ELLENSBURG, Wash. – The road to a GNAC championship comes through Nicholson Arena this week as the Central Washington University Volleyball team closes the regular season with two of its biggest matches of the year. The Wildcats enter the final weekend at 18-4 overall and 14-2 in conference play, riding a 14-match winning streak and holding a one-match lead over No. 22 Simon Fraser in the conference standings.
With only two matches remaining, Central controls its own destiny in the race for the GNAC regular-season title. A victory Thursday over Western Washington would keep the Wildcats in position entering Saturday's climatic showdown with Simon Fraser, a match that could ultimately decide the conference championship and top seeding heading into the NCAA postseason.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Thursday, Nov. 12
Central Washington vs. Western Washington
7:00 p.m.
Nicholson Arena
Ellensburg, Wash.
WATCH
LIVE STATS
TICKETS
HISTORY
Saturday, Nov. 14
Central Washington vs. #22 Simon Fraser
1:00 p.m.
Nicholson Arena
Ellensburg, Wash.
WATCH
LIVE STATS
TICKETS
HISTORY
LAST WEEKEND:
The 'Cats extended their winning streak to 14 matches and maintained sole possession of first place in the GNAC standings with a convincing 25-14, 25-20, 25-20 sweep of Northwest Nazarene in Nampa, Idaho on Saturday. The Wildcats hit .234 as a team while limiting the Nighthawks to a .093 attack percentage.
Kailey Willsey led the offensive effort with nine kills and a .643 hitting percentage, while
Ellie Marble and
Corinne Westby each added eight kills. Defensively,
Brooklyn Parker recorded 22 digs to help CWU improve to 18-4 overall and 14-2 in conference play.
The win continued a dominant stretch for the Wildcats, who have now won 14 consecutive matches since mid-September.
Kayleigh-Shay Chang contributed 19 assists and two service aces, reaching 99 career aces, while the Wildcats held Northwest Nazarene to just 29 kills. Central entered the week with a one-match lead over Simon Fraser and two-match leads over Seattle Pacific and Alaska Anchorage with the conference title still within reach.
SCOUTING THE VIKINGS:
Western Washington enters the week at 12-10 overall and 9-7 in GNAC play after splitting matches against Seattle Pacific and Montana State Billings last week. The Vikings have been one of the league's most dangerous teams throughout the season and remain the only conference opponent to sweep CWU, earning a 3-0 victory over the Wildcats in Bellingham on Sept. 12.
The Vikings are led by GNAC kill leader Delaney Speer, who averages 4.08 kills per set and has accumulated 347 kills this season. Jasmine Terry and Aly Skagen have added 187 and 178 kills, respectively, while Finnley Claeys anchors the back row with 352 digs. Western Washington also leads the conference in service aces per set, creating another challenge for a Wildcat squad seeking to avenge its earlier loss.
SCOUTING THE NO. 22 RED LEAFS:
Simon Fraser enters the weekend as Central's closest challenger in the conference race. The Red Leafs own a 16-6 overall record and sit one match behind the Wildcats at 13-3 in conference play after sweeping Montana State Billings and No. 25 Seattle Pacific last week. Earlier this season, SFU defeated Central 3-1 in Burnaby, handing the Wildcats one of their two conference losses.
The Red Leafs feature one of the most balanced attacks in the GNAC, averaging 13.32 kills per set while hitting .261 as a team. Brooklyn Robinson leads SFU with 221 kills, while Megan Hawkins and Katarina Damnjanovic have each surpassed 200 kills this season. Nina Kovacevic is hitting .398, one of the top marks in the conference, and setter Ella McVittie directs the offense with 580 assists. With both teams having championship aspirations, Saturday's matchup has all the makings of a postseason-caliber showdown and could determine the GNAC regular-season champion.
