BURNABY, B.C. – The Central Washington University volleyball team (18-7, 14-4 GNAC) finished the regular season as Co-Champions of the GNAC after falling to Simon Fraser (20-4, 14-4 GNAC) on Saturday night, as four teams claimed a share of the top spot in the conference.
 
Quoting Head Coach Mario Andaya
"That was two championship teams going at it.  The odds were against us in set three, but we found a way to extend the match.  We gave it everything, and God willing, that will prepare us for the playoffs if our number is called."
 
How It Happened
The Wildcats dropped the first two sets but battled back and won sets three and four to force the fifth set. However, the 'Cats couldn't find an answer in the decisive set, as Simon Fraser steamrolled to a 15-4 win to claim another share of the GNAC title. Alaska Fairbanks and Alaska Anchorage also won–claiming the other two shares of the title. For the automatic bid into the NCAA postseason, Alaska Fairbanks' record against CWU, SFU, and UAA gave the Nanooks the edge in the tiebreaker, so if Central makes the West Region tournament, it will be an at-large bid.
 
Ella Bines led for the second-straight match on the offensive side with 17 kills, followed by Scottie Ellsworth with 13, as the seniors cap off their final regular season match in first and third place for the season, with Ellsworth recording 272 total kills, while Bines recorded 205. Corinne Westby led the service line with two aces, while Kayleigh-Shay Chang kept the offense rolling with 26 assists, with Addie Allen recording 25. Defensively, Brooklyn Parker recorded 20 digs, while Ellsworth, Hayli Tri, and Kailey Willsey each recorded three blocks.
 
Simon Fraser opened the match with a 6-2 run. Central responded with a 2-1 run to cut the lead to three, but the Red Leafs hit a 7-5 run to continue to build their lead. The teams hit a pattern where each side hit a multi-point run that was answered by the other equally as SFU's lead continued to rise. Soon, the Red Leafs hit set point at 24-18. The Wildcats got two points to cut the lead to four, but that's as close as they got as Davida Hill got the set-winning kill to give SFU a 25-20 victory.
 
Central found the lead early in the second set–getting out to a 6-4 lead. However, the 'Cats appeared to run out of steam as the Red Leafs hit a 5-1 run to take a 9-7 lead. The pressure didn't stop as Simon Fraser got a 7-5 run to build its lead to 16-12. The Wildcats fought to keep the score close, but SFU appeared to have all of the answers–reaching set point at 24-18 and then getting a kill from Natalie Lemoine-Sells to take set two 25-18.
 
Set three started competitively with both sides not giving the other an edge. SFU found the first chance–scoring five-straight points to take a 13-9 lead. The teams battled as Simon Fraser held the lead to 18-14. Then, Central's offense found a stride and scored four unanswered points to tie the game. Both teams traded the next few points. Then, while trailing 21-22, the Crimson and Black found another stride–scoring four straight points to take set three 25-22.
 
The Wildcats came out strong in the fourth set with an 8-5 run. Simon Fraser responded with a 4-1 run to tie the set at 9-9 and then surpassed CWU with a 5-3 run to take a 14-12 lead. However, the 'Cats answered with four unanswered points to take a 16-14 lead. SFU came back with three points to retake the lead, and both sides then battled for the edge–leading to a 19-19 tie. The Crimson and Black found an answer and went on a 5-2 run to force set point at 24-21, and Westby had the last say–getting the set-winning kill to force the decisive set five–winning 25-21.
 
Set five saw Central's offense falter quickly, as Simon Fraser capitalized greatly–scoring 10 straight points to open the set. Bines got the 'Cats on the board finally, but the damage was too far done as the Red Leafs got a 5-3 run to finish off the Wildcats 15-4 as SFU took the match 3-2 and the GNAC went into a four-way tie for the top spot.
 
Up Next
The 'Cats await their fate in the 2025 NCAA DII women's volleyball selection show on Monday, Nov. 24, at 4:30 p.m., to see if their names will be selected for the West Region tournament among the three co-champions of the conference with an at-large chance.