ELLENSBURG, Wash. – The Central Washington volleyball team returns to Nicholson Arena this week for a pair of matchups against Saint Martin's and Western Oregon. Riding an eight-match winning streak, the Wildcats enter the week at 13-4 overall and 9-2 in GNAC play after earning road victories over both Alaska Fairbanks and Alaska Anchorage.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Thursday, Oct. 22
Central Washington vs. Saint Martin's
7:00 p.m.
Nicholson Arena
Ellensburg, Wash.
WATCH
LIVE STATS
TICKETS
HISTORY
Saturday, Oct. 24
Central Washington vs. Western Oregon
1:00 p.m.
Nicholson Arena
Ellensburg, Wash.
WATCH
LIVE STATS
TICKETS
HISTORY
LAST WEEKEND:
Central extended its winning streak to eight matches with a pair of ranked road victories in Alaska. The Wildcats opened the trip with a hard-fought 3-2 victory over RV Alaska Fairbanks.
Ellie Marble led the offense with 20 kills, while
Corinne Westby added 16 kills.
Brooklyn Parker recorded 26 digs, and
Kayleigh-Shay Chang distributed 34 assists in the five-set win. CWU hit .251 as a team and overcame a strong effort from the Nanooks to improve to 12-4 overall and 8-2 in conference play.
Two days later, the Wildcats completed the season sweep of the Alaska schools with a 3-1 victory over RV Alaska Anchorage. Westby posted a match-high 20 kills,
Kailey Willsey added 18 kills, and Chang and
Addie Allen combined for 49 assists. Defensively, Parker paced the Wildcats with 20 digs as CWU held the Seawolves to a .118 hitting percentage. The win improved Central to 13-4 overall and 9-2 in GNAC action.
SCOUTING THE SAINTS:
The Saints enter the week having gone 3-3 since their first matchup with CWU on Sept. 27, when the Wildcats earned a three-set sweep in Olympia. Saint Martin's owns wins over Western Washington, Alaska Fairbanks and Montana State Billings during that stretch.
Emily Garten leads the Saints offense and recently became the program's all-time kills leader. She enters the week with 231 kills and 30 service aces while averaging 3.40 kills per set. Olivia Bassett adds 167 kills, while Zoey Crimin has contributed 110 kills. Setter Sophie Fast directs the offense with 520 assists and an average of 8.25 assists per set. Defensively, Tiffany Lam leads the back row with 260 digs, while Hanna Ligons anchors the net with 75 total blocks. Saint Martin's enters the week with a 10-9 overall record and is battling for positioning in the middle of the conference standings.
SCOUTING THE WOLVES:
The Wolves have gone 2-5 since their Sept. 24 loss to Central. Western Oregon earned recent victories over Alaska Fairbanks and Montana State Billings but dropped a five-set match to Seattle Pacific last weekend.
Payton Davis leads the Wolves attack with 158 kills and averages 3.67 kills per set, while Kate Markley ranks close behind with 180 kills. Malena Mathis and Vivian Yount provide additional offensive balance, combining for more than 200 kills on the season. Madi Noel leads the team with 174 digs, while Samantha Darby directs the offense with 418 assists. At the net, Kate Klobas has totaled 50 blocks, and Finley Buman has added 48.
