BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Central Washington University volleyball team (2-1) fell to St. Cloud State Saturday afternoon in its final match of the WWU Invitational by a final score of 2-3.
 
Quoting Head Coach Mario Andaya
"We need to go through the stress of matches like this. I love the resilience of this team. We have lots to do, but we now are aware of some things that will help is grow."
 
How It Happened
The Wildcats found success early on, winning the first set. However, St. Cloud State answered with two straight set wins. Central was able to respond and force set five, but the Huskies found a rhythm and won set five to win the match. CWU found success in getting points off the defense–recording 15 total blocks to SCSU's 12. However, the Huskies were relentless on the offense with 82 kills to Central's 50.

The 'Cats were led by Corinne Westby in scoring with 14 total kills, followed by  Scottie Ellsworth and Ellie Marble with 10 each. Marble also led the defense with 21 digs–earning herself a double-double. Hayli Tri led in blocks with eight, while Kayleigh-Shay Chang was the primary setter for the game with 24 assists.
 
The match started evenly with neither team getting a definitive edge. Both teams found two-point leads early on, but then the other responded to tie or take the lead. Then, with the score at 10-9 CWU, the Wildcats caught a stride–scoring four straight points to take a 14-9 lead. The Huskies got two points, but Central answered with three more. It appeared that the 'Cats were going to cruise to the set win, entering match point at 24-17. However, that's when St. Cloud State came alive and went on a five-point run to make it a two-point game. The momentum looked to be in SCSU's favor, but Kaitlyn Leaverton stopped the run with a set-winning kill for CWU to take set one 25-22.
 
St. Cloud State opened set two with a quick 4-2 run before Central answered with three points to make it 5-4. The Huskies responded, though, with four points to take an 8-5 lead. The teams traded a pair of points and fell into a steady run of points as SCSU held a narrow lead. The Wildcats were able to tie the game at 13-13 after an attack error from the Huskies. But not for long, as St. Cloud State went on a four-point run to make it 17-13. Again, the teams traded points as SCSU grew nearer to a win. Central would get a final kill from Ella Bines to trail 18-22, but the Huskies responded with three straight points to close out the second set and tied the match at a set apiece.
 
Both teams shot out of the gates for a competitive third set as neither team showed a strong edge over the other. SCSU got the first edge nearly halfway through the set–scoring three points to lead 13-11. The teams traded a pair of points, but St. Cloud State began to build a bigger lead. Then, with the score at 18-15, the Wildcats scored three points to tie it up. However, the Huskies answered with three of their own to reset the three-point lead. Central tried and got two points but was responded to with another three-point run to make it 24-20 for the Huskies. Westby would get a kill to bring the 'Cats within three, but SCSU shut the door on the next play to win the set and gain the 2-1 edge.
 
St. Cloud State took an early 5-3 lead in the fourth set, but CWU answered with two points to tie it back up. Both teams began trading the lead until the Crimson and Black led 12-11. That's when the Huskies hit a stride and went on a 6-0 run to make it 17-12. Central tried to chip away at the lead, but SCSU appeared to have all the answers to the Wildcats' efforts. Then, with the Huskies leading 23-16, Central went off, going on a seven-point streak to tie the game at 23-23. The teams went into a stalemate as they traded points, going into extra frames. The Huskies were threatening match point as they led 27-26, but the 'Cats didn't allow that to happen as they scored the next three points to win the set and force set five.
 
Central opened the fifth set with a pair of points, but SCSU answered back with three points to flip the score. The Huskies then started to score two points for each CWU point, building a strong lead. Then, as the 'Cats got within one point at 5-6, St. Cloud State found its stride and went on a six-point run to make it 12-5. The Wildcats continued to fight back, but the damage proved to be too much as the Huskies got their last three points, capped off by a kill from Ella Thompson, her 21st of the match, as St. Cloud State took the victory, and the Wildcats closed their time at the WWU Invitation, going 2-1.
 
Up Next
The Wildcats depart the Pacific Northwest next week and head to Honolulu, Hawaii, to take part in the Aloha State Showdown, where they'll take on four opponents starting with Hawaii Hilo on Thursday, Sep. 11. First serve from The Shark Tank is set for 3:00 p.m. PDT.