BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Central Washington University volleyball team (18-6 14-3 GNAC) found itself one step closer to sole possession of the GNAC Conference Title after upsetting its rival, Western Washington (18-6, 12-5 GNAC) in four sets Thursday night to claim a share of the conference with only one game left in the season.
 
Quoting Head Coach Mario Andaya
"I was so impressed how hard the team worked and how they weathered WWU's momentum. We produced more kills as the match went on which shows how equipped we are when deep in an intense match. Bines and Rinnie kept producing points and our team defense kept creating those opportunities. WWU kept us working hard but it was nice to see that we were comfortable in the storm."
 
How It Happened
The teams split the first two sets before Central won the third and fourth sets to claim the victory over its cross-state rival. Scoring was nearly even in the match with CWU outscoring the Vikings 71-70 in total points and 63-57 in kills. Western outperformed the 'Cats in service aces 3-1 and blocks 10-7. Both teams record 62 digs each.
 
Ella Bines led the offense with 18 kills, followed by Corinne Westby with 15, and Scottie Ellsworth with 14. Westby also recorded 15 digs for her fourth double-double of the season. Ellie Marble recorded the lone ace for the Wildcats, while she also led with 20 digs, followed by Brooklyn Parker with 18. Addie Allen fed the offense with 27 assists, while Hayli Tri put up a performance in her return trip to her former team by leading the 'Cats at the net with five blocks, including two solo blocks.
 
Both teams opened the match with a competitive first few points as Western claimed an early 5-3 lead. However, Central responded in a strong way—scoring six straight points to take a 9-5 lead. The teams battled as CWU held an 11-8 lead, but then the Vikings found a stride of their own and scored four unanswered points to retake the lead at 12-11. Both teams scored a set of three points as the lead shifted in both ways, as the teams fought for the edge. Then, with the score tied at 18-18, the Wildcats found three quick points to make it 21-18. The Vikings scored a point, but Central answered with two to build its lead to 23-19. The teams then traded the next two points as Kailey Willsey closed it out—winning the set for the Crimson and Black 25-21.
 
Set two saw Western score quickly and built an early 5-2 lead. CWU fought back to cut the lead to one, but the Vikings continued their pressure as they held a steady lead. Then WWU found another stride—scoring five unanswered points to make it a 16-9 lead. The Vikings were not finished, though, as they went on a 4-2 run to take a 20-11 lead. The Wildcats fought to cut into the lead, but the damage was too much as Abby May eventually score the set-winning kill to give WWU the 25-16 win in set two to tie the match at one set apiece.
 
The third set started similar to set one with the teams playing competitively through the first five points before Central got the first edge with a 7-5 lead. The Vikings then scored three points to take an 8-7 lead. Western started to build on its lead and got to a 13-10 score. Then, the Wildcats scored four straight points to retake the lead at 14-13. The Vikings hit a 2-1 run to tie at 15-15, but the 'Cats responded with six unanswered points to take a 20-15 lead. Both teams traded points as Central held a steady lead approaching set point at 24-19. An attack error from Ellsworth gave the Vikings a point, but Ellsworth redeemed herself—getting the set-winning kill to give the Crimson and Black the 25-20 victory in set three to give CWU the 2-1 lead.
 
Central opened set four with a strong 4-1 run for the early lead. WWU fought back to cut the lead, but the Wildcats held strong and kept the lead out of reach through the first 10 points. However, the Vikings would strike back—going on a 7-3 run to tie it up at 13-13. The 'Cats responded with two points, but Western came right back with two of its own to keep it tied. The scenario repeated itself as the teams then went into a 17-17 tie. WWU then found the lead for the first time in the set at 18-17, but the Wildcats responded with a 3-2 run to tie it back up at 20-20. A kill from Emily Vossenkuhl gave the Vikings a 21-20 lead to force Central to take a timeout. The break proved to be a smart choice from Coach Andaya, as the 'Cats came out and scored five straight points to win the game 25-21 and win the match 3-1 to claim a share of the GNAC title.
 
Up Next
The Crimson and Black head to Burnaby, B.C., on Saturday to take on the Simon Fraser Red Leafs. First serve from the West Gym is scheduled for 5:00 p.m.