PORTLAND, Ore. – After a dominant opening weekend of GNAC home play, the Central Washington volleyball team earned GNAC Athletic Solutions Team of the Week honors following back-to-back sweeps of RV Alaska Anchorage and No. 19 Alaska Fairbanks at Nicholson Arena.
 
Quoting Head Coach Lauren Herseth
"After a tough week, I am most proud of our collective buy-in. The commitment to our standards was evident, and this group was able to focus on the right things. To come out with two big wins was just the icing on the cake. Our mission going into the UAA match was to operate from a place of improving vs. proving. We served tough which cracked open the door for everything else, and our team was able to run with it from there. UAF is a very physical group, so we had to be sharp on defense. I thought our touches and ball control were lights out, and it allowed our offense to get hot. Our setters did a great job distributing the ball, and that made us difficult to handle."
 
The Wildcats put together one of their most complete weekends of the season, posting two straight-set victories over the two Alaska programs that entered the week with a combined 19-7 overall record. Central improved to 2-2 in conference play while showcasing a balanced effort on both sides of the net.
 
The 'Cats opened the week Thursday with a convincing 25-13, 25-15, 26-24 sweep of Alaska Anchorage. The Wildcats hit .319 as a team and held the Seawolves to a .128 attacking percentage. CWU totaled 50 kills, seven service aces, and 62 digs in the victory.
 
The Wildcats followed with another sweep on Saturday, defeating No. 19 Alaska Fairbanks 25-19, 25-18, 25-18. CWU hit .309 in the match while limiting the Nanooks to a .100 hitting percentage and doubling UAF's block total, 8-4.
 
A major driving force for the Wildcats' success was senior outside hitter Ellie Marble, who was named GNAC Offensive Player of the Week after leading all conference players with 5.00 kills per set and 5.58 points per set during the weekend.
 
Marble recorded 17 kills, 11 digs, two service aces, and a .378 hitting percentage in Thursday's win over Alaska Anchorage, collecting her second double-double of the season. She followed with 13 kills and a .407 hitting percentage against Alaska Fairbanks to finish the week with 30 kills, 14 digs, three aces, and a .391 hitting percentage across six sets.
 
The Wildcats also received strong contributions throughout the lineup. Brooklyn Parker anchored the back row with 35 digs across the two matches, including 18 against Alaska Anchorage and 17 against Alaska Fairbanks. Kayleigh-Shay Chang and Addie Allen combined for 73 assists over the weekend, helping orchestrate an offense that hit above .300 in both matches. At the net, Hayli Tri led the defensive effort with seven total blocks, including five against Alaska Fairbanks.

Up Next
The 'Cats hit the road this week as they continue GNAC play against Western Oregon on Thursday, Sept. 24, and Saint Martin's on Sunday, Sept. 27.

Read the full GNAC story HERE