BELLINGHAM, Wash. - The Central Washington University volleyball team (1-0) kicked off the 2025 season with a huge upset win in the opening bout of the WWU Invitational over the fourth-ranked team and last year's national runner-up, the San Francisco State Gators, Thursday evening with a final score of 3-1.
Quoting Head Coach Mario Andaya
"Fun match to start the year. I liked how we settled in and started competing after a tough first set. SF serves very hard and runs a fast offense, so we had to get the nerves out and focus on solving some problems. We started to get some touches on the block and timed their attacks better as the match went on. Getting 16 blocks was key and our ability to covert some digs into points late in each set was the difference."
How It Happened
The Wildcats were able to dispatch the Gators after dropping the first set by winning three-straight sets to seal the upset. Central saw a strong team effort with several players leading in various categories. Scottie Ellsworth led in kills with 13 total—followed by Ellie Marble with nine and Kaitlyn Leaverton with eight. Marble also performed well from the serving line with five aces. Transfer Hayli Tri and newcomer Kailey Willsey led the team at the net with seven blocks each, while Marble, Mya VanderYacht, and Brooklyn Parker each recorded 11 digs. Addie Allen made a strong impression with 23 assists in the victory.
Both teams shot out of the gate—keeping the score neck-and-neck with neither team getting an edge early-on. Then, with the score tied at 10-10, San Francisco State went on a four-point run. The teams exchanged service errors before the Gators began to build on their lead. CWU got as close as three points, trailing 14-17, but SF State found its rhythm with an 8-3 run to close out the first set—winning 25-17.
Set two started out similarly to the previous set with both teams refusing to give the other an edge. Again, like the first set, SFSU found the first edge with a four-point run to lead 13-9. The game remained steady in scoring as the Gator held their lead. However, the Wildcats found a stride that would bring them within one point while trailing 15-16. Both teams traded points as the score remained close. SF State would catch a break—scoring three points to lead 21-18, but the Wildcats flipped the script—scoring five straight points to take a 23-21 lead. The teams traded the next four points as Central won the set on an Ella Bines kill that tied the match at a set-a-piece.
The 'Cats didn't waste time in the third set—opening the round with an eight-point run. The set became a steady flow as each team traded points before San Francisco State scored five straight points to make it a four-point game. Central answered right back with its own five-point run to make it 17-9. Once again, the teams fell into a steady run of trading scoring opportunities. Then, while trailing 15-21, the Gators scored four points to make it a two-point game. However, the Wildcats responded with four straight points of their own to win the set and take the 2-1 lead in the match.
SF State found its edge quickly in the fourth set—going on a 6-2 run. CWU clawed its way back to tie the set back up at 9-9. The story appeared to repeat itself as the Gators build a lead, while the 'Cats would chip away at the lead and tie the score several times throughout the set. Then while trailing 16-18, Central scored three points to take a 19-18 lead. SFSU responded with two points to retake the lead, but the Wildcats locked in and went on to score six straight points to win the set 25-20 and seal the upset of the #4 Gators.
Up Next
The Wildcats are back at it again tomorrow, Sep. 5, when they take on the Cal Poly Pomona Broncos on day two of the WWU Invitational. First serve from Carver Gym is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.
