HONOLULU, Hawaii - The Central Washington University volleyball team (3-3) finished its second day of the Aloha State Showdown with a win over the Florida Tech Panthers (3-2) and a loss to the #24 Chaminade Silverswords (3-6) on Friday, Sep. 12 in Honolulu, Hawaii.
 
Quoting Head Coach Mario Andaya
"We had really good intent this morning against Florida Tech. Our passing was very good, and we found a way to score and kept a lot of pressure on our opponent.
Chaminade served us well and kept us out of system. We couldn't convert to stop the runs and put ourselves into a big deficit each set. Lots to learn from these matches today. We have a quick turnaround and play another good regional opponent tomorrow so we will need to regroup and be at our best."
 
GAME ONE VS FLORIDA TECH
How It Happened
The Wildcats defeated the Panthers in three sets by scores of 25-22, 25-22, and 25-15. Central appeared to be in control early on in each set, but Florida Tech found a way to come back and make it a close game in the first and second sets. However, the Crimson and Black held it together in each set to close out the Panthers before losing any lead.
 
The Wildcats were led by Corinne Westby in scoring with 13 kills, followed by Kaitlyn Leaverton with 11 and Scottie Ellsworth with nine. Kayleigh-Shay Chang showed up in a big way in the setter category, recording 37 total assists, while Ellie Marble held down the defensive line with 15 digs. Marble also led on the serving line with three aces, while Hayli Tri led the front line with five total blocks.
 
The match started off with both teams competing well with Central holding a narrow lead. Then, the Wildcats hit a stride, scoring six-straight points to take a seven-point lead. It appeared that the Crimson and Black had a rhythm that they would ride all the way to a set win. However, the Panthers found their answer while down 12-21, as they went on a 10-3 run to make it a 24-22 game. But that's as close as they got with set point in effect, as a block from Ellsworth and Willsey shut the door on the comeback—winning the set 25-22 for Central to take a 1-0 lead.
 
CWU opened set two with heavy pressure—going on a 7-1 run. Florida Tech returned the favor with a five-point run to make it a one-point lead. The game became a neck-and-neck event as both teams battled to gain the edge. The 'Cats got the next edge—scoring three points, but the Panthers answered with three of their own. Central upped the pressure with a four-point run, and Florida responded as the score rose, and the Panthers eventually tied the game at 22-22. That's when the Wildcats locked in and scored the next three points to close out the second set with a kill from Westby to give CWU a 2-0 lead in the match.
 
The 'Cats carried the momentum into the third set and held onto it as they didn't allow the Panthers to get any kind of traction. Answering single points from Florida Tech with multi-point runs as the lead quickly rose for Central. The Panthers found some rhythm—scoring four points to trail 15-24, but the pressure was too much, as the Crimson and Black finished off the Panthers with a kill from Leaverton to win set three 25-15 and give the Wildcats 3-0 sweep.
 
GAME TWO AT #24 CHAMINADE
How It Happened
The Wildcats fell in three sets to the 24th-ranked team in the nation by scores of 23-25, 21-25, and 17-25. The Silverswords were able to build a strong lead early on, while Central found a way to get back into the first and second sets before falling short of achieving comebacks.
 
The 'Cats were led offensively by Corinne Westby, who led for the second game in a row in kills with nine total. Kayleigh-Shay Chang kept the offense moving with her team-leading 18 assists. Hayli Tri led at the net with five total blocks, followed by Scottie Ellsworth and Kailey Willsey, who had three blocks each. Ellie Marble held down the defense at libero for the match with nine total digs, followed by Ashton McMahon with eight.
 
The match began with both teams competing evenly with neither side finding a competitive advantage. This continued through the first 10 points of the set. Then, Central got a two-point lead that was answered quickly by Chaminade with a seven-point streak that broke open the score as the Silverswords led 17-12. The Wildcats responded with a 6-2 run to make it 18-19. This is when the teams began trading points as Chaminade held its narrow lead. Then with the Silverswords leading 24-23 with set point looming, Audrah Johnson got the winning blow for the 'Swords to win set one 25-23.
 
Chaminade came out quickly in the second set with three quick points to get the early lead. The 'Cats responded with two points to stop the rush. The 'Swords flipped the momentum back around with three points to build up a 6-2 lead. Westby got a kill for CWU to stop the bleed but was answered with another Silversword point. The teams began trading points as Chaminade held its four-point lead. The 'Swords began to find runs to build on their lead and got it to 16-8. Central found a stride and scored three points to cut the lead to five. The Silverswords responded with two points to make it 18-11. Then, the Wildcats got on a run to cut the lead to four and force a Chaminade timeout with the score at 14-18. Following the timeout, CWU continued its momentum, scoring two points to make it 16-18. The 'Swords stopped the run and then the teams traded a point each before Chaminade got two extra points to make it an 18-22 game. The 'Cats got two more points but were answered with a point to give the 'Swords a 23-20 lead. The teams traded a point each as Chaminade entered set point. Tabby Allen didn't waste any chances—earning her fourth ace of the match and winning set two for the Silverswords to take a 2-0 lead and putting the Wildcats in a tough spot.
 
The 'Swords opened the third set with three quick points. Central answered with two points, but Chaminade found a rhythm and built its lead. A pattern formed as the 'Cats chipped away at the lead as the Silverswords went on multi-point runs to keep the lead out of reach. The 'Swords continued their momentum and built a 13-7 lead early on. CWU answered with three-straight points to make it a three-point lead, but Chaminade responded with two points to bring it back up to 15-10. The teams traded the next three points each to make it an 18-13 game. Then, the Silverswords went on a four-point run to make it a nine-point lead and forced the Wildcats to take a timeout. The timeout proved to be wise with Central scoring the next three points, but Chaminade answered with two points to force match point. Ella Bines got one more point for the Crimson and Black, but Lille Hinton shut the door on the 'Cats with a match-winning kill that sealed the sweep for the Silverswords as CWU split the second day of the showdown.
 
Up Next
The Wildcats close out their time in the Aloha State Showdown tomorrow, Sep. 13, with a matchup against Hawaii Pacific in the Shark Tank. First serve is set for 3:00 p.m. PDT.