win in set four and the 3-1 match win.
 
Up Next
The 'Cats head back out on the road, this time to the Last Frontier of Alaska, starting on Thursday, Oct. 16, when they take on the RV Alaska Anchorage Seawolves. First serve from the Alaska Airlines Center is set for 8:00 p.m. PDT.