LACEY, Wash. – The Central Washington University volleyball team (15-5, 11-2 GNAC) opened its last road trip of the season with a big win over Saint Martin's (11-11, 4-10 GNAC) as the Wildcats battle for the top spot in GNAC standings.
 
Quoting Head Coach Mario Andaya
"SMU caused some problems we just couldn't solve in time during set one. We had to dial in on some small things that made us click when we were under the gun which allowed us to stabilize and compete. Kaitlyn came in and gave us a spark and everyone else started to find a rhythm offensively as the match went on. Brooklyn and Ellie gave us a lot of scoring chances off their digs in set four which was a big factor."
 
How It Happened
The 'Cats dropped the first set to the Saints before finishing strong by winning the next three straight sets. Strong offensive performances came from four Wildcats–each scoring double-digits led by Scottie Ellsworth with 15 kills and Kailey Willsey with 13, while Ella Bines and Kaitlyn Leaverton each recorded 12 kills. Kayleigh-Shay Chang produced offensive chances with her 38 assists, while Mya VanderYacht led the service line with three aces. Ellie Marble led the defense with 20 digs, followed by Brooklyn Parker with 20, while Ellsworth and Willsey led the front line with three blocks each.
 
The match started with Central getting out to an early 4-1 lead. SMU cut the lead away and tied it up at 5-5. The Saints then got a 4-2 run to take a 9-7 lead before the Wildcats answered with a 5-2 run to give themselves a 12-11 lead. The teams battled for the lead throughout the middle of the frame, as CWU pulled away to take a 20-16 lead. However, that's when Saint Martin's offense exploded into a seven-point run to flip the script and take a 23-20 lead. Bines would get a kill to cut into the lead, but a service error on the next play gave the Saints the ball back, and Emmy Hansen didn't waste the opportunity–getting a serve that Marble couldn't handle as SMU won set one 25-21.
 
Set two began with CWU getting an edge on SMU–going on a 7-3 run to start. Saint Martin's answered with three straight to cut the lead to one point. The teams battled for the next few points before the Saints got a four-point run to take the 11-10 lead. Both teams then traded multi-point runs as the lead flipped back and forth. Then, with the score tied at 18-18, the Wildcats got a chance and scored four points to make it 22-18. SMU responded with a pair of points, but the Crimson and Black shut the door with three straight points capped off by a kill from Marble to take the second set 25-20 and tie the match a set apiece.
 
Central opened the third set with a newfound momentum–opening the game with a 6-3 run. SMU found two quick points to cut the lead to one, but the Wildcats responded with four straight points to take a 10-5 lead. The Saints got two more points to try and keep the score close. However, CWU's momentum was clicking and scored five more points to make it 15-7. The teams battled over the next few rounds–going 5-5 as the 'Cats held a 20-12 lead. Then, the Crimson and Black came alive and scored five unanswered points to take set three in a dominant fashion with the score at 25-12.
 
Saint Martin's didn't waste any time in set four–opening the set with a 9-3 run and looking to be firing on all cylinders. The Wildcats slowed the momentum, though, with a 4-1 run to cut the lead to three. SMU answered with a 3-1 run to take a five-point lead once again. However, that's when Central went into maximum overdrive and proceeded to score 13 unanswered points–blowing the Saints out. The 'Cats didn't let off the gas, as they finished off the fourth set with 4-2 run capped off by another Marble kill to take set four 25-15 and win the match 3-1.
 
Up Next
The Crimson and Black's road trip continues as the Wildcats head south to Monmouth, Ore., to battle Western Oregon on Saturday, Nov. 8. First serve is set for 7:00 p.m.