ELLENSBURG, Wash. – With only three regular-season matches remaining, the Central Washington University volleyball team heads to Nampa, Idaho for a key GNAC road matchup against Northwest Nazarene on Saturday. The Wildcats enter the week at 17-4 overall and 13-2 in conference play, riding a 13-match winning streak and holding first place in the GNAC standings.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
 
Saturday, Nov. 7
Central Washington at Northwest Nazarene
12:00 p.m. PST
Johnson Sports Center
Nampa, Idaho

LAST WEEKEND:

Central strengthened its hold on first place with a pair of road victories over Seattle Pacific and Montana State Billings. The Wildcats opened the weekend with a five-set thriller against then-second-place Seattle Pacific, earning a 24-26, 25-18, 27-25, 21-25, 21-19 victory in a matchup between the GNAC's top two teams. Corinne Westby delivered one of the best performances of her career with 26 kills, while Ellie Marble added 17 kills and Brooklyn Parker recorded 26 digs. The Wildcats matched Seattle Pacific at a .198 hitting percentage but made the difference at the net with an 18-12 blocking advantage, led by Kailey Willsey's 10 blocks.
 
The 'Cats followed with a 3-1 victory at Montana State Billings, bouncing back from a second-set loss to win the final two frames by scores of 25-6 and 25-15. Kennedy Webb led the attack with 13 kills, while Kayleigh-Shay Chang put together a historic performance with eight service aces, totaling 97 career aces. Chang also dished out 25 assists, and Parker added 14 digs as the Wildcats hit .311 and held the Yellowjackets to a .102 attack percentage.
 
SCOUTING THE NIGHTHAWKS:
 
Northwest Nazarene enters Saturday's matchup at 13-9 overall and 7-8 in GNAC play. The Nighthawks have split the results of their last six conference matches, defeating Alaska Fairbanks, Western Oregon, and Saint Martin's while falling to Alaska Anchorage, Montana State Billings, and Seattle Pacific. In the first meeting between the teams, CWU earned a 25-18, 25-13, 25-22 sweep at Nicholson Arena on Oct. 10.
 
The Nighthawks are led by one of the GNAC's top attackers in Abby Black, who averages 3.81 kills per set and has totaled 324 kills this season. Hailey Cheney adds 162 kills while hitting .345, and setter Morgan Wilding directs the offense with 468 assists. Defensively, Kayci Spray leads the back row with 356 digs, while Cheney anchors the net with 87 total blocks. As a team, NNU averages 11.74 kills per set, 1.73 aces per set, and 2.23 blocks per set.